Participants travelling by train will be picked up and transferred from Newport Railway Station. There is ample parking at the hotel in Tintern for those preferring to drive and cars can be left at the first hotel for the duration of the tour since we will be transferring back here on departure.

Situated on the banks of the River Wye, in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the delightful village of Tintern is our base for the first half of our trip. Close to the English border, the welsh village is best known for its iconic Gothic Abbey, one of the greatest monastic ruins in Wales.

There is no formal schedule for our arrival day however there is much to enjoy including a short orientation spin around the surrounding roads as we set the bikes up or a visit to the nearby Tintern Abbey.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,250 Metres Approx.

A rolling road leads us away from our hotel and along the Wye Valley. It’s not long however before the road starts heading upwards for some great views and we enjoy a short section of riding on the English side of the border before heading back into Wales where we will remain for the rest of the holiday. After dropping down into Monmouth we cycle over the only remaining fortified river bridge in Great Britain before heading to Raglan Castle for a picnic lunch.

Refreshed, we continue to the beautiful town of Usk. From here the roads climb again, passing Wentwood Forest and then taking us into Chepstow for another castle. A short ride from here, back up the Wye Valley, returns us to our hotel.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,250 Metres Approx.

We start the day with a climb to wake our legs! Up to the village of Trellech where we can pause to view the standing stones. We are rewarded with some splendid views before dropping down through Usk and across to Llandegfedd Reservoir for our lunch stop. Charming country lanes passing through quaint villages – and a few more punchy hills – see us back to the hotel.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,100 Metres Approx.

Having spent three evenings and two full days enjoying some of Monmouthshire’s best riding, it’s time to change locations and scenery as we head off into the heart of the Brecon Beacons.

Climbing out of the valley this morning we head north west to Abergavenny – the Gateway to Wales. As we head through the Usk valley, following the course of the river as it rises gently and meanders we pass through some charming towns and villages before arriving at Crickhowell – a delightful picnic spot. We continue cycling along the river valley, keeping an eye out for the Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal which weaves its way alongside the river. Finally we arrive at our destination town – Brecon, boasting a castle, a cathedral and plenty of restaurants, shops and pubs.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,350 Metres Approx.

Our first ride into the heart of the Brecon Beacons National Park is a strikingly different experience to last few days as we enter a sparsely populated, wild and open landscape characterised by far-reaching views, huge skies and, what people who don’t ride bikes often describe as, “rolling” hills!

Riding north from Brecon we gradually work our way up the valley and over into Builth Wells. Following the River Irfon we can enjoy some easy pedalling before the main feature of today – The Garth; rising to over 450m with an average gradient of 9%. Once at the top we can enjoy the stunning views before working our way back (and down!) to Brecon across the Epynt military training area.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,450 Metres Approx.

We start the day with a ride out onto Mynydd Illtud Common – the local cycling club’s hill climb! From here we get a great view of Pen y Fan, southern Britain’s highest peak. Working our way further into the beacons we ride into a steepening valley with no obvious exit. This is the Devil’s Elbow and the road is just visible high above us on our right! Short but with sections reaching 15% this is a testing climb, rewarded with fine views back down the valley and beyond.

Continuing on quiet lanes we work our way through Waterfall Country before turning north and another cheeky climb or two. Passing Fan Hir we climb back through the beacons before dropping into Sennybridge for a gentle finish along the river valley back to our hotel.

• Meals: Breakfast, lunch
• Ascent: 1,500 Metres Approx.

Our last day riding takes us to Hay on Wye – World renowned for literature, having over 20 bookshops and being the location of the Hay Festival. A relatively flat start to the day allows for one or two hills after Hay before we drop into the Wye valley and follow the river to Builth Wells.

After another hill out of Builth we are rewarded with a long descent back to the River Wye where we cross over and follow the river downstream. Leaving the river at Llyswen we have a couple of short climbs before our final descent back into Brecon.

• Meals: Breakfast

Alas we have reached the end of our adventure and all that remains is to enjoy a final breakfast and transfer back to the starting point of our trip. We’ll make a morning transfer to the train station in Newport and then head back to our first hotel in Tintern where drivers can collect their vehicles and begin the onward journey.