My brother and I (him of Ironman fame) decided to have a go at doing the route in a day, Saturday 25th May 2024. We set off from Shrewsbury at 6am. Would recommend hitting the canal sections between Welshpool and Newtown early to meet as few dog walkers as possible, some sections of towpath are quite narrow, cooperation is needed on both sides, and as StevetheOtter notes overgrown in summer, prepare for leg whippage. Lots of low bridges over the canal - need a bell or loud voice to warn oncomers. There were a couple of instances where there was no signage/we missed it; 1. coming out of Caersws there was a left turn we missed so ended up on the b road into Llanidloes. 2. going into Rhyader we missed a right just before a bridge and ended coming up onto an A road which we took into Rhyader. None of these unplanned diversions altered the distance or climbing feet from the published. The route from Rhyader is FABULOUS, loved the sweeping mountain road section to Aber, cycling at its best. A dip in the sea at Aber is a must for aching muscles. We arrived in Aber at 5:30pm. What next? My brother wants to complete the route from Birmingham, in a day! (i will meet him in Shrewsbury) i also plan on doing it with the missus over 3 days to be immersed more deeply in the amazing scenery. However you do it - this is a route is a must.