A487
From Roader's Digest: The SABRE Wiki
| A487 | ||||||||||||||||
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| From: | Haverfordwest | |||||||||||||||
| To: | Menai Bridge | |||||||||||||||
| Length: | 173.8 miles (279.7 km) | |||||||||||||||
| Meets: | A4076, B4327, B4330, A40, B4583, B4331, A4219, B4313, B4582, B4329, B4332, A478, B4546, A484, B4333, B4334, B4321, A486, B4342, A482, B4577, B4337, A485, A4120, B4346, A44, B4572, A4159, B4353, A489, A493, B4404, B4405, A470, A496, B4410, A4085, A497, A498, B4411, B4418, A499, A4085, A4086, B4419, B4547, A4087, A55, A5 | |||||||||||||||
| Primary Destinations | ||||||||||||||||
| Aberystwyth • Bangor • Caernarfon • Cardigan • Dolgellau • Fishguard • Haverfordwest • Machynlleth • Porthmadog • | ||||||||||||||||
| Grid References | ||||||||||||||||
| Start: SM946145 End: SH558712 | ||||||||||||||||
| Highways Authorities | ||||||||||||||||
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Caernarfonshire • Cardiganshire • Merionethshire • Montgomeryshire • Pembrokeshire | ||||||||||||||||
| Route outline (key) | ||||||||||||||||
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There are a lot of A-roads in Haverfordwest and two of them are primary - the A40 trunk road runs east from here towards London, and north towards Fishguard, bypassing the town to the north east, whilst at the same time running through the town. The A4076 trunk road bypasses to the south-east, on its way to the oil refineries at Milford Haven. All the other A-roads are part of the non-primary A487 - identifying its official start point is anyone's guess. The two contenders are the roundabout on the inner version of the A40 at Cartlett Road, where the A487 heads west over the River Cleddau. The other contender is a couple of miles south where the south-eastern bypass meets the old Milford Road. Either way, the two arms meet at what appears to be a large one-way system on the north west side of town, eventually emerging into the Pembrokeshire countryside en route to St Davids.
Route
Section 1: Haverfordwest – Aberystwyth
We're on a single carriageway road heading north-west. After a few miles we reach Newgale Sands, where the A487 descends down to beach level, running behind the sand dunes of St Brides Bay. For the next strecth, the sea is about a mile away on our left, though we catch glimpses rather than a panoramic seascape. At Solva, we descend once again to sea level to the natural harbour. There is a shop here which has an entrance at road level, then two or three upper floors. At the top, you emerge outside, finding yourself at ground level once again.
We make our final approach to St Davids, Wales' smallest city, by virtue of the Cathedral set down in the valley. The Cathedral is much simpler than many of the English Cathedrals, and has that slightly ruged feel about it. It is said in some circles that two pilgrimages to St Davids is the equivalent of one to Jerusalem or Rome.
The A487 runs through the heart of the City Centre (more of a village square, really), then almost doubles back on itself to begin its journey up the West Coast of Wales. I am not familiar with this next leg, but at this stage the route is still non-primary.
At Goodwick, we meet the western terminus of the A40 at the entrance to Fishguard ferry Terminal. At the roundabout, we turn right, gaining primary and trunk road status as we do so, and run alongside the sea into Fishguard itself, where our short multiplex with the A40 ends at another roundabout. Here we turn left, then drop down to the bridge over the River Gwaun at Lower Town, before climbing up towards a view point over Fishguard Harbour. Then we begin our journey around Cardigan Bay towards north Wales.
We skirt the northern fringes of the Prescelli Hills, from which, it is said, some of the stones at Stonehenge originate. We pass through the small village of Newport, then run inland for a while before reaching Cardigan, the terminus of the A478 and the A484. This market town is bypassed now, but the road used to cross the River Teifi via a narrow bridge.
We continue to run a short distance inland now, but most of the left turns take you towards the sea. At Synod Inn, we cross the A486. A left turn here takes you to New Quay and more sandy beaches. The A487 also heads for the coast, reaching it at the seaside town of Aberaeron, which also marks the end of the A482.
On the approach to Aberystwyth, we meet first of all the A485 from Tregaron, then the A4120 from Devils Bridge. In the town centre we meet the A44 (from Oxford!). My memories of Aberystwyth are a windswept university town with lots of pubs and a funicular railway going up the cliff.
Section 2: Aberystwyth – Menai Bridge
The A487 now runs in land, making for the Dyfi estuary. We reach the former Welsh capital - Machynlleth, where a right turn takes you onto the A489. Our road takes us north towards Dolgellau. the road becomes wooded on either side now, with picnic areas and woodland walks available if you feel so inclined. We then pass the southern edge of Cadair Idris, marking our arrival on the fringe of the Snowdonia National Park (our second on this trip).
At Cross Foxes Inn we meet one of the other north-south routes - the A470. Once upon a time, it was the A487 that took priority through here - now the A470 has been given the status of the most important north-south route. We pass the end of the A494 before eventually reaching the small town of Dolgellau. It has a bypass now, but twenty years ago, the queues to get through here were horrendous. The streets were too narrow to cope with the traffic, and what is actually a pleasant town was marred by the volume of queuing traffic on the road. There are two left turns here. The A493 follows the south bank of the Mawddach Estuary and the A496 stays on the north bank towards Barmouth and Harlech.
The A487 continues north on its multiplex with the A470 through Coed y Brenin Forest Park - quite different scenery from the coastal setting of the southern part of the A487. We eventually reach Trawsfynydd - home of a former Nuclear Power Station. What on earth is that doing in the National Park? The A4212 runs east to Bala on the A494, where as three miles north of Trawsfynydd, we reach the end of our multiplex with the A470 (which turns off to the right towards Ffestiniog and Blaenau Ffestiniog). The A487 resumes its mantle now, heading west through the Vale of Ffestiniog, sometimes alongside the famous Ffestiniog railway towards Tremadog and Porthmadog. The village of Portmeirion is to the left, famous for it's pottery, Italian style architecture and as the setting for The Prisoner. The next section has a toll - we pass over a causeway alongside the Ffestiniog Railway into Porthmadog.
At the roundabout in Porthmadog, the A487 bears right, towards Tremadog whereas the A497 bears left towards the Lleyn Peninsula. In Tremadog we meet the A498 at a T junction. A right turn takes you alongthe A498 through the Glaslyn Valley towards Beddgelert and the heart of Snowdonia, and a left turn takes us along a short multiplex with the A498 before the A487 resumes on its own, skirting the south west edge of the mountains towards Caernarfon. We meet the A499 at Llanwnda, reaching Caernarfon, on the sothern fringe of the Menai Straits, which also marks the terminus of the A4085 and A4086 which run through the heart of the mountains. The highlight of Cernarfon has to be the well preserved castle, scene of the investiture of the current Prince of wales in 1969.
Our last lap takes us alongside the Menai Straitsto a roundabout over the A55 North Wales Expressway. The final couple of miles north of here is non-primary, and the A487 terminates on the A5 at a roundabout at the eastern end of Telford's magnificent Menai Suspension Bridge.
Original Author(s): Simon Davies
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