Cycling the NCN Route 4 from Cardiff to Bath
NCN $ from Bristol to Bath (obviously)
Start: The Celtic Ring, Cardiff, Wales
Finish: Pulteney Bridge, Bridge Street, Bath, BA2 4AT
Planned Distance: 140 km / 87 miles. Actual Distance: 148 km / 92 miles
Planned Elevation Change: +902m / - 883m / Net +19m. Actual Elevation Change: +1,937m / -1,786m / Net + 151m
GPX File: get via Buy Me a Coffee
Other Routes Touched (walk): Taff Trail, Rhymney Valley Ridgeway Walk, Rhymney River Circular, Usk Way, Wales Coast Path, Severn Way, Bristol Triangular City Walk, River Avon Trail, The Dramway, Monarch’s Way
Other Routes Touched (cycle): NCN 8, 41, 410, 42
Links: Sustrans: NCN 8, Sustrans NCN 4, Wikipedia: Newport transporter Bridge
This was meant to be an easy one. My mate Charlie and I had recently completed the NCN 8 from Holyhead to Cardiff plus the NCN 4 from Bath to London. The plan for this one was to connect those 2 previous adventures by completing the NCN 4 section from Cardiff to Bath. This was in the days before we had iPhones and GPS routes to follow. We were familiar with the great signage of the NCN routes, so it was highly unlikely that we would get lost. Right.
The plan was simple: start at Cardiff Harbour, take the NCN 8 North to Nantgarw then pick up the NCN 4 and follow it to Bath. What actually happened is that we found the NCN 4 junction but we took a wrong turn after only 1 km from Nantgarw and started heading South. I was convinced that if we continued heading East we would either find the cycle route again or come to a town where we could re-orientate ourselves. After 30 minutes we entered the outskirts of a large town. I was feeling that my plan was working as it must be Newport. It was only when I saw the roof of the Millennium Stadium that I realised that the plan had gone horribly wrong. We were back in Cardiff having spent a couple of hours on a futile 35 km loop.
Having wasted 2 hours and now back at the start with the whole trip ahead of us we needed a Plan B. Rather than heading back up to the NCN 4 via the 8 we took busy main roads East from Cardiff. It wasn't pretty but it was easy and fast cycling. We picked up the NCN 4 in Maeglas near Newport and we were back on track. This turned out to be a good place to rejoin as we could visit the Newport Transporter Bridge.
The rest of the trip was much more straightforward. The NCN 4 signage is great and we managed to follow it without screwing up like earlier in the day. This is an excellent route with the Severn Bridge crossing and the Bristol& Bath Railway Path as particular highlights.
Planned Route
Actual Route
