The Three Wales Ways

5 days · 4 driving roads · 447 miles of them · best May–September

The three official touring routes, driven as a week. The North Wales Way is the castle coast from Queensferry to Holyhead; the Coastal Way is the long west from St Davids to Aberdaron, with Nolton Haven as the Pembrokeshire spur you actually want; the Cambrian Way is the A470 spine, Cardiff Bay to Llandudno. Not a hairpin holiday — a country in five days.

Worth knowing: These are touring corridors, not mountain passes: holiday traffic, tractors, and 40 limits through every village. Five days is honest if you sleep twice on the west and once on the A470. The Coastal Way's 180 miles will take two days once you stop. Fuel is fine in the towns and thin on the Llyn. Book Holyhead and St Davids well ahead in August.

The roads, in order

1. The North Wales Way A55 / A5 · Queensferry → Holyhead · 75 mi · 1 h 45 min 📷 Conwy Quay · ☕ Providero Coffeehouse · 📷 South Stack cliffs
2. The Coastal Way A487 · St Davids → Aberdaron · 180 mi · 5 h (1–3 days) 🍽️ Harbourmaster · 📷 Portmeirion · ⛽ Sarn Mellteyrn garage · ☕ Y Gegin Fawr
3. Nolton Haven Coast Road Coast road, St Brides Bay · Newgale → Broad Haven · 6 mi · 15–20 min ☕ Sands Cafe · 📷 Nolton Haven beach · 🍽️ The Druidstone
4. The A470 — Spine of Wales (Cambrian Way) A470 · Cardiff Bay (Mermaid Quay) → Llandudno · 186 mi · 5 h (best over 2–4 days) 📷 Pont ar Daf car park (Storey Arms) · ☕ Erwood Station Craft Centre · ⛽ Texaco, Rhayader · 🍽️ Cross Foxes

Drive it

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