We should have been well into our Lands End to John O’Groats cycling holiday but unfortunately everything had to be cancelled because of the covid-19 outbreak. Instead we spent a lot of time painting the outside of the house and gardening but also enjoyed some local bike rides from the house.
One such outing saw us cycle to Llanberis along the main road to avoid others on the cycle path then over the pass. Normally we would not have considered cycling this route during the tourist season but the traffic levels were very low, very few cars but quite a lot of cyclists. Instead of the sound of coaches grinding up the gradient we were treated to birdsong and the sound of trickling water. At the Pen y Gwryd Hotel we turned left and cycled to Capel Curig, hearing a cuckoo along the way, then left along the A5 to Ogwen Cottage. Here we took the old road, a delightful quiet lane ending at the slate quarry. A cycle track continues through the abandoned parts of the quarry but again we avoided it to rejoin the A5 far as Bethesda and then over Mynydd Llandygai and home.