The Party of Wales Arfon Standing up for the people of Arfon

Arfon Assembly Member congratulates local campaigners on securing development money for two cycling initiatives Cymru

Following the recent announcement that funding has been set aside for the first stage of a ‘castle to castle’ cycle track development linking Llanberis and Caernarfon there was more good news for Hwb Eryri as Gwynedd council agreed to fund a feasibility study for a bike park at the sight of the old Glyn Rhonwy quarry.

Arfon AM, Siân Gwenllian, met up with Stephen Edwards of Hwb Eryri – the company involved in attracting outdoor developments to the area – and Dafydd Whiteside Thomas who has campaigned hard for a safe cycle track, to congratulate them on their success.

“We live in a truly beautiful area and local people as well as visitors like to take advantage of outdoor activities so that they can enjoy all the natural attractions we have in this area,” said Siân Gwenllian. “Hwb Eryri has worked very hard to bring a safe cycle track to this area and now that their vision is a step nearer realisation, coupled with the news with the promise of funding for the development of a bike park, both schemes would work well together and bring a truly excellent facility to the area.”

Hwb Eryri, with its headquarters in Llanberis, works towards benefiting the local economy by attracting outdoor development to the area, and both these schemes could prove to be a very exciting move for the Llanberis area.

“We very much welcome this funding from Gwynedd council that will be invested in a report to help us properly examine all the possibilities around creating the best bike park possible for the Llanberis area,” said Stephen Edwards from Hwb Eryri. “Our vision is to create the first ‘free bike park’ in the UK, which means there will be trails to suit everybody – from families to those who are looking for something a little more challenging. Cycling has become an extremely popular activity and we are keen to take advantage of its popularity by offering unique leisure activities to those living here and to those visiting.

“This attraction will be of interest locally and across the north as we are so near the A55. And we won’t just be welcoming cyclists – the idea is to create footpaths too as well as areas to birdwatch and enjoy the wildlife. It’s a very exciting proposal and something that Hwb Eryri and local campaigners have been aiming for quite some time.”

Dafydd Whiteside Thomas from Llanrug added, “I’ve been campaigning for twenty years to get a safe cycling link between Llanberis and Caernarfon and I was part of the Peris Cycling Network while it was active. Hwb Eryri alongside supportive campaigners like myself have been piling on the pressure for some time to get a cycle track, and it’s great to see light at the end of the tunnel at last as well as the hope of securing a bike park for the area.”