Regional Cycle Route 40

23 km road cycling loop157 m climbing1 h 38 minGPX

Chwilog, Gwynedd, United Kingdom · Road

A rolling 23 km road cycling loop from Chwilog, Gwynedd through Pencaenewydd and Llanarmon, with 157 m of climbing. The first 23 km has no café, shop or water.

Signed route The waymarked Regional Cycle Route 40 (regional route), traced from OpenStreetMap and measured against the terrain model; no member has recorded it yet. Ridden it? Add your recording and photos.

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At a glance

Best for: Rolling day rides
Distance: 22.8 km; Loop
Elevation gain: 157 m; 7 m per km
Riding time: 1 h 38 min; moving time, estimated
Difficulty: Easy
Bike: Road bike; from the mapped surface
Surface: Paved; 100% paved · 0% unpaved
Traffic: Mostly minor roads; 2.6 km where the limit is 80 km/h or more
Food & water: Longest gap 23 km; 1 café or restaurant · 1 public toilet
Best months: Jun to Sep; Chwilog climate, 10 years
Navigation: GPX download; free, no sign-in
Start and finish: Chwilog

Cyffordd - Road junction — Photo: Alan Fryer · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Elevation profile

Total ascent: 157 m
Distance: 23 km

Route description

Chwilog
Pencaenewyddkm 18
Llanarmonkm 21
Chwilogkm 23

Regional Cycle Route 40 is a 22.8 km loop starting and finishing at Chwilog in Gwynedd. The route mainly follows minor roads for 21.8 km with a brief section of 0.7 km on a main road, including 2.6 km of fast roads (80 km/h+).

The climb begins at 7.5 km, lasting 3.9 km to an elevation of 166 m, with an average gradient of 2% and a maximum of 3.2%. This summit lies near Mynydd Cennin (262 m) at 10.3 km. The ride then descends over 3.3 km dropping 67 m, ending back at 31 m elevation in Chwilog.

There is no café, shop or water available along the route, meaning no services between 0 and 22.6 km. Public toilets appear at 1.2 km, just off route. The pub Tafarn Madryn lies 24 m off route near both the start and finish at Chwilog.

Highlights

Climb to 166 m at 13.7 km
Mynydd Cennin (262 m) near 10.3 km
Longest descent 3.3 km dropping 67 m
Loop starting and finishing at Chwilog

Along the route

Measured from the route line, the Copernicus elevation model and OpenStreetMap.

Places passed

Pencaenewydd 18.4 km

Climbs

Climbs in ride order: where each starts, what this ride climbs, and the full named ascent
Climb	Starts at	On this ride	Top on this ride
Unnamed climb	7.5 km	3.9 km · 78 m · 2 % · max 3.2 %	166 m

High point 166 m at 13.7 km; low point 31 m. Passes beneath Mynydd Cennin.

Traffic, surface and gradient

Measured from OpenStreetMap along the track and the elevation profile.

Mostly minor roads and streets on the map.

Roads: 96% minor road · 3% main road · 1% other roads and tracks
Fast roads: 2.6 km on roads with a limit of 80 km/h or more
Surface: Paved: 100% of the route is mapped as paved.
Gradient: 23% climbing · 26% descending · 51% flat
Longest descent: 3.3 km from 15.4 km, dropping 67 m

Food, water and services

Within a few hundred metres of the track, from OpenStreetMap. Opening hours change — treat this as where to look, not a promise.

The longest stretch without a café, shop or water is 23 km, from the start. Along the route: 1 café or restaurant and 1 public toilet.

Food, water and shops in ride order

1.2 kmToilets · 140 m off route
22.6 kmTafarn Madryn · pub · on the route

Start and access

Starts and finishes at Chwilog. Mapped within a short walk of the start, from OpenStreetMap.

At the start and finish

Food and coffee: Tafarn Madryn (120 m)

Know before you go

Longest stretch with no café, shop or water 22.6 km
2.6 km on fast roads (80 km/h+)
0.7 km on main roads

Routes are for inspiration. Roads, surfaces and conditions change — check locally and ride within your limits.

2 photographs from the road

Photo: Alan Fryer · CC BY-SA 2.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About this route

Route line: Traced from the waymarked route’s relation in OpenStreetMap.
Elevation: Recalculated from the Copernicus GLO-90 terrain model every 50 m, not the device’s barometer.
Roads, surface, services: Measured along the line from OpenStreetMap extracts.
Best months: Ten years of ERA5 weather for Chwilog (Open-Meteo).
GPX: Generated from the route line: track points only, no timestamps or personal data.
Page added: Friday 4th September 2026
Page last updated: Sunday 13th September 2026

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Regional Cycle Route 40