North Wales: Two days, fourteen cars, a road trip to remember

North Wales had been on our list for years. One of those trips that always feels close enough to do anytime, so somehow never happens. A bit like living in London and never seeing the sights. With Wales, in relative terms, right on our doorstep, we usually found ourselves heading further afield instead. But a few weeks back, in March 2026, that finally changed. Fourteen cars, 500 miles, two days and a route created by New Roads that turned a long-awaited drive into a set of memories we’ll return to again and again. So let’s explores what makes a North Wales road trip.

Northbound to Elan Valley

With several groups converging from different directions, Tintern Abbey felt like the right place to begin. Watching old friends reunite and new ones meet only added to the sense that something special was about to unfold. And it did.

With the sun behind us, we headed north on the A44 through Walton and Llandrindod, with the Elan Valley and Caban Coch Dam set as our first destination. The opening stretch was smooth, calm and easy, giving everyone time to settle into the rhythm of the day. And spending half an hour staring at the rear of an GT4RS is hardly a hardship.

 

National Cycle Route 81

The next section was one of the standout moments of the trip, and a useful reminder for anyone planning their own drive: never dismiss a road just because of its name. Something labelled ‘National Cycle Route 81’ might not sound promising, but this one was pure gold. A single-track ribbon running along the mountainside beside the water, before opening into views that feel vast enough to stop conversation mid-sentence.

 

Devils Bridge

From there, we continued north to the Devil’s Bridge Café, a proper local stop and a fitting place to reset. There was coffee, conversation and the usual mix of bikes and banter that gives the place its reputation. Then it was back on the road, heading north again along the A487 via Machynlleth towards Bala. Anyone who knows North Wales will know exactly why that matters.

EVO Magazine shoot

Like many drivers of a certain age, we grew up on EVO Magazine, so it felt only right to attempt an EVO-style cover shot by the lake. Organising none cars into anything resembling a composed formation was, predictably, like herding cats.

 

Pen Y Pass

Then came the final section of day one. People say you should save the best until last. In this case, New Roads certainly did. The roads up to and over Pen-y-Pass were everything you hope for and more: dramatic, technical, expansive and genuinely breathtaking. As we crested the pass and began the descent towards Snowdonia with the sun dropping behind the mountains, it felt closer to New Zealand than North Wales.

 

Tomorrow brings expected weather

That, at least, was the plan.

When we opened the curtains on Sunday morning, hoping for sunrise over the Welsh hills, we were greeted instead by something far more familiar: rain. Proper North Wales rain. Still, in for a penny.

We headed back up Pen-y-Pass after breakfast, turned left, then continued north through the valley towards Betws-y-Coed. From there, with the weather briefly relenting, we managed to drive two sides of the EVO Triangle. Yes, it’s average speed camera territory, but that does nothing to diminish the quality of the roads.

 

Would the rain clear?

No. The weather turned from inconvenient to biblical, and with no sign of it lifting for another 24 hours, we stopped at Llyn Brenig Visitor Centre and made a new plan. Using New Roads on the fly, we asked the platform to reroute us via Bala on roads we hadn’t yet driven, before taking us south to Tintern as efficiently as possible.

 

Be prepared to make new plans

That’s the thing about these trips. You can plan brilliantly, choose well and still find yourself adapting in real time. What matters is how you respond. Often, that becomes part of the story as much as the roads themselves.

So, will we be creating an inspiration guide for North Wales so you can experience this drive for yourself? Of course. It’s coming soon, and it will be worth the wait.

But if you’d rather not wait, just sign-up to your New Roads account and ask it to build the trip for you now. Tailor it to your driving style, your preferred hotel standard and the kinds of places you want to experience along the way. Tell it what car you’re driving too, so it can factor in width, ground clearance and suitability, helping ensure the route fits both you and the machine. That way, the roads feel right from the outset and you’ll know what to look out for before you even set off (check the Suitability Report’ tab in your itinerary).
For now, happy driving and here’s to the enduring wonder of North Wales.

Thank you to @bispal for the photo and inspiration