Hi there. First off, thank you so much for this site, its really really awesome, the best tool out there for planning multi-day trips, and I've tried a lot of them! Brilliant work, well done and thank you.
I just completed this route https://cycle.travel/route/heads_of_the_valleys, as part of a 2-day trip merging it with https://cycle.travel/route/cycle_across_the_beacons as a big loop from Abergavenny, camping overnight near Ammanford.
The road from Llwydcoed that climbs steeply Eastwards to join the A465/Head of The Valleys road at Baverstock junction, is closed for major road works. Its well signed at the foot of the hill. Don't ignore this, as I did, and end up pushing your bike through a completely unfinished wasteland/building site made of super sticky clay and mud, praying no road workers were around (luckily it was a sunday!)
On the plus side, the major works on the section of A465 that you are forced onto for a mile towards Methyr, means the hard shoulder is coned off, and speed restricted to 40, I think. Meaning the descent feels a hell of a lot safer and you have a lane to yourself, as long as there are no roadworks. There was also a diversion to the Taff trail after crossing the bridge, this was signed and fine.
The descent from Brynmawr all the way to Abergavenny was under-sold, it was absolutely epic, and the best thing a tired cyclist could ask for at the end of a tough, mechanical fault filled 2 days!
Comments
It’s a great route – really glad you enjoyed it (mechanicals aside) and yes, that’s a superb descent!
The plans for the roadworks look like they’ll be putting in a whole bunch of new cycleways along the road (marked in yellow: https://www.gov.wales/a465-section-5-and-6-dowlais-top-hirwaun-scheme-plans) which should remove the need to cycle along the A465 at all, thankfully.