Betws-y-Coed 100km Natural trails, help!

charitydraw

I am a tourist that is about to visit north wales for a biking holiday

What caught my attention on www.mbwales.com was the fact that the Betws-y-Coed trail base actually hosts 100km of natural trails.

Are there any OS/GPX files for me to download gps files of those trails?
Or is there any MAP i could get hold of or buy to actually see where those trails are?
Or any guides i could hire to show me around?

I was wondering how to actually get around the trails as i see from GPS maps that there are a lot of woodlands and im sure there is some sweet riding, but i really want to spend my holiday time fruitfully! Thanks guys!


I hope you all can help me out!

EnglishChris

Hello...

Do you mean maps of the marked trails at Coed y Brenin (many of which have a natural history & feel), or other, unmarked trails?

If you mean the marked trails, they all head off from the trail centre and are quite easy to follow. At the trail centre there is a bike shop, cafe and visitor centre at Coed y Brenin that will be able to offer you advice on the routes and sell you a set of maps covering the trails.

Alternatively, you can actually download the route maps from the mbwales website... If you click on the links to the trails on the right hand side of the Coed y Brenin page (see the links to the MBR, Tawr, Dragons Back etc at the bottom of the top green box called "Coed Y Brenin"?) you will find the links to down load the trail maps. As an example, the Dragons Back trail map is here: http://www.mbwales.com/en/content/cms/C ... _Back.aspx

After having written that, I suspect you're going to tell me you already know all that, and you're after some natural, wild trails, not the trail centre trails! :oops:

charitydraw

Hey English Chris, I REALLY appreciate your help! Those information are extremely vital to me, however, as you predicted, yes i do know all of that :P

I was referring to the natural WILD trails where little bikers have gone to, like back country kind of trails? like REAL trails. I really like a mixture

i was not talking about coed y brenin but rather Betws-y-Coed where they mentioned there are "100km of legendary local trails" apart from the 2 man made trails of Marin and penmachno

So yes, i was referring to natural wild trails :P are there OS guides/ trail maps i could get hold of?

charitydraw

And the maps you mentioned

is it possible for me to download versions of them to be put into my GPS? meaning not PDF format but GPX

EnglishChris

charitydraw wrote:

:oops:

i was not talking about coed y brenin but rather Betws-y-Coed where they mentioned there are "100km of legendary local trails" apart from the 2 man made trails of Marin and penmachno

Oh yes. You did clearly say Betws-y-Coed. I am an idiot. :oops:

Wish I could help with the natural trails but I'm not local to that area... I'm sure there must be someone here who is though....

Good Luck!

Hothouse

Grab yourself the OS Landranger maps of the area ( 1:25000 ) and the whole area will open up to you. I do a fair amount of riding round the Berwyn hills which are all natural and pretty tough going in places and not as touristy as BYC. Hit the OS website to get details of the maps you require, but apart from the trails you've mentioned, you may find that a lot are footpath only around BYC.

Stu 74

Check out the links below.....

http://www.flattyresmtbroutes.com/CapelCurig.html

http://www.flattyresmtbroutes.com/MarinMoelSiabod.html

http://www.flattyresmtbroutes.com/ConwyDrumMnt.html

This is probably worth checking out too.......

http://www.bike-fax.com/catalog/product ... ucts_id=28

You may also find more info here.......

http://www.mbnw.co.uk/

You should definitely do the Penmachno trail if you are in the area - it has a very natural feel to it!

Stu

charitydraw

Hothouse wrote:

Grab yourself the OS Landranger maps of the area ( 1:25000 ) and the whole area will open up to you. I do a fair amount of riding round the Berwyn hills which are all natural and pretty tough going in places and not as touristy as BYC. Hit the OS website to get details of the maps you require, but apart from the trails you've mentioned, you may find that a lot are footpath only around BYC.

Hey guys thanks so much for the response

But to Hothouse, i am very curious when you say to grab an OS landranger map and the whole area will be open to me

what do you mean the whole area will be open to me? how will i get to see offroad tracks where it will mainly be a huge piece of green when there is a forest? will it show me the the loops of offroad etc?

thanks!


And to STU, are there any OS versions of the routes you mentioned? mentioning that, i should be finding them now .. (=

charitydraw

and for this loop

http://www.flattyresmtbroutes.com/MarinMoelSiabod.html

Isn't it marin + penmachno? or is there another route that covers AROUND penmachno?

By the way guys, are the trails such as MARIN and Penmachno WAYMARKED? meaning at each junction there is some sort of signage telling me to turn left/keepright whatever?

sniper68

Marin and Penmachno are waymarked.
OS (ordnance survey)maps are extremely well detailed maps covering smaller areas than a roadmap.All footpaths/bridleways are marked.You can ride bridleways but technically footpaths are a no-no.OS maps also show contour lines so you can work out how hilly/mountainous your chosen route is likely to be.
1:50,000 OS maps are good enough for biking but 1:25,000 show more detail(a road map is generally 1:250,000).Just buy a map of the area and look for the red-dashes and you've found a bridleway,the whole area is littered with them 8)

charitydraw

thanks guys, that seems to have done some trick. I would need to get myself an OS system before i can clarify my own questions.

By the way, are those bridleways the "natural / legendary 100km trails" mentioned by mbwales? i mean what are bridleways exactly, i come from a country with NO mountains and thus i have little idea what bridleways are, are they simply flat tarmac tracks? or gravel-trails? soil like? hmm. i know, i sound ignorant, because i am. i hope you all can inform me!

One more question

Any one has a rough idea how to transfer myself 30km, from BETWS-Y-COED to COED-Y-BRENIN?

And to transfer myself from RUTHIN -BETWS-Y-COED??


How long do you all recommend i stay in BETWS-Y-COED and COED-Y-BRENIN?

charitydraw

One more thing,

is there a loop in CWM penmachno? is it some sort connected to penmachno?

a little confusing.

charitydraw

http://www.dilan4.com/pictures/beics/12.jpg

This is a picture of the exit after a singletrack section on the forestry roads

in such an occasion, will there be signs telling me to turn left or to turn right? because in the picture i don't see any directions and this could possibly get me lost yes?

tsenior

apart from CYB, Marin, Penmachno the only signs will be for public routes, these are footpaths and brdleways.

Bridleways are paths/tracks which can be used by cyclists as well as horses and walkers, they are nearly always rideable and can be tarmac, hardpack but more usually unsurfaced.

footpaths are for walkers only and often impassible by bike anyway so although lots of people use them locally i wouldent recomend relying on one to make a route unless its a short section joining 2 other tracks and you are prepared to walk or possibly carry your bike.

there are also 100's of km of forestry roads.

All of the above are clearly marked on OS 1:25k maps, DO NOT get the 1: 50k series, the level of detail is not there.

If you want to ride natural trails and are only visiting the area I would buy paper coppies of the local OS 1:25k Explorer series maps (sheet OL 18 covers both areas) and LEARN HOW TO USE IT. AND Download routes from flatyres, http://www.mbnw.co.uk/, http://www.mtbwales.co.uk/, etc AND ask in the bike shops and CYB trial centre for route maps.

if it was me i'd start over at CYB for a couple of days (get a train to barmouth, mawddach trail to dogellau and you are nearly there and spend a couple of days in and around the trail centre getting used to the local conditions and learning to use your map, then go XC to betwys and you could even ride back to ruthin (need OS Explorer 264 for this though)

it should go wityhout saying that even in the summer the weather in wales can be grim and you need to be well prepared and kitted out, as well as a decent navigator.

tsenior

sorry just seen you want to download the maps, someone else will have to advise you on this, try the one of the other sections (workshop?) i am a luddite and use old fashioned paper ones....

....but a paper map will not run out of batteries/get smashed in a crash/drown in a river please carry a hard copy as well if you are heading up into the mountains as a fault with the electrickery version could leave you in trouble.

sniper68

tsenior wrote:

All of the above are clearly marked on OS 1:25k maps, DO NOT get the 1: 50k series, the level of detail is not there.

I agree with all of the above except this statement.OK theres less detail on1:50k but more than enough for riding.I use 1:25k for walking but for biking I've never had any problems with 1:50k or even 1:40k(harveys).It helps if you can actually use paper maps,sadly most seem to rely on GPS now and as said it can fail(I know I've had a few).Even if I take my GPS(rarely) I always take a sheet of an OS map of the area.

Hothouse

The general theme recommends OS maps and when i say it will open up the whole area, i just mean it will tell you where you can and can't ride. there are 100's of miles of trails in Wales (natural or purpose built) but not all will take you from A to B without hitting the roads at some point.
I have to agree with the comments about Penmachno. It is the quietest of all the purpose built areas for biking and it uses more of the natural landscape to deliver a brilliant ride.

Stu 74

Penmachno is completely waymarked so you should not get lost. Best to take a trail map with you though just incase.

As far as the non man made trails go, my advice would be to obtain the correct OS map and then plot some of the routes, featured in the flattyres and bikefax links that I posted, on the map.

Have a look here for some mapping software........

http://www.tracklogs.co.uk/online-shop.html

You can download the map that you need and then plot your routes and print them off and / or download them to GPS.

The people who devised the flattyres and bikefax routes have been riding in the area for years and will have put routes together that feature the best trails for mountain bikes.

Just making your own route up by looking at a map can be a bit hit and miss as you can't tell what the terrain is really like until you actually get there.

Where are you from and when are you visiting?

Stu

charitydraw

Thanks guys,

Okay, well i am from Singapore and i will be arriving in September.

My plan is to incorporate a cycling holiday with the CRC 2011 RUTHIn marathon, which is the 16th of September or somewhere along that date? which is why all of the trail centers im going are near RUTHIN.


Stu, you mentioned the penmachno trail is waymarked am i right, but looking at the pictures here

http://www.dilan4.com/pictures/beics/12.jpg

This is a picture of the exit after a singletrack section on the forestry roads

in such an occasion, will there be signs telling me to turn left or to turn right? because in the picture i don't see any directions and this could possibly get me lost yes?

sniper68

At Penmachno and the Marin there are waymarks everywhere,impossible to get lost.If you get to a fire road with no sign carry straight on 8)

Stu 74

The picture you are showing is looking backwards up the singletrack. There is a sign there, its just out of shot.

If you are going to be visiting Ruthin then you should check out the trails in the Clwyds as these are far closer than the trails at Betws Y Coed.

Have a look here.............

http://www.ridetheclwyds.com/

and check the Clwydian routes here.....

http://www.flattyresmtbroutes.com/WalesRoutes.html

Stu

charitydraw

I have heard of that range, but it occurs to me that the range is probably a very unmarked/ have-to-be-a-local- to ride kind of place?

Okay, let me give you a rough guide of my plans for my holiday

1) Get my ass to ruthin via liverpool airport.

At least be at the area about 3days before the marathon

2) Visit Coed Llandegla and do the red+black graded trails as a warm up to check if my bike is in proper working condition, enjoy the UK trails


3) Take part in the ruthin 70k marathon ( considering if i should do the 50 or 70 as 70 might strain my entire holiday's legs )


4) Get my ass to Betws-Y-Coed to ride, probably a day or two
Ride the Marin trail and penmachno in the same day ( guys, is this too much? too tiring? or should i split it up? )

And try to find some time to explore the other trails as a chilled out day


5) Transfer to Coed-y-brenin and try some trails. ( Any idea what trails would be worth the trip? i see so many routes but they seem to over lap each other quite a fairbit that sometimes i dont think its fair to call them seperate routes... )


As much as i would love to check out the Clwdyian routes, i don't think my legs could take that much cycling. I have to get all of these trails done under a week ( other holiday plans with family afterwards)

It'll be cool if i could meet up with you all for a ride at least in a place :P

charitydraw

One more thing guys, what is it about the snowdon Downhill biking? i heard theres a real long downhill but a volunatry ban about it?
could anyone share with me whats up on this and what kind of a ban is it specifically??

charitydraw

okay ive done some research and realised whta its all about

however, anyone could give me directions to the summit of the trail? will it be waymarked etc?

how long typically will the summit take? Is it all rideable or some too steep?
anyone with experience could give me some tips ?

summittoppler

Hi bud
I'm pretty local to the area so I do most of my riding here 8)

Check out my link for pics from the rides thats around here, it should wet your appetite
http://s403.photobucket.com/albums/pp117/summittoppler/