Family-friendly cycle track from Newborough to Llangefni
Wales is currently still on lockdown so trips out such as the one described below are not currently possible. One to look forward to.
On a bright late Spring Sunday morning, we packed bikes and kids onto and into the car and headed off over to Anglesey in search of a new cycle route. We parked up in the last forest car park before Malltraeth, kitted everyone out and set off across the flat, traffic-free cob and skirting the head of the beautiful Cefni Estuary to see what we could find.
Lon las Cefni is a traffic-free cycle path which offers a brilliant day out for cyclists of all ages and abilities. Cycling North Wales describes it as “a path for those who do not like cycling uphill”! A flat cycle track which runs from Newborough to Llangefni and beyond, largely off-road, Lon Las Cefni is great beginner’s ride. Perfect for families, less confident cyclists who don’t like riding on-road or experienced cyclists looking to get some miles under their belts.
We explored the cob at Malltraeth which runs between the Cefni Estuary and Malltraeth Pool. Stopping to watch wild ponies grazing, it was a pleasure to see the swifts back for the summer, darting through the air, chasing flies. Otters had been sighted that morning in the estuary. It’s worth spending a little time reading the information boards at Pont Malltraeth. They explain how the Cob embankment was built in 1810 to hold back the sea. It created agricultural land from the vast tidal sand and mudflats which once stretched as far inland as Llangefni.
From there, we crossed the A4080 and picked up a quiet lane along the straightened Afon Cefni, which at first glance looked more like a canal than a river. The far embankment was prime sunbathing territory for sheep and lambs who dotted its length, watching us pedal by.
Crossing the river at Pont Marquis, we watched large grey mullet swimming in the water below us. Then negotiating a squeeze gate and heading onto a flat track with the Afon Cefni on one side and rolling farmland on the other.
Further down, the RSPB Malltraeth Marsh (Cors Ddyga) was busy with birdlife and rich in wildflowers. We spotted a heron and a buzzard along with blackbirds, robins and water birds as we cycled along. At Pont Bulkeley, it was time to turn round as little legs were getting tired; our trip was about 10 miles in total.
For a longer cycle ride, you can carry on past Pentre Berw towards Llangefni and onwards to the Dingle Nature reserve and Llyn Cefni. It’s roughly 12 miles from Newborough to Llangefni, creating a round trip of 24 miles.
And we’d highly recommend refuelling with drinks and homemade cake at the lovely Riverside Cafe in Malltraeth. Lots of wheel skidding along the Cob on the way back to the car, our first cycle along Lon Las Cefni made for a lovely family trip.
Useful information
Click here to view and download the Sustrans leaflet for Las Lon Cefni.