You can hire bikes in Barmouth.
The Mawddach trail is a fantastic family day out - 10 miles each way to Dolgellau. The only climbing is from the bike shop to the bridge across the estuary. It’s really beautiful.
Yeah i saw that. Unfortunately youngest can’t really ride a bike yet. Not properly.
Could potentially see if they have one with a trailer or something if we have time.
Where’s the one with your buddy? Look like great kayaking territory.
That was the Northcoast 500 trip, somwhere on the North West coast which is honestly the best scenery I’ve every seen. Every km or so a new bay, new view, quite spectacular. Gets really good from about Ullapool onwards, keep saying I will hire a VW camper & take a trip there with the missus. One day. Roads are narrow there so only really suitable for the smallest camper.
If I was giving advise on a biking trip I’d say don’t bother with the full 500, make a smaller trip your more likley to do & just do a west coast loop.
Edit: Yeah, I’d imagine it would be great for Kayaking up there. Just need the weather.
Side entry cage is the answer for that one!
Once again my total lack of specialist cycling knowledge betrays me 
Been using a camelback for 20 years so generally don’t use bottles in the summer and never use them on long rides
I’ve done a few weeks sea kayaking in the area around Skye. Sea Kayak Plockton are a great outfitters. I’ve always fancied a trip around the Summer Isles or St Kilda (on a live aboard trip).
I’ve also cycled most of the NC500 before it was marketed. Starting at Lairg then heading north to Tongue and anticlockwise is best IMHO.
Coincidentally I took part in an Around Britain relay organised by Gordonstoun school; our team did the Ullapool to Lochinver leg (split between us). I’ve been around that area quite a few times.
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A grand day out 
A nice 2 day trip if I don’t get myself organised for the 6 day one 
Right!!!
I’m gonna give camping a go 
Just a one night thing, close to a pub/breakfast place, so no need for packing cooking crap.
I’ve been looking at the following;
Topeak Bikeamper tent.
AlpKit Aeronaut 1
OEX Salamander
MSR Hubba Hubba 
Anyone got any experience of them?
Or tiny tents for bikepacking?
Ideally no poles, ~1kg and handlebar bag sized.
I’ve got a tiny summer sleeping bag and looked at this today, which was super tiny packed up on size S (torso and bum comfort only!)
Not backpacking, but I nicked your route from Strava & I’ll be cycling over to Manchester & then winging it out to Failsworth to my daughter’s where I should meet her & my wife this morning.
I think I’ll be sharing some of the route with runners coming from the opposite direction doing the Manchester to Liverpool 50.
If it’s not too late, the second route is better than the first, ironed out some kinks.
If you want to see Frank, then it’s only the first route that goes past his statue.
Will be mucky today I reckon, have fun
They’ve resurfaced most of the TPT with some weird playground rubber stuff.
Proper rapid now!
I’m not sure which route I based the route on, but some of the paths I was on were seasonally Flandrian today .
For whatever reason whether it was my head unit shitting itself or PICNIC I lost my breadcrumb at Altrincham but picked it up again at Media City
Enjoyed it though & by the time I met my girls they had finished shopping so that was a big win.
