Maps and where they take you.

Maps.

I love maps

Since I was a kid I have loved spending hours and hours pouring over maps, looking at places I’ve been and for new places to explore.

There is so much wonder that comes from a map. I wonder what places are like in real life, why a certain road or path made it to where it is today and what the view looks like from that peak or valley I can see there.

I particularly enjoy plotting routes on maps, planning an adventure and imagining what it is like to hike or bike along it’s dotted line. It’s nice to link bits of trail you know to bits you don't, then exciting when you link it back to somewhere you know again. Those parts of the world that were not connected are now touching and one in my head.

Sometime last year I put pen to paper and made the first draft of a two day bikepacking route around the mountains of Snowdonia, gathered a bunch of regular bikepacking friends and headed out to see what we could find.

We had a wonderful weekend riding wild trails.

The hours were spent exploring forests, lakes and open mountains.

Following the dotted line through places I’d been before and to many a new place too.

We answered so many of the questions and wonders I’d had as I’d been plotting the route out on the map. It was a great weekend of exploring, laughs and great wild trails.

As great as it was however, there was more time needed staring at maps to iron out the creases in this route before I’d ever share it with anyone else, unlike us most people don't enjoy an hour riding in axel deep river bog tracks.

Now this year living up here in the mountains I have got to know this whole place a lot better. I've sat and stared at more maps, wondered about more trails and spent many hours riding my bike to interesting places.

I’m now happy with this little dotted line I’ve plotted around the mountains.

I’ve called it Llwybr Ucheldir Eryri which is Welsh for Snowdonia Highland Trail.

You can find all the details on bikepacking.com or my website here.

If you head out to ride this, let me know and I do hope you enjoy it.

Jacob.

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