Route 5, as signposted between Stratford-upon-Avon and Birmingham, runs via Bromsgrove and at the latter stages through Birmingham's south-western suburbs, primarily off-road.
The track leaves Chester (and England) on the Northern bank of the River Dee. Crossing into Wales, the high quality track crosses the Dee at the side of Hawarden Bridge and then enters the town of Shotton. At this stage the National Cycle Route heads inland and follows a series of quiet roads. Unfortunately the road surfaces are sometimes poor and gradients steep. There are plans to create a better quality route following the coast.
At Talacre the coastal route improves again. It passes through a large caravan site and golf course en route to Prestatyn. From Prestatyn westwards the route hugs the coast and in many places one is just a few metres from the sea.
The path continues through Rhyl where it crosses the River Clwyd and then to Kinmel Bay, Pensarn, Llanddulas, Colwyn Bay and Llandudno. The Llandudno promenade, although not on the official route, is a much better route than the official line which was created before the promenade was opened to cyclists after a long campaign.
The path was much improved West of Conwy in September 2012 by the creation of a traffic free cycle path which now bypasses a particularly dangerous stretch of the A55. Heading further west, the path is highly engineered around the Penmaenmawr area before following quiet lanes into Bangor.
It crosses (with road traffic) the Menai Suspension Bridge and terminates in Holyhead. Much of the road across Anglesey follows country lanes rather than dedicated bike tracks.
Clwyd is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east corner of the country; it is named after the River Clwyd, which runs through the area. To the north lies the Irish Sea, with the English ceremonial counties of Cheshire to the east and Shropshire to the south-east. Powys and Gwynedd lie to the south and west respectively. Clwyd also shares a maritime boundary with Merseyside along the River Dee. Between 1974 and 1996, a slightly different area had a county council, with local government functions shared with six district councils. In 1996, Clwyd was abolished, and the new unitary authorities of Wrexham, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, and Flintshire were created; under this reorganisation, "Clwyd" became a preserved county, with the name being retained for certain ceremonial functions.
The A55, also known as the North Wales Expressway is a major road in Britain. Its vast majority of its length from Chester to Holyhead is a dual carriageway primary route, with the exception of the Britannia Bridge over the Menai Strait and several short sections where there are gaps in between the two carriageways. All junctions are grade separated apart from a roundabout east of Penmaenmawr and another nearby in Llanfairfechan. Initially, the road ran from Chester to Bangor. In 2001, it was extended across Anglesey to the ferry port of Holyhead parallel to the A5. The road improvements have been part funded with European money, under the Trans-European Networks programme, as the route is designated part of Euroroute E22.
North Wales, also known as the North of Wales, is a geographic region of Wales, encompassing its northernmost areas. It borders Mid Wales to the south, England to the east, and the Irish Sea to the north and west. The area is highly mountainous and rural, with Snowdonia National Park and the Clwydian Range, known for its mountains, waterfalls and trails, located wholly within the region. Its population is more concentrated in the north-east, and northern coastal areas of the region, whilst significant Welsh-speaking populations are situated in its western and rural areas. North Wales is imprecisely defined, lacking any defined defintion or administrative structure. For the public purposes of health, policing and emergency services, and for statistical, economic and cultural purposes, North Wales is commonly defined administratively as its six most northern principal areas, but other defintions of the geographic region exist, with Montgomeryshire historically considered to be part of the region.
The North Wales Coast Line, also known as the North Wales Main Line, is a major railway line in the north of Wales, running from Crewe on the West Coast Main Line to Holyhead on the Isle of Anglesey.
The Conwy Railway Bridge carries the North Wales coast railway line across the River Conwy between Llandudno Junction and the town of Conwy. The wrought iron tubular bridge, which is now Grade I listed, was built in the 19th century. It is the last surviving example of this type of design by Stephenson after the original Britannia Bridge across the Menai Strait was destroyed in a fire in 1970 and replaced by a two-tier truss arch bridge design.
Bangor railway station is a railway station in Bangor, Gwynedd, operated by Transport for Wales Rail Limited. The station, which is 24+3⁄4 miles (40 km) east of Holyhead, is the last mainland station on the North Wales Coast line between Crewe and Holyhead. It is the busiest in terms of passenger numbers in North Wales, as it serves the community around Caernarfon and further west, it is close to the Snowdonia National Park and Bangor University, and has an interchange with bus services to the various towns and villages of northern/western Gwynedd and Anglesey.
Llandudno Junction railway station is on the Crewe to Holyhead North Wales Coast Line. The station is managed by Transport for Wales Rail Limited, although Avanti West Coast also serves it.
Transport in Wales is heavily influenced by the country's geography. Wales is predominantly hilly or mountainous, and the main settlements lie on the coasts of north and south Wales, while mid Wales and west Wales are lightly populated. The main transport corridors are east-west routes, many continuing eastwards into England.
Llandudno railway station serves the seaside town of Llandudno in North Wales, and is the terminus of a 3 miles (4.8 km) long branch line from Llandudno Junction on the Crewe to Holyhead North Wales Coast Line. The station is managed by Transport for Wales Rail Limited, who operate all trains serving it.
Deganwy railway station serves the small town of Deganwy, Wales, and is the only intermediate station located on the Llandudno branch line from Llandudno Junction to Llandudno.
Conwy railway station serves the ancient walled town of Conwy, Wales, and is located on the Crewe to Holyhead North Wales Coast Line. There are through services to Chester via Colwyn Bay, Rhyl, Prestatyn and Flint in one direction and to Bangor & Holyhead in the other. After arrival at Chester, most trains go forward to either Crewe, Cardiff or Birmingham International.
Rhyl railway station is on the Crewe to Holyhead North Wales Coast Line and serves the holiday resort of Rhyl, Wales.
Prestatyn railway station on the North Wales Coast Line serves the town of Prestatyn in North Wales.
The Chester and Holyhead Railway was an early railway company conceived to improve transmission of Government dispatches between London and Ireland, as well as ordinary railway objectives. Its construction was hugely expensive, chiefly due to the cost of building the Britannia Tubular Bridge over the Menai Strait. The company had relied on Government support in facilitating the ferry service, and this proved to be uncertain. The company opened its main line throughout in 1850. It relied on the co-operation of other railways to reach London and in 1859 it was absorbed by the London and North Western Railway.
Wales is an emerging tourist destination, with 8,078,900 visitors to National Trust and Wales Tourist Board destinations in 2002. As of 2017 the tourism industry in Wales has been estimated to have an annual turnover of £4.8 billion.
Llandudno Pier is a Grade II* listed pier in the seaside resort of Llandudno, North Wales, United Kingdom. At 2,295 feet (700 m), the pier is the longest in Wales and the fifth longest in England and Wales. In 2005, was voted "Pier of the Year 2005" by the members of the National Piers Society.
The North Wales Path is a long-distance walk of some 60 miles (97 km) that runs close to the coast of northern Wales between Prestatyn in the east and Bangor in the west. Parts of it overlap with the Wales Coast Path. The path runs along parts of the Clwydian Range Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). The path was devised, implemented and maintained by the then Countryside Council for Wales and three councils: Gwynedd, Conwy, and Denbighshire.
The LL postcode area, also known as the Llandudno postcode area, is a group of 67 postcode districts, within 62 post towns. These cover the majority of north Wales, plus a very small part of west Wales and the English county of Shropshire. The districts start at LL11 so as to avoid confusion with Liverpool postcodes.
Menai Bridge railway station was situated 2 mi (3.2 km) west of Bangor, Gwynedd in Wales.
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).
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