Y Lon Goed
The Lon Goed is a pleasant walk or run in the Dwyfor countryside. The wooded lane was built initially to transport lime to the inland farms, but is now both tarmac and traffic free for most of the distance. Unfortunately, it’s only a footpath as opposed to a bridleway, but would be an excellent trip on a bike were it permitted.
The Route
For convenience we start off at Bryncir, at the start or end of the Lon Eifion Cyclepath as the real start of the Lon Goed is not particularly convenient to reach by public transport or for parking a car.
1 -Pass through an industrial estate of a handful of units and up a road marked unsuitable for wide vehicles. The road pulls up steeply as you pass through a farm – Llechheiddor-Uchaf.
2 – About 200m beyond the farm, the lane turns left. This is also part of the National Cycle Route 8, so occasional signs for those should help on this initial section. Folow the lane for 700m and take the first junction to your right.
3 – Your final section of lane leads directly to Y Lon Goed in about 2km.
4 – You join the Lon Goed at a junction, there’s even a road sign that proclaims as much. This 200m section is the only legally driveable section. You join the route having missed out the initial half kilometre or so as it starts off in Henre Cennin (SH458 440), so completists should turn right here and as it only adds about 15 minutes to the journey, is recommended. The rest of the route is left.
5 – The nature of the ‘wooded lane’ should be abundantly clear, and it remains so for it’s entire distance. Navigation should be straightforward. If there are no trees, you’re on the wrong lane. It continues in this manner for a steady 3km before crossing another bit of tarmac. The path itself is dirt, but is mostly easy going with a few puddles here and there.
6 – Continuing along, at SH459 409 you cross the old Caernarfon to Afon Wen railway. It’s unfortunate that this hasn’t been converted into a cycle path as extending the Lon Eifion along this would give the route a definite start and end and would make it a useful route for longer trips.
7 -After another 2km, you again reach tarmac, and while the proper route crosses the corner of a field, if it looks particularly muddy, you can follow the lane left and then right to rejoin the route.
8 – The route continues in this manner, crossing a few roads in the process, but it’s clear where the Lon Goed route continues.
9 – Eventually, you reach Afon Wen, a tiny hamlet of a few houses on a busy main road. You can continue along the Lon Goed to the coast from here. The route then joins onto the Llyn Coastal Path – which you can follow on to Pwllheli, or return the way you came and either catch a bus at Afon Wen to your start or continue on the Coastal Path (which at this point isn’t very coastal!) on to Llanystumdwy, Criccieth and Porthmadog
Other
andymsmith@live.co.uk on scottexservices.com