Our agreement with Cicerone does not allow continued publication of the current A.J. Drake guide so, as the already depleted stocks run out, no more will be printed, though there may still be some available through book sellers who have remaining stock.

Although the information on this website will be aimed to complement the new guidebook, it is our intention to continue to give support to those with copies of the A.J Drake guide. Hence the News Items and Downloads will still be available under A.J.Drake Updates on the History page in addition to those that are available for the Cicerone guide under Cambrian Way News on the Home page.

Updates to the new guide will be posted under the main Cambrian Way News on the Home page. Updates relating to the A.J. Drake guide are listed under A.J.Drake Updates on the History page.

GPX files for the Cicerone Route (New Route) are available below and GPX files for the A.J. Drake guides are available from GPX Files (Old Route) on the History page.

These files correspond to Cicerone guidebook. There have been a number of route changes since the previous guidebook and any Cambrian Way trail marking encountered reflects these new routes. The Stages correspond to the Stages in the Cicerone guidebook rather than the arbitrary 'Sections' that were used for the old guidebook.

Walking time is given using Naismith's Rule of 3mph plus 30mins per 1000ft of ascent. The second figure is for 2.5mph plus 45mins per 1000ft of ascent, which is more likely with a heavy pack and/or rough terrain. Rest breaks are not included in these. This is not an exact science and measurements have been rounded off.

The following files can be downloaded and imported into the Ordnance Survey's OS Maps Service or into any other mapping software or GPS unit that supports this format. To download these files, just click each link. Internet Explorer may offer options to Open or Save but other browsers may just save the file. Files are normally saved in your Downloads folder unless another folder has been selected.

Maps of the Cicerone Route with all its main options are available here for free download (MS Word 1997-2003 format has been used for compatibility with older computers as well as new ones). They consist of a set of A4 O.S. 1:25,000 Map sheets that have been split into three similar sized sections. The image jpeg quality has been reduced somewhat to reduce the size of the download files but the legibility has not suffered too much as a result. The mapping has been enhanced to include Main Route Stage Start Markers, Optional Route Identification Markers, Mileage Markers and Checkpoint Markers as well as a few comments.

These are made available courtesy of Ramblers O.S. Licence but this may not be continued indefinitely depending on cost.

See GPX Files (New Route) for details of Stage distances and walking times.

Checkpoints are notional points devised by Tony Drake to confirm completion of the walk in its entirety. A continuous path from start to finish visiting every checkpoint defines completion of the walk (some have alternatives for optional route variants). These checkpoints are mostly mountain summits though some are there to deter walkers from taking paths that suffer from erosion; others define a preferred route between mountains or a significant landmark. There is nothing visible at any of the checkpoints and they may be visited in any order and over any period of time. Whether walkers want follow this rule is entirely up to themselves but it should be remembered that mountain safety is more important than visiting every checkpoint, especially in bad weather. Even if checkpoints are missed, completion of the walk is still an achievement to be justly proud of.

Note the what3words references (see Help (?) for information about using them) in the blue boxes are considerably more accurate than the O.S. grid references.