driving road

A470 The Backbone of Wales

Wales's longest continuous scenic drive runs 186 miles from Cardiff to Llandudno through the Brecon Beacons, Cambrian Mountains and Snowdonia, making it the definitive grand touring road in Britain.

WhereBrecon, Powys, United Kingdom · Wales

RoadA470 Backbone of Wales

RouteCardiff → Llandudno

Distance186 miles · 299 km · ~4h 26m drive

Characterscenic, fast, mountain, moorland

OpeningOpen year-round; early morning or late afternoon recommended for quieter roads

Visit website ↗

Some stay links are affiliate links. Terms

More in Wales

Driving road

A4069 Black Mountain Pass

20 mi32 km~43 min drive

Wales's most celebrated driving road, made famous by Top Gear, carving 20 miles of hairpin bends and steep mountain gradients through the western Brecon Beacons between Llandovery and Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen.

Llandovery, Carmarthenshire · Wales

Driving road

A4086 Llanberis Pass

18 mi29 km~26 min drive

A spectacular 18-mile mountain ribbon through Snowdonia squeezed between the Glyderau and Snowdon massif, delivering wide sweeping bends framed by sky-scraping peaks and giant slate boulders.

Llanberis, Gwynedd · Wales

Driving road

A4120 / B4574 Devil's Bridge to Aberystwyth

35 mi56 km~1h 15m drive

Described by the AA as one of the ten most scenic drives in the world, this 35-mile Cambrian mountain route climbs from Aberystwyth to Devil's Bridge and through remote Cwmystwyth past Elan Valley reservoirs to Rhayader.

Devil's Bridge, Ceredigion · Wales

Driving road

A44 Cambrian Mountains Road

33 mi53 km~47 min drive

A 33-mile high-altitude traverse across the spine of mid-Wales, cresting 1,427ft through the Cambrian Mountains with fast, deserted open-road sweepers and breathtaking views over the Vale of Rheidol towards Cardigan Bay.

Rhayader, Powys · Wales

Driving road

A496 Coastal Snowdonia Road

32 mi51 km~1h 9m drive

A 32-mile scenic and technically varied coastal mountain road weaving through southern Snowdonia past Harlech Castle, two estuaries and the dramatic Cambrian Coast between Blaenau Ffestiniog and Llanelltyd.

Harlech, Gwynedd · Wales

Driving road

A542 Horseshoe Pass

7 mi11 km~15 min drive

The A542 climbs to 417 metres above Llangollen in a sweeping horseshoe arc through the Denbighshire moorland, offering one of North Wales's most dramatic and accessible mountain-pass drives.

Llangollen, Denbighshire · Wales