Advice on where to head to in Wales?
were a group of 5 lads, been riding now for 3-4 months on the Isle of Wight
We have planned to drive up to Wales in july and spend a couple of days riding inc a night in the tent
Would like to find some really nice long winding tight forest single track trails?
got plenty of open tracks, downs and trails here on IOW but would like to find some really dense forest, woodland with some cool trails through?
Wheres best to head to?
We have planned to drive up to Wales in july and spend a couple of days riding inc a night in the tent
Would like to find some really nice long winding tight forest single track trails?
got plenty of open tracks, downs and trails here on IOW but would like to find some really dense forest, woodland with some cool trails through?
Wheres best to head to?
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Coed y Brenin is ace, and seemed to get a hell of a lot of people's shout for "favourite trail centre section" here a month or so ago.
It has a great mix of superfast, sinewy, swoopy singletrack, lung bursting climbs, and some fairly techy rock gardens - which can be ridden at warp speed if you're up to it.
Definitely one to consider.
Also, not too far away from it, are the Climachx in Penmachno, and also the Marin Trail in Betws y Coed. Llandegla is also about an hour or so away, and Snowdon is well worth a visit (but you're only allowed bikes there before 10am and 5pm during the summer months - which trust me is a good thing, FAR FAR FAR too many walkers there anyway)0 -
They sound great but are North Wales aka V long drive!, is there anywhere a little more southern?
Is Brecon any good for tight forest single track rides?0 -
afan all the way mate. the singletrack on the wall kicks ass. there's enough riding there to keep you entertained for 2 or 3 days and then on the way back stop at cwmcarn - it's only 5 mins off the M4.
there's a campsite and cafe there aswell with a pub up the road i think (don't know cos i never stay there
) not too much in the way of night life but that'd be my reccomendation
http://mbwales.com/en/content/cms/centr ... _park.aspx
http://mbwales.com/en/content/cms/centr ... mcarn.aspx0 -
well you never said enything about not wanting to come to our "proper" mountains" 0
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Anyone know the deal with regards to "wild camping" in these areas?0
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yeah, don't get caught!
There's a lot of campsites around wales though, and most are pretty damned cheap. There's also a few bothies around, which can probably be found on a google search.0 -
what he said ^
but also, why would you want to wild camp around afan? you'd wake up and your tent will have been nicked from over your head
cue abuse form afan residents0 -
Ah, see it's much better here oop North. Camp in a remote area, and you won't see another soul for months! 0
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If you want dense forest and nice singletrack you may also want to consider Bechfa. Gorlech and The Ravens Trail are both great trails.
Afan is always a good choice though!0 -
Afan forest, Whites is my fav trail of all time 0
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stay in betws -y-coed and do the marin trail, it really is superb. It's got a mix of everything throughout the trail, i was well impressed with it0
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Meh. Not a big fan of the marin trail here. It's ok, but nothing special. Far better trails in the area.0
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sorry to hijack th thread but where in llanrwst does the marin start? might give it a go next week 0
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yeehaamcgee wrote:Meh. Not a big fan of the marin trail here. It's ok, but nothing special. Far better trails in the area.
Yeehaa..... so where are your 'ultimate' North Wales trails then, both natural and man made? I'm heading up that way next month
You must know some good ones if you think the Marin trail wasn't up to much, i thought it was brilliant.
I've also done Coed- Y- Brenin (Dragons Back) and wasn't impressed. Done a natural circuit around Capel Curig and that was a cracker.0 -
I always head for my house, as if I head for a Neighbours, they all scream...
"GET OUT YOU PERVERT!!!!"
On the Marin, I park at the Birmingham Garage area of Llanrwst, which is free/safe.
It's just on the junction that leads to the Leisure Centre.
There's also a car park at the Cafe on stilts, just over the pack horse bridge, Llanrwst.
Other CP is at the small church/Forest Enterprise office near the trail head. This is a short distance from the Castle. ( This IS haunted, by the way. Really.)
Finally, VERY SMALL CP at The Ugly House/Ty Hyll, on the Capel Curig/BYC road, on the very bad bend just on a bridge.
Up to you guys.0 -
Also, not too far away from it, are the Climachx in Penmachno
The Climach is near Corris north of Machynlleth (hard to find).
Penmachno is at a layby south of Betws y Coed. (not signposted).
I would advise you to do plenty of research on the trails you choose as some are difficult to find (get then in your satnav before you go) and some are more technical than others (youtube is your freind).
I dont know what you riding background is or what the trails are like in IOW but if you have only done bridlepaths for 3-4 months then you may find yourself out of your depth with some of the harder trails in Wales. If you choose right right ones for your ability you will have a great time.
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps/mm?hl=en& ... 61&t=h&z=5
Also check out http://sites.google.com/site/mtbtrailtime/0 -
Yep, Climax is a bit tricky in places, especially the slate DH part. Dodgy if wet.
Can also be DEEP puddles if its been wet for weeks.
Penmachno: Go thro BYC, out the other side and shortly after the Ty Gwyn pub, theres a right hand turn - signed - for the Penmachno area.
Go thro the villlage, don't blink or you'll miss it... and there's a fire road off to the right.
This was the original trail head/start.
Some of the wooden bridges/water crossing can be a bit slick when wet too.0 -
LoUiS1985 wrote:yeehaamcgee wrote:Meh. Not a big fan of the marin trail here. It's ok, but nothing special. Far better trails in the area.
Yeehaa..... so where are your 'ultimate' North Wales trails then, both natural and man made? I'm heading up that way next month
Depends what you like, I mostly like to thrash it down the disused slate quarries, but that's not to everyone's taste. Most places are untracked, you just pick your route down the mountain, trying to avoid enormous cliffs as you go!
The reason I don't like the Marin is just because I don't think there's a good payoff for all the climbing work. The last descent is a corker, but the rest of it feels like a letdown.
Did I get Penmachno and Machynlleth mixed up? :oops: 0 -
The reason I don't like the Marin is just because I don't think there's a good payoff for all the climbing work.
exact same reason i didn't like coed-y-brenin0 -
you're kidding, right? Kane and Abel, Dream Time, the Addams family sections, Pink Heifer, Snap Crackle and Pop, Rocky Horror Show, Slated, False Teeth, Bugsy, Life's good, Beginning of the End, R74, and Flightpath are all corking sections of descent in CYB.
What exactly do you want in return for your climbing?
I think I can count on two fingers the amount of climbs that are not very well rewarded in CYB, and one of those is a flat out, sideways drifting fireroad that is still great fun with some dodgy variable tightness bends.
In fact, almost all of CYB's "sections" are descents.0 -
dragons back??
seemed to me like a 5 hour continuous climb for a 5 minute descent thorugh the adams family sections
not good0 -
LoUiS1985 wrote:dragons back??
seemed to me like a 5 hour continuous climb for a 5 minute descent thorugh the adams family sections
not good
Ahh dont say that i was hoping to get over there and ride that in the next couple of weeks
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Mark_K wrote:LoUiS1985 wrote:dragons back??
seemed to me like a 5 hour continuous climb for a 5 minute descent thorugh the adams family sections
not good
Ahh dont say that i was hoping to get over there and ride that in the next couple of weeks
Going uphill is always going to take longer than going down it.... something called gravity has a part to play in that.
I suspect he struggled up the hills
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well don't let me stop you dude, i personally didn't like it, but i'm in the minority as most people loved it.!
I prefered the Marin trail @ Llanrwst, i thought that was awesome0 -
Briggo wrote:Mark_K wrote:LoUiS1985 wrote:dragons back??
seemed to me like a 5 hour continuous climb for a 5 minute descent thorugh the adams family sections
not good
Ahh dont say that i was hoping to get over there and ride that in the next couple of weeks
Going uphill is always going to take longer than going down it.... something called gravity has a part to play in that.
I suspect he struggled up the hills
Struggled up the hills.....?? Somehow i don't think so
i know it takes less time to go down than it does up, but in comparison to other trail centres i wasn't very impressed, and i'm fully entitled to my opinion0 -
Too right. Opinions are like arseholes, we've all got them, and they're all full of crap.
Don't let our opinions on trails put you off riding there, and developing your own opinion.
As it goes, I've just come back from the Marin trail. Still not a favourite of mine, but i had a good giggle this time on the first singletrack descent. No grip, whatsoever after today's monsoon, several moments where I was sliding diagonally down the trail just trying to balance the bike upright, and praying there was a bank on the outside of the next bend I could use as a catch berm
Turns out it's good fun when you're going far too fast with far too little grip 0 -
I like the bit where you enter back into the forest, just by that little hut/pump house thingy, and its open/exposed to the left side.
Steep, loose, skiddy and...FUN!!!
Seen a few people go over-the-edge...0 -
LoUiS1985 wrote:yeehaamcgee wrote:Meh. Not a big fan of the marin trail here. It's ok, but nothing special. Far better trails in the area.
Yeehaa..... so where are your 'ultimate' North Wales trails then, both natural and man made? I'm heading up that way next month
You must know some good ones if you think the Marin trail wasn't up to much, i thought it was brilliant.
I've also done Coed- Y- Brenin (Dragons Back) and wasn't impressed. Done a natural circuit around Capel Curig and that was a cracker.
+1
Would that have been the Llyn Cowlyd route with the murderous climb out of Trefriw, 450m in under 2km?
I reckon its about time Yeeha showed some of us around his local haunts.
Forum ride Yeeha?
I've been thinking about this
http://www.flattyresmtbroutes.com/MarinMoelSiabod.html0 -
erm, ok. Just head up Elidir (fach or fawr, either). Then ride back down again. Try not to fall down any cliffs or tunnels on the way.
And stay away from the wooded section if you're coming down the llanberis side. One or two riders you can get away with, but a whole forum ride's worth of riders would probably annoy people and cause a stink
Oh, and careful on some parts of the mountain, there's still wire ropes and old railway lines crossing in a few places, if you hit them you'll just slide probably on your face until you reach the next village.0
