A487 | |
---|---|
Route information | |
Maintained by South Wales Trunk Road Agent and North & Mid Wales Trunk Road Agent | |
Length | 174 mi [1] (280 km) |
Major junctions | |
South end | Haverfordwest 51°47′33″N4°58′44″W / 51.7926°N 4.9789°W |
A4076 A40 A478 A484 A486 A482 A485 A4120 A44 A4159 A489 A493 A470 A494 A493 A496 A4212 A496 A4085 A498 A499 A4085 A4086 A4087 A55 A5 | |
North end | Bangor 53°13′07″N4°09′36″W / 53.2187°N 4.1601°W |
Location | |
Country | United Kingdom |
Primary destinations | Fishguard Cardigan Aberystwyth Machynlleth Porthmadog Caernarfon |
Road network | |
The A487, officially the Fishguard to Bangor Trunk Road, is a trunk road in Wales that follows the coast from Haverfordwest, Pembrokeshire, in the south, to Bangor, Gwynedd, in the north.
The road starts at a junction with the A40 in Haverfordwest and travels northwest to St David's to switch northeast through Fishguard, Cardigan, Aberaeron, Aberystwyth, Machynlleth and Corris.
Through the town of Fishguard, the road width in places is a very narrow single lane, leading to many traffic issues, especially with heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). From 2010, articulated HGVs were diverted from the section between Cardigan and Fishguard because of this, and routed instead via the A478 road to Penblewin, then the A40 to Fishguard via Haverfordwest. However, there were still problems to some extent. [2]
The road continues to Dolgellau multiplexing with the A470 north of the Cross Foxes inn. After Dolgellau, the road continues to multiplex with the A470, re-emerging just north of Trawsfynydd then passing through Penrhyndeudraeth and Porthmadog. The road terminates where it meets the Menai Suspension Bridge near Bangor.
The section of road in the Dulas valley between the River Dyfi near Machynlleth and Corris was built in the 1840s at the instigation of the local slate quarry owners to replace the old turnpike road on the opposite side of the valley. It may have utilised part of the formation of the Roman Sarn Helen. From 1859, the narrow-gauge Corris Railway followed the same route.
The site of Dolgellau railway station, along with approximately 1.5 mi (2.4 km) of trackbed of the Ruabon–Barmouth line, was used to construct the Dolgellau bypass in the late 1970s.
In 1989–90, Cardigan was bypassed south of the town with a new Priory Bridge over the River Teifi and a short 3-lane section between the bridge and the junction with the A478.
A bypass was opened in 1994 avoiding Y Felinheli on the section between Caernarfon and Bangor.
Between Penrhyndeudraeth and Porthmadog, the road passed over a mile-long embankment, known as The Cob. Until 2003, drivers had to pay a charge to cross The Cob. [3] In 2008 the Welsh Assembly Government published plans for the Porthmadog, Minffordd and Tremadog bypass, which would reduce the amount of through traffic in the town. [4] Work started on the project in 2010, the route of which passes under the Ffestiniog Railway, and then crosses over the Welsh Highland Railway. The original route over The Cob was renumbered as the A4971. The Porthmadog bypass was officially opened on 17 October 2011. [5]
The section between Porthmadog and Llanwnda has been improved. The new section bypasses Llanllyfni and Penygroes, in parts utilizing the old trackbed of the Caernarfon to Afon Wen railway line. In April 2007, the 10 mi (16 km) new section had to be resurfaced in its entirety after it became apparent that the wrong type of stone had been used for the surface tarmac.
A bat bridge was built over the Groeslon bypass in 2010 to guide lesser horseshoe bats across the road. [6]
The preferred route for the £100m Caernarfon-Bontnewydd bypass had been announced; Caernarfon from the northern end of the Pen-y-groes bypass to the western end of the Y Felinheli bypass. [7] This bypass was under construction in 2021 and opened 19 February 2022.
In 2018, Pembrokeshire County Council proposed to build a bypass to the east of Newgale which would replace the road section which was flooded during the 2013–14 United Kingdom winter floods. [8]
Snowdonia, or Eryri, is a mountainous region and national park in northwestern Wales. It contains all 15 mountains in Wales over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon, which is 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) tall. These peaks are all part of the Snowdon, Glyderau, and Carneddau ranges in the north of the region. The shorter Moelwynion and Moel Hebog ranges lie immediately to the south.
The A40 is a trunk road which runs between London and Goodwick (Fishguard), Wales, and officially called The London to Fishguard Trunk Road (A40) in all legal documents and Acts. Much of its length within England has been superseded by motorways, such as the M40, and has lost its trunk road status, though it retains it west of Gloucester, including its length within Wales. It is approximately 260 miles (420 km) long. The eastern section from Denham, Buckinghamshire to Wheatley, Oxfordshire is better served by the M40 and its former function of linking London with Cheltenham and Gloucester has been taken by the M4, A419 and A417 via Swindon.
Porthmadog, originally Portmadoc until 1974 and locally as "Port", is a coastal town and community in the Eifionydd area of Gwynedd, Wales, and the historic county of Caernarfonshire. It lies 5 miles (8 km) east of Criccieth, 11 miles (18 km) south-west of Blaenau Ffestiniog, 25 miles (40 km) north of Dolgellau and 20 miles (32 km) south of Caernarfon. The community population of 4,185 in the 2011 census was put at 4,134 in 2019. It grew in the 19th century as a port for local slate, but as the trade declined, it continued as a shopping and tourism centre, being close to Snowdonia National Park and the Ffestiniog Railway. The 1987 National Eisteddfod was held there. It includes nearby Borth-y-Gest, Morfa Bychan and Tremadog.
The A470 is a trunk road in Wales. It is the country's longest road at 186 miles (299 km) and links the capital Cardiff on the south coast to Llandudno on the north coast. While previously one had to navigate the narrow roads of Llanidloes and Dolgellau, both these market towns are now bypassed due to extensive road modernisation. The 26 miles (42 km) from Cardiff Bay to Merthyr Tydfil are mainly dual carriageway, but most of the route from north of Merthyr to Llandudno is single carriageway.
Boston Lodge is situated at Penrhyn Isa, Minffordd, Penrhyndeudraeth, on the A487 road about 1 mile SE across the Afon Glaslyn causeway from Porthmadog, Gwynedd in north-west Wales.
Traeth Mawr is a polder near Porthmadog in Gwynedd in Wales. The area was formerly the large tidal estuary of the Afon Glaslyn. It was created after large-scale land reclamation occurred in the late 18th century and the early 19th century. A large embankment, called the Cob, separates the area from the sea and carries a road and railway line.
Penrhyndeudraeth is a small town and community in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. The town is close to the mouth of the River Dwyryd on the A487 nearly 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Porthmadog, and had a population of 2,150 at the 2011 census, increased from 2,031 in 2001. The community includes the villages of Minffordd and Portmeirion.
Minffordd is a village within the Welsh county of Gwynedd. It is situated on the A487 road between Porthmadog and Penrhyndeudraeth, and in the community of the latter.
Dwyfor Meirionnydd is a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. The seat was created by the Welsh Boundary Commission for the 2010 general election, and replaced the old north Wales seat of Meirionnydd Nant Conwy. Dwyfor Meirionnydd is bordered to the north by Arfon and Aberconwy. The same boundaries were used for the Dwyfor Meirionnydd Welsh Assembly constituency in the 2007 Welsh Assembly election.
Porthmadog railway station serves the town of Porthmadog on the Llŷn Peninsula in Gwynedd, Wales. The station is on the Cambrian Coast Railway with passenger services to Pwllheli, Harlech, Barmouth, Machynlleth, Shrewsbury and Birmingham.
Ffridd Gate was a station on the Corris Railway in Merioneth, Wales, UK. It was built at the level crossing over the B4404 road to Llanwrin, near the hamlet of Fridd. A small hamlet also grew up around the station and a nearby (pre-existent) toll-house. The hamlet and former station are near to the confluence of the Afon Dulas and the River Dyfi, around 2+1⁄4 miles (3.6 km) west of the village of Llanwrin and 1 mile (1.6 km) north of the town of Machynlleth.
The A498 is a 16-mile road between Pen-y-Gwryd and Porthmadog in North Wales.
Morben is a hamlet in northern Powys, Wales. Part of the historic county of Montgomeryshire from 1536 to 1974, it lies on the Afon Dyfi and was once the home of a number of riverside quays, including Cei Ward and Y Bwtri. The site of Cei Ward lies alongside the A487 opposite Plas Llugwy, where the road, railway and river run close together. Y Bwtri lay on the bend of the river opposite Pennal and was the site of a shipyard.
National Cycle Route 8 is a route of the National Cycle Network, running from Cardiff to Holyhead. The route passes through the heart of Wales, and is also known as Lôn Las Cymru. It is largely north–south from Holyhead to Cardiff or Chepstow, and in total measures some 400 km (250 mi) in length. Some of its route follows the trackbed of former railway lines, such as Lôn Las Menai, Lôn Eifion, the Mawddach Trail and the Taff Trail; in other places, the route is on public highways.
The B4329 is a scenic route and a former turnpike in Pembrokeshire, West Wales. It links Eglwyswrw in the north of the county to Haverfordwest, the county town in the south, in an approximately southwesterly direction, crossing the Preseli Mountains.
Porthmadog East is one of the electoral wards in the town of Porthmadog in Gwynedd, Wales. It elects representatives to the town and county councils.
The 2017 Gwynedd Council election took place on 4 May 2017 to elect members of Gwynedd Council in Wales. Seventy five council seats were up for re-election. In twenty one seats, the candidates were elected unopposed.
The coastline of Wales extends from the English border at Chepstow westwards to Pembrokeshire then north to Anglesey and back eastwards to the English border once again near Flint. Its character is determined by multiple factors, including the local geology and geological processes active during and subsequent to the last ice age, its relative exposure to or shelter from waves, tidal variation and the history of human settlement and development which varies considerably from one place to another. The majority of the coast east of Cardiff in the south, and of Llandudno in the north, is flat whilst that to the west is more typically backed by cliffs. The cliffs are a mix of sandstones, shales and limestones, the erosion of which provides material for beach deposits. Of the twenty-two principal areas which deliver local government in Wales, sixteen have a coastline, though that of Powys consists only of a short section of tidal river some distance from the open sea. Its length has been estimated at 1,680 miles (2,700 km).