First trip to wales

TRC708
TRC708 Posts: 8
edited January 2010 in Routes
Me and a couple of mates are planning a trip to wales in the next few months. Any suggestions on the best place to visit??

Comments

  • welshkev
    welshkev Posts: 9,690
    where will you be coming from? that'll determine a lot :D
  • TRC708
    TRC708 Posts: 8
    Coming accros from essex.
  • welshkev
    welshkev Posts: 9,690
    ok then, so i'd reccommend doing cwmcarn and afan. both of them are just off the m4.


    there's campsites at both places if you fancy it or there's a few b&b's dotted around. cwmcarn to afan is about 45 mins drive. cwmcarn only has the 1 xc trail but a great dh track and uplift. afan has 3 main trails and are all really good. i prefer the penhydd trail, but whites is the trail of choice and really good :D

    i reckon it'll take you about 4 hours to get to afan from essex, but if you wanted to go to say coed y brenin up north it'd take you more like 6 or 7 hours :( . so i'd say that staying down south would be your best bet. :D hope this helps
  • TRC708
    TRC708 Posts: 8
    thanks that helps loads, we thought about staying in the south so that sounds good. Ta
  • welshkev
    welshkev Posts: 9,690
    no problem, give me a shout if you have any other questions :D
  • paulscutt
    paulscutt Posts: 332
    cwmcarn & glyncorrwg ponds are your best bet mate - glyncorrwg is 10mins down the road from afan but much better (imo)
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  • Paulie W
    Paulie W Posts: 1,492
    6 or 7 hours to Coed y Brenin from Essex!!! I am assuming he's cycling then?
  • welshkev
    welshkev Posts: 9,690
    Paulie W wrote:
    6 or 7 hours to Coed y Brenin from Essex!!! I am assuming he's cycling then?

    http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&tab=wl

    that's without taking into consideration of traffic, tractors on the b roads etc etc.

    i drive to north wales alot with work and know how bad those roads can be.

    *poo, link didn't work, but it says 4 hrs 56 mins from colchester to dollgellau. just a rough guess as i don't know exactly where he's from and c-y-b is a bit further than dolly.
  • welshkev
    welshkev Posts: 9,690
    paulscutt wrote:
    cwmcarn & glyncorrwg ponds are your best bet mate - glyncorrwg is 10mins down the road from afan but much better (imo)


    sorry, yeah. i always class afan and glyncorrwg as the same place even though they are just down the road from each other :oops:

    confusing to people who don't know, sorry
  • Splottboy
    Splottboy Posts: 3,695
    Yes, its 6 - 7 hrs from Essex to N.Wales. Used to live in Witham and Marks Tey, with the Inlaws in Bangor. So, did it loads, and now Living the Dream having moved here!!!
  • Cadair View Lodge
    Cadair View Lodge Posts: 1
    We run self catering accommodation next to Coed y Brenin. We have lots of visitors come at weekends from Essex and South of London and they think that the journey is well worth it for the riding here.

    We usually advise guests coming from the South East that due to traffic on the motorway on a Friday night to allow up to 6 hours for their journey. Late arrival is no problem to us.

    There are no "B" roads on route it's all A roads but after the motorway there aren't many stretches of dual carriageway. There aren't any cobbles - contrary to urban myth :lol:

    If you come to stay in the CyB area you don't just have the CyB trails but also Penmachno, Machynlleth, Gwydyr Forest, Nant Arian, Llandegla and more (16+ trails) all within an hour's drive... far too much for a weekend stay. There are also new trails planned at Blaenau Ffestiniog.

    Hope that helps.

    Sue
    MTB Friendly Accommodation in MTB Heaven

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  • justbraz
    justbraz Posts: 4
    Depends on how long your trip's going to be. I'm from Oxford and have started at Betws y Coed (Marin Trail, Penmachno), then to Coed-y-brenin (MBR and Dragons Back and more), down to Machynlleth (Climax and others), on to Nant yr Arian (Syfydrin Trail), to Afan Forest Park (Whites Level and The Wall), finishing at Cwmcarn (Twrch). It's basically north to south. Lots of different trail centre riding, my favourites being Penmachno and Whites Level. This can be done in 6 days riding 2 trails a day. Fairly hardcore. No late nights. If you've only got a couple of days head for Afan doing Cwmcarn en route or on trip home. Have a look at www.mbwales.com for info on mountain biking in Wales. I'd like some good advice on the natural stuff in Wales.
  • welshkev
    welshkev Posts: 9,690
    ^ what he said if you have long enough that'd be an awsome week :D
  • justbraz
    justbraz Posts: 4
    Forgot Brechfa (Raven, Gorlech) definitely not to be missed. Can recommend best campsites as did trip camping all the way.
  • spangoolies
    spangoolies Posts: 45
    coed y brenin is worth the extra miles in my opinion. i love the place, its got something for almost everyone. the tracks really reward you for your hard uphill riding, fast long flowing downhill sections with none of those annoying gates you have to get off your bike and climb through. some technical sections and the uphill conditions and scenery change all the time so you dont get bored pedalling.
    i hated afan, i will never go there again. the uphill riding is hard, boring and seems to go on forever. and to reward you for all the hard work, the downhill is plagued with those bloody gates. everytime you get to a descent speed and start to enjoy yourself, a gate appears and you have to slam the brakes on.
    have fun on your trip

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