Cycling and Mountain Biking in Pembrokeshire

Cycling in Pembrokeshire divides into three things that barely resemble each other: flat, surfaced, traffic-free trails; a very large network of narrow lanes; and purpose-built mountain biking.

Start with the traffic-free. The Brunel Trail runs from Neyland to Haverfordwest along the line of Brunel's old South Wales Railway, following the Westfield Pill and the Cleddau, and it is flat, surfaced and genuinely pleasant — the obvious family ride in the south of the county. On the east coast, the old railway path between Amroth, Wiseman's Bridge and Saundersfoot runs through lit tunnels cut for the coal tramway and comes out on the seafront; it is short, level, and one of the best twenty minutes on a bike in Wales with a child.

Two National Cycle Network routes cross the county. Route 4 comes in from the east through Tenby and Pembroke, crosses the Cleddau Bridge and continues west towards Milford Haven and beyond, and Route 47 heads north-east through Haverfordwest towards Carmarthenshire. Both are mostly on-road on quiet lanes, and both are properly signed, which matters in a place where every junction looks the same.

Llys-y-frân, the reservoir under the western Preselis near Maenclochog, has purpose-built mountain bike trails as well as the path around the water and a visitor centre with a café. It is the county's main dedicated riding venue and covers a range of grades, so it works for a family morning and for something harder.

Then there are the lanes, which is where most serious road riding happens. The country between Narberth, Carew and the Daugleddau creeks is quiet and rolling; the north coast road from Newport towards Fishguard is spectacular and hard work; and the Preseli crossings are genuinely big rides. Nothing here is long, but the climbs are steep and there are a great many of them — a fifty-mile day in Pembrokeshire has more climbing than the map suggests.

Ride any month. Spring and autumn are best: the lanes are empty, the light is better and the hedgerows are worth stopping for. July and August bring caravans onto roads that were not built for them, which is reason enough to be out early.

What catches people out: the Coast Path is not a cycle route. It is illegal to ride and, in most places, physically impossible. Plan on the lanes and the trails instead. Second, the hedgebanks — they are high, they hide everything, and they turn a sunny lane into a dark tunnel where a driver will not see you without lights. Third, the wind. There is no shelter on the open sections and an Atlantic headwind on the way back is the thing that ruins otherwise sensible route plans. Ride out into the wind and home with it.

Hire is available in the main towns, and several places will deliver bikes to accommodation, which saves fitting a rack.