The Olympic torch’s six-day stay in
Wales will see the route take in all three of our beautiful National Parks –
Bannau Brycheiniog, Pembrokeshire Coast and Snowdonia – offering some truly
inspiring scenery and reaching great heights along the way.
Friday, May 25 will see the torch
head towards Abergavenny in the first leg of the Welsh torch relay, making a
hop, skip and a jump through the beautiful Bannau Brycheiniog National Park. The
Park is known to be the green training ground of gold medal-winning cyclist
Nicole Cooke, who’s favourite route is the Gap which takes in the Neuadd
Reservoir, up Fan y Big and the Cribyn giving incredible view of the Black
Mountain. The 2012 medal hopeful admires the Bannau Brycheiniog so much she
even provided a foreword for Bannau Brycheiniog National Park Authority’s ‘mtb
Bannau Brycheiniog’ guide championing the best 14 mountain biking routes in the
region.
From the Bannau Brycheiniog it’s on to
the picture perfect setting of Pembrokeshire Coast National Park on Sunday, May
27 – an ideal arena for Olympic disciplines such as canoeing, kayaking,
swimming, cycling and mountain biking, and even beach volleyball! While
visiting the Pembrokeshire Coast, four torch bearers will carry the flame
through the coastal town of Newport.
Day four of the Welsh relay will
see the torch make its way into the stunning Snowdonia National Park, entering
first at Dolgellau, before heading further north to Llan Ffestiniog. The
highlight of the Welsh visit takes place when the Olympic flame will be used to
light a lantern that will take an enormous 3,500 feet high jump above sea level
as it climbs aboard the Snowdon Mountain Railway to the summit of Snowdon, the
highest peak in Wales.
Cllr Caerwyn Roberts OBE, Chairman
of the National Parks of Wales, said: “We’re delighted that the Olympic Torch
route will sprint through our three marvellous National Parks and highlight our
truly medal-winning landscapes. While running a 26 mile mountain path,
high jumping over a hedgerow or synchronised swimming in one of our lakes are
not obligatory, I’m sure Olympic visitors will realise that our offering of
tracks and fields are absolutely stunning and hopefully come back on another
visit.”
Each Welsh National Park has
provided on its website a list of 26 walks which feature routes suitable for a
variety of abilities over and assortment of distances. Details of the walks,
along with a collection of fun National Park Olympic facts can be found at www.eryri-npa.gov.uk;
www.pembrokeshirecoast.org.uk
and www.breconbeacons.org.
–ENDS-