We awoke to bright sunshine, although the wind was still strong. After breakfast, we were ready to take on the last leg of our trip, firstly up to Holyhead where national cycle route 8 finishes, then across to Llaneilian where our friends live. I don’t think either of us could believe we were approaching the end of the journey already.
Our B&B in Dwyran was slightly off the route, but we soon rejoined it, once again following lanes lined with hedgerows full of flowers and wildlife. Today, we even saw a red squirrel! We’ve passed lots of nature reserves on Lon Las Cymru, Maltraeth Marsh being one of them today.
Jets from RAF Valley were flying overhead as we cycled and we hoped to see some taking off or landing when we got to the runway. Unfortunately that wasn’t to be, although we did hear them later in the day. They must have been on their tea break when we passed!
Not long after this, we crossed Stanley Embankment onto Holy Island. After a coffee and cake stop at the Toll house cafe, we carried on through Penrhos coastal park where lots of families were enjoying the sunshine
Suddenly we were in Holyhead, with the station and ferry terminal ahead of us. We’d completed NCR8. This ending is a bit of a disappointment so the Lon Las Cymru guide suggests going on to South Stack lighthouse, which is what we did.
It was scary negotiating the busy road junctions in Holyhead because of all the huge lorries coming to and from the ferry, but the roads got quieter as we left the town. The road climbed around Holyhead mountain then we turned right for the final steep climb to South Stack. It was fantastic to see it. We’d finished! The feeling was fantastic.
Back downhill to Holyhead, a quick stop at Lidl for some butties, and we were off again, this time to Llaneilian where Kath and Dewi live. After a stop to eat lunch, once more we wound our way through the lanes.
We were surprised to come across a windmill, Melin Llynon, in the middle of nowhere. We took advantage of the small cafe in a horse box and sat and drank cold ginger beer in the sun.
More hills up and down, and more country lanes. This was our longest day of the trip but, thankfully, we were feeling fine… better than yesterday. That said, I was glad to see Parys Mountain because this meant we didn’t have much further to go.
We stopped to take some pictures of the weird copper landscape before dropping downhill towards the coast and our final destination. Before going to Kath and Dewi’s we decided to cycle to Point Lynas. For some reason it seemed appropriate to finish the ride at the coast. We sat above the bay and ate pastries, before returning to Llaneilian.
We can’t believe it’s over and we’ve completed Lon Las Cymru, 452 kilometres (281 miles), plus an extra 48 kilometres (30 miles). The week has passed in a bit of a blur so I’m glad I have the blog to look back on. And I’m quite pleased with myself for completing the route without too many dramas 😊
Ramblings 
Well done. And relax!
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Thank you! We’re having a rest today, but do have about 35 miles cycling tomorrow on our way home. At least it’s on the coast and will be flat! 😊
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I have so enjoyed your trip! The scenery is beautiful, what a treat to cycle this route vicariously! Thank you! And glad that there have been no punctures and breakdowns!
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