Lon Las Cefni Cycleway / Cycle Path

Here is a path for those who do not like cycling uphill. The south west corner of Anglesey is flat and this first section of Lon Cefni is dead level the entire way.

It goes 8 miles from the edge of Newborough Forest through the pleasant estuary hamlet of Malltraeth into the very centre of Llangefni, the county town of Anglesey and which is a quiet market town with a certain amount of character. Llangefni also has an attractive art gallery/museum, the Oriel Ynys Mon (Anglesey Museum), situated in rural surroundings on the edge of the small town.

There is 1½ miles that is not off-road, but goes along an dead straight, unfenced lane by the side of the river Cefni and on which you would be rather unlucky to encounter a vehicle in either direction. The cycleway too is mostly very straight with the occasional modest curve. Because of the nature of the terrain, views are extensive. After Pont Marquis the track has water courses on either side, though the main river is sometimes hidden by an embankment. The whole route should appeal to birdwatchers: in the winter of 2006-7 your webmaster even saw on the lagoon near Malltraeth a pelican that had been blown in from eastern Europe by strong winds.

START: the forest car park on the edge of Newborough Forest off the A4080 signposted Malltraeth and shortly Left after a nature wild-life pool when heading north: Grid Ref: 412672 (Anglesey OS map).

It finishes by the memorial clock tower in the middle of Llangefni at Grid Ref 460757.

This short section of Lon Las Cefni must surely rank as the one of the most scenic cycleways in north Wales. It goes through the Dingle, Llangefni's celebrated woodland beauty spot, and then through attractive meadows. A short spectacular section overhangs the mini-gorge of the Afon Cefni. Finally there are fine lakeside views along the banks of Llyn Cefni.

The lake is reached in one and two third miles from the start and the path forks left westward and right north-eastward. The westward path comes to an end after three quarters of a mile at a track that joins in less than 100m on the left a lane on the outskirts of Bodfordd and on the right encircles the lake clockwise to reach the B5111 car park, though this rough and sometimes muddy path is more suited to a mountain bike. The north-eastern branch climbs quite steeply at first and then goes to the B5111 where there is a car park and picnic area.

Unlike the Newborough to Llangefni path this section of Lon Las Cefni is not entirely flat as there are two or three gradients near the beginning as well as a steep climb at the start of the north-eastern leg along Llyn Cefni.

The surface is predominantly a reasonable shale though there are one or two hard-surfaced and boarded sections.

START: From the clock tower in Llangefni, where the section from Newborough forest ends, and follow the cycle signs to the start of the path to Llyn Cefni i.e. turn Right along the main road (take care) and turn first Left (passing Asda on your right) then Right at mini-roundabout and almost immediate Left and into the car park by St. Cyngar's church. The cycle path is the shale path on the right near the wall and should not be confused with an adjacent board walk entrance to the Dingle, which is for pedestrians only.