リベリオン・ロードを走る：「これまで走った中で最高のイギリスのバイクルート」

リベリオン・ロードを走る：「これまで走った中で最高のイギリスのバイクルート」

Welcome to Rebellion Road, a spectacular two day 
road trip through the heart of Wales, exploring epic mountain landscapes, sublime coastal roads 
and a selection of fascinating sights linked to this country’s proud but often unruly history. 
That’s right, and we’re here right at the start of the Glyndwr’s Way long distance footpath. Owain 
Glyndwr was the last native born Prince of Wales So we’re going to be following the path that’s 
linked to his name through such sites as the first Welsh senate in Machynlleth, castles 
linked to amazing and terrifying battles such as Caernarfon and Harlech, and exploring 
the mountains of Snowdonia. That’s some great pronunciation there. Thank you. But to begin with, 
we are going to get ourselves a slap up breakfast here in Knighton and hopefully taste some local 
produce and, have a coffee before we hit the road. Yeah, let’s do it. Within minutes of 
leaving Knighton we were cruising along superb biking roads while sticking relatively 
closely to the route of the Glyndwr’s Way. It marked the start of one of the best 
UK routes we’ve ever ridden for ABR. It’s pretty awesome straight out of 
the gate, eh. Straight out of Knighton, twisty roads, remote moorland, it’s absolutely 
incredible. And it’s just a taster, I think, of what what we’ve got to come in Wales. 
But, we stopped at this stunning reservoir because not only was the road up the 
side of it outstanding, what a view. Shall we take a look. Yeah. Here we are at 
the Llyn Clywedog Reservoir. That’s some good pronunciation. Yeah. Hopefully. Now, 
I do know from looking at the display board down there that there’s 50,000 mega litres 
of water in this reservoir. I don’t quite know what a mega litre is, but it sounds big. 
There’s 50,000 of them, there’s 50,000 of them. And what a sight. Really? Wales 
is such a beautiful country, isn’t it? I’m blown away every time I come and 
all you’ve got to do is ride for an hour and you’re just bombarded with beauty and incredible 
landscapes… it’s enough to stir the soul. Yeah. Feeling suitably inspired by the landscape, we ventured deeper into remote mid-Wales. I was 
on board a Suzuki V-Strom 1050. Bill was riding Suzuki’s GSX-S1000GX, two bikes that were 
perfectly suited to lapping up the smooth tarmac unraveling in front of us. And while 
the scenery was stunning, the remote hills and mountains had a dark and often brutal past, 
once being territory held by Owain Glyndwr as he fought his bloody campaign for Welsh independence 
against the English crown in the early 1400s. So, Bill, why are we walking in the 
middle of the road in Mid-Wales? Well, James, we’re here on this road because it’s 
about as close as we can get on the tarmac to Glyndwr’s Way footpath. It’s just in hills 
off to our left. It’s on these hills and in these mountains. Glyndwr raised an army of Welsh 
commoners and fought the English for independence. For about six years, he was hiding out 
in the hills, waging guerrilla warfare, conducting raids into England and evading capture 
until he disappeared in 1415 without a trace. It’s very cool to think, isn’t it, that these 
hills around us were used for guerrilla warfare. We continue north through yet more remote 
landscapes to the ancient capital of Wales,
Machynlleth It was here we explored the 15th century 
building where Owain Glyndwr called the first Welsh Parliament in 1404, after 
being proclaimed the Prince of Wales, much to the displeasure of Henry IV. 
Today it houses the Owain Glyndwr Center. We took full advantage of 
the coffee and cake on offer. They do say that this is the foundations 
of the first Parliament of Wales. Yes, yes. So this Owain Glyndwr came and had 
his little chat. And a little chat about who can destroy. The English? Yes. Yeah. So 
this was built by Lord Davies Davies of Llandinam And then he donated it all back to 
the people of Machynlleth. So these are the tariffs you have to pay that, you had to 
pay before you entered and left the town. What’s the tariff for a motorcycle? I 
don’t know, I don’t know what that one. Fuelled by caffeine and sugar, we 
pointed out Suzukis of westwards, picking up a road that wound its way along 
a river tracked by a railway line clinging to the edge of the land. We cruised along 
a beautiful section of road carved out of the hillside alongside the water, taking us 
to the picturesque coastal town of Aberdyfi. It was a change of pace and scenery, as 
well as a chance to fill our stomachs with a traditional seaside lunch. When you’re 
the seaside. There’s only one thing to do. You’ve got to have some chips. Oh, this 
is just symptomatic of of Wales, you know, we’re up in the mountains on remote mountain 
passes earlier, an hour or two down the road. We’re here. Beautiful seaside town, bite to eat, and what a wonderful spot it is. 
Surrounded by a maelstrom of seagulls. Come on then. Regretting we hadn’t packed our 
buckets and spades, we left the seaside behind and headed back into mountainous terrain. It 
was a mesmerising ride along tranquil lakes flanked by rugged hills as the sun set upon 
mid-Wales. Life doesn’t get much better. The last few miles but covered in darkness and 
after a long yet brilliant ride, the relief to relax in the sumptuous surroundings 
of the Lake Vyrnwy Hotel and Spa. A great day, great ride, great accommodation, 
great accommodation. I think the last thing I need is a pint and something to eat. The welcome 
was warm and the food was first class but despite enjoying our evening, nothing could have prepared 
us for the view we were met with the next morning. I think I’ve fallen in love with Lake 
Vyrnwy. I could stay here all day, just basking in the views. That 
is tempting just to sit, chill, grab some food, a couple of drinks and then 
waking up to this is just. I don’t think I’ve ever had such a beautiful view from 
a hotel room. I think this tops them all. We’ve had a fantastic breakfast and as much as I’d 
love to relax and indulge here for a few days at Lake Vyrnwy, it’s time to move on. It is indeed. 
And we’ve got a cracking day lined up ahead, so reluctantly, we’ve got to leave these 
leather chairs. Yeah, just five more minutes. Any regrets we had about leaving the 
hotel behind vanished within minutes as we found ourselves travelling through 
an awe inspiring landscape. And we had it all to ourselves. And if we thought the 
first day’s riding had been impressive, we were blown away by the roads and countryside we 
found ourselves exploring on day two of our route, but there was one place in particular 
we were looking forward to riding. So we’ve stopped here in Barmouth and behind 
me. Bill, check this out, is the magnificent Barmouth Bridge, the longest timber bridge 
in Wales? It’s actually a railway bridge, which stretches for 900 yards across the estuary. 
But the best news is motorcyclists are allowed to ride on it. That’s pretty awesome. Yeah, 
it’s a, permissive path by National Rail. So motorcyclists are allowed to ride across. There are quite a few pedestrians, so 
take it slow, be respectful, and, yeah, enjoy a pretty cool ride. I’m looking 
forward to this one. Oh. This is wicked. Thank you, thank you, thank you very 
much. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you very much. Thank you guys. Thank 
you. Let’s fist pump outside the toilet. Oh, that was cool. I really don’t want to go back 
though. Everyone was so polite though. Oh God. With big grins on our faces, we continued our 
journey along the Rebellion Road northwards to the first of two castles we’d be visiting 
that day. We’ve arrived at Harlech Castle, and what an impressive building it was. And 
there’s so much of the castle remaining, despite the fact what it was built in 1289. It still 
stands proud atop the cliff overlooking the sea. And the views over there are incredible. 
But we are here, well, to see the views, but also because we are on the Rebellion Road. 
And throughout this journey, we’ve been following the footsteps of Owain Glyndwr who arrived here in 
Harlech a couple of years after he was proclaimed, the Prince of Wales, laid siege to 
the castle, he captured it and lived here for a good few years. He set up shop and, 
lived amongst the ruins that were standing in. What a wonderful place to live until, well, he 
was kicked out by English troops in 1409. 1409, that’s correct. But it’s a fantastic place to come 
on the Rebellion Road. What a fascinating stop. Heading further north, we arrived at 
Caernarfon Castle in the north west of Wales, which is recognised as one of the 
greatest buildings of the Middle Ages. Located on the banks of the River Seiont, 
this imposing structure was built as a show of strength by English King Edward 
I and took 47 years to construct. It was here we were shown around by Dilwyn, 
one of the most knowledgeable guides you could ever meet. He told us all about 
Owain Glyndwr connection to the castle. We attacked again in the 1403 and 1404 
under Owain Glyndwr. I can show you some of the defences that stopped people getting 
in, if you like. That would be fantastic. It’s a set of defences which are 
quite unique. Have a look at this. We jumped back onto our Suzukis, our imaginations 
fired by tales of conquest, rebellion, and bloody sieges, our journey taking us into the heart of 
Eryri National Park, previously called Snowdonia. By now, the landscape had reached epic proportions 
as we weaved our way along narrow mountain roads. Wales was putting on a show and we couldn’t 
quite believe the scenery we were riding through. Mate, we’ve ridden some sensational 
roads over the last couple of days but this has got to top it all. Look at 
it, this is the cherry on top. You know, Knighton and feels like a long time ago. And 
we’ve done some incredible stuff since then. I genuinely think this room over, over two 
days through Wales is is the best road trip I’ve ever done for ABR in terms of just 
non-stop, brilliant riding all the way. It’s a hell of a ride. But what’s, 
what what stands out? Barmouth Bridge, Barmouth Bridge. What an incredible thing to do on 
two wheels that is. That was amazing. I loved it, but for me now, riding through 
Snowdonia with the sun setting, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. Maybe apart 
from the pub which we’re heading towards tonight. But yeah, let’s get there, mate.

As the sun set on another glorious day in the saddle, we rode west to our accommodation 
for the night and the final stop of our journey, Portmeirion, a village that needs to be seen 
to be believed. With the village in darkness, we parked up at the local castle and decided 
to get some dinner and a well-earned beer. By the time we’d locked up our bikes, 
last night and got ourselves sorted, darkness had fallen and we were told we wouldn’t 
be staying in the castle. We were actually staying at this beautiful building behind us, The 
Hotel, which is down on the estuary and boy, I needed a good night’s sleep after a long but 
brilliant ride. And what a view to wake up to? It’s amazing. Yeah, we found ourselves 
right down in the bottom of Portmeirion. The estuary stretches out before us in the 
village, perched atop the hill. So, you want to go take a wander around. It’s not open for visitors 
until half nine but because we’re staying here, we get to wander around before anyone else comes. And 
that’s one of the joys of staying at this hotel. You get it all to yourself first thing in 
the morning. Portmeirion was built by an architect called Sir Clough Williams Ellis, 
and it was his project between 1925 and 1975, and his mission was to show people that 
architecture could be, could be fun, could be interesting, could be fanciful. And I think 
he genuinely succeeded. This place is incredible. Handily, the folks behind the village have 
created an app so you can scroll through it and it takes you on a tour building by building 
and it’s rather impressive, isn’t it? Well, I could genuinely spend a few days here at 
Portmeirion just relaxing and soaking up the surreal, exotic and whimsical architecture and 
just looking out across the street behind me. But sadly, this is the end of the Rebellion 
Road. Surreal and whimsical it’s the perfect description of this beautiful place, and I 
can’t encourage you enough to go out and ride the Rebellion Road yourselves. It is an amazing 
road trip. We’ve stayed in beautiful locations, eaten incredible local food. We have ridden some 
epic roads through the mountains and along the coast, but I think the thing I would take away 
with me the most from this trip is the warmth of the welcome from the Welsh people and 
their pride and interest in their history. It’s been an incredible journey. Bill. I’m glad we’ve done it together. Until 
the next time. Diolch, Cymru.

Are you looking for a sensational motorcycle route in the UK that you’ll be talking about for years to come? Then you’ve come to the right place…

Welcome to Rebellion Road, a spectacular two day motorcycle tour through the heart of Wales, exploring epic mountain landscapes, sublime coastal roads and a selection of fascinating sights linked to this country’s proud but often unruly history.

(You can get a GPX file for the Rebellion Road route here: https://adventurebikerider.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=53082 )

In fact, this route packed such a punch, I genuinely think the Rebellion Road is the best weekend motorcycle tour I’ve ever ridden in the UK in terms of non-stop biking action and sublime scenery.

You can find out what made it so special yourself by watching Billy and riding this sensational weekend UK bike route on a Suzuki V-Strom 1050 adventure bike and a Suzuki GSX-S1000GX sports tourer. When it comes to lapping up mile upon mile of delicious tarmac, the two Suzukis certainly proved their worth.

And while it’s hard to pick out just one highlight on a motorcycle route packed with so much action, Barmouth Bridge certainly deserves a mention. This 900-yard railway bridge stretches across a beautiful estuary near the seaside town.

Alongside the tracks is a narrow wooden walkway that also happens to be a permissive path for motorcycles. Riding across it is a novel and hugely rewarding experience, and one I’d highly recommend doing yourself.

Elsewhere, we explore the remote waters of Lake Vyrnwy, travel amid the imposing mountain peaks of Eryri (Snowdonia), and discover roads and landscapes that feel like they’re hundreds of miles from civilisation.

Once you’ve watched the video, you’ll find another version focusing more on the places Billy and I visited on the @visitwales YouTube channel here: https://youtu.be/xUtkQCzQx18?si=fhKncoXKsn9jZD2A

And if you’d like to ride The Rebellion Road for yourself, you’ll find a detailed route description, SatNav waypoints, and a GPX file in the May/June issue of Adventure Bike Rider magazine.

Get your copy today at https://www.adventurebikerider.com/abr-latest-issue/

Enjoy the video

James