Ambiguous NCN sign routings in Aberystwyth

Fgjgdrou · October 3, 2026, 6:58pm

I’ve observed many (conflicting) NCN signs for routes 81 & 82 in Aberystwyth, so want some other opinions before I go editing anything related to them.

I’ll lay out the various sign photos with locations and where they are just below

Location 1

Here there is a sign for NCN 81 pointing towards Tan y Cae sewage pumping station, as well as smaller stickers for NCN 81 & 82 pointing in the same directions (no brackets for any).

Location 2

Here there is a large painted sign for the Ystywth Trail pointing towards Riverside Terrace, and NCN 82. However, this is part of an art installation by once sustrans, now Walk Wheel Cycle Trust, so its navigational reliance is suspect.

I did not see any more signs towards the coastline, though it is currently mapped as going to the seafront.

Location 3

Here there is a sign for NCN 81 pointing towards the path to the bridge, and a stickered sign for NCN 81 & 82 in the same direction. The sign edge-on does not have a red square for NCN 82 either, but the NCN 81 & 82 sticker is repeated.

Location 4

The pin is about halfway between the signs here. The first set directs the Ystwyth Trail over the bridge, along with NCN 81. There is also a sticker likewise for NCN 81 & 82.

The other sign is for NCN 81 only (and Ystywth Trail), and directs you left (north-west) off of the bridge.

Location 5

Signs direct NCN 81 & Ystywth Trail around the u-turn for the cycle ramp onto/off of the bridge over the Rheidol.

Location 6

There are many signs here.
On the wall is a sign directing NCN 81 over the bridge, as well as saying that that way is towards NCN 82, but not NCN 82 itself (due to the brackets). There used to be a sticker next to that metal sign, since gone, and I don’t have a photo myself with the sticker (is visible on streetview, but I have not referred to it).
There is also a sign on the pole directing NCN 81 towards Gerddir Ffynnon / Spring Gardens, and a sticket directing NCN 81 & 82 in the same direction.

Location 7

Here there is a sign directing both the Rheidol & Ystwyth trails (though interestingly as far as I know the Ystywth Trail doesn’t go here along the Rheidol, and NCN 81 & 82 behind the police station.

Location 8

Here there is a sign pointing the Rheidol Trail left, the Ystwyth Trail right, and NCN 81 & NCN 82 right.

There is no sign directing you towards location 9.

Location 9

Here there is a sign on both sides of the street light, directing NCN 81, 82, the Rheidol & Ystwyth trails over the bridge across the railway.

Additionally there is a sticker directing NCN 81 along Plascrug Avenue towards Llanbadarn Road, and also the ability to follow that to NCN 82 (the brackets). That pole is behind the above described pole with signs back to back.

There is also a sticker at the end of the cycle/pedestrian portion of Plascrug avenue directing NCN 81 to the right over the bridge, and to go that way for NCN 82. There is no brackets for NCN 81.

Location 10

Here there is a sign at the start of Plascrug Avenue (next to Alexandra Road), directing you to go up it to head to NCN 81 & 82 (due to the brackets).

Whilst there is a sticker lower down, it seems to direct you to the hospital, even though the best route is probably to not follow that sticker, as heading up over the National Library of Wales is rather steep, whereas going via Penglais Road is rather less steep.

Location 11

Here there is a sticker to direct you forwards to go towards NCN 81/82 (as indicated by the brackets), so clearly they can do brackets. There is also another such sticker here that is likewise, but directing you up Park Avenue. I didn’t get a photo of that because I collected these photos all in the space of about an hour and had enough of walking around what with walking up the hill to do.

Along Park Avenue, there aren’t any signs directing you to the riverside cycle path until locations 7/8.

More places (no photos)

It seems that NCN 81, 82, and the Ystywth Trail might take a common route out of Aberystywth, probably common until when NCN 82 is mapped as diverging from NCN 81. However, as I do not have a bike in Aber, and haven’t taken photos previously of them I can’t share any photos of them (I took all of these photos between lectures at the uni on Friday).

For example, there are NCN 81 & 82 stickers, and a Ystywth Trail sign, here, here, along Bryn Eglur, there is a sign with the Ystywth Trail, NCN 81 & NCN 82, and NCN 81 & 82 stickers at the intersection of Antaron Avenue & Lôn Tŷ Llwyd, and presumable further along the route (though I don’t know without reference to google streetview). I think I may have some surveying whilst hiking at the weekend in my future.

The only options that make sense to me from those sign photos are:

Whoever put up the stickers and/or signs are rather bad at using the correct design to denote what is the route vs what is the way to get on the route, and/or are missing brackets, but can get it right sometimes.
The stickers (and some signs?) are old, but just haven’t been removed (even though they could install an art installation?).
Both 1 & 2 are correct, they didn’t remove the stickers, and the stickers were originally made wrong.
There are in fact multiple routes through Aberystwyth for the 81 and/or 82 (very much doubtful).

The official route description states that NCN 82 is under development between Machynlleth & Aberystwyth, and open in sections between Aberystwyth and Fishguard.
NCN 81 seemingly is open from Aberystywth until near Welshpool.

If anyone could help me to figure out where NCN 82 (and to a lesser degree 81) might exist in/around Aberystwyth that would be appreciated, as someone else probably knows far more about the NCN than I do, but another opinion would very much be helpful!

SomeoneElse · October 3, 2026, 11:00pm

It’s a similar situation in Yorkshire. This shows the route and markers on NCN 65. I’ve added the guideposts and route markers without brackets with a role marker and those with brackets with the role marker_brackets. There are a few bracketed pointers to routes across town, but there are plenty of others that “say they are, but are not on the route”.

Walk Wheel Cycle Trust (Sustrans as was) have an idea where routes ought to go, and this was influenced by their Paths for Everyone initiative that “pretended that cycle routes did not go on main roads”, like for example NCN65 here. Cyclists are still signed along the main road along the gap in the NCN but that part of the route is not numbered.

What I’ve tended to do locally to me is to just record the guideposts and route markers, and whether they are in brackets or not, and then when a route is clear filling in the gap in the OSM relation with OSM ways that are known to form part of the route, with the caveat that there might actually be gaps by design along busy roads.

Richard · October 4, 2026, 1:54pm

To the best of my knowledge:

NCN 82 does not exist in Aberystwyth. It’s NCN 81. Sustrans previously signed sections of route as simultaneously belonging to two separate numbers, but for some years now has followed UK road network practice of having only one number with any others in brackets, hence 81 (82). (Some local authorities appear not to have got the memo. ;) )

A future NCN 82 is projected to run from Aberystwyth to Machynlleth but doesn’t exist yet, though there may be some stickers on the roadside path up towards Mach.

NCN 81’s course in Aberystwyth is broadly as currently mapped in OSM. Signs around Plascrug Avenue and so on should really be (81), even if they’re not.

But I may be entirely wrong.

Fgjgdrou · October 6, 2026, 3:46pm

Thanks both for your help and insight, especially with how you’re recording NCN signs in the route relations.

Given what you’ve said, I think it’s clear now that the local authority made quite a few errors with bracketed/non-bracketed signs, and that the course is the same as currently mapped. NCN 82 does not go into Aberystwyth; instead one should follow NCN 81 from Gwêl-Ystywth to Aberystwyth till NCN 82 is developed to Machynlleth.

Thanks for your help!

PS. NCN 82 terminates to my knowledge when the separate cycle path from Machynlleth ends at Derwenlas (~2 miles from the centre of Machynlleth). I presume that they won’t want to add it down the A487 given the traffic levels, what with their interesting ideas about the NCN & gaps in it.

Richard · October 6, 2026, 5:24pm

In case you’ve not seen it, outline proposed route alignments are sometimes sketched on the map at Our plans to improve the National Cycle Network - Walk Wheel Cycle Trust - Walk Wheel Cycle Trust

Personally I’d send NCN 82 south from Machynlleth on forestry tracks past Nant-y-Moch Reservoir, then probably via Ponterwyd, to Gwêl-Ystywth. But that might be a bit old-school NCN.

ramthelinefeed · October 7, 2026, 7:57pm

Honestly, Sustrans signage is often a shambles, and their online mapping is sometimes wrong too. I was on at them for years to fix some stuff in Northern Ireland, even went through their ‘complaints process’, nothing but platitudes and reneged on promises. At this point my only option would be to report them to the Charities Commission but that seems a trifle excessive (and probably still wouldn’t get either the signage or the mapping fixed)

ramthelinefeed · October 7, 2026, 8:05pm

That map is a joke as far as Northern Ireland is concerned. They’ve simply drawn a blue line along all the old railway lines that were scrapped in the 1950s, regardless of whether the land has since has housing estates built on it or been converted to dual carriageway A roads. Even where it simply reverted to agricultural land use, zero attempt has been made to reaquire any of the land on their indicated routes. Yet still public money is wasted touting this armchair fantasy. It’s frankly bizarre, to be honest.