How many days for Afan?
We and a pal are planning a long weekend in south wales hitting some trail centres before the season ends. However, having never been to Afan (the one we really want to go to), we dont know how long we could spend there?
Will a day of solid riding not be enough? How about 2?
We were also thinking of going to Brechfa, is it a nice centre?
Will a day of solid riding not be enough? How about 2?
We were also thinking of going to Brechfa, is it a nice centre?
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it depends how fit you are?
W2 at afan combines both the wall and whites level and is 42km long iirc, then skyline is around 55km iirc.
brechfa is supposed to be really good (never been) but there is no visitors centre or anything there!
you could always stop at cwmcarn on the way there/back to add a bit extra
http://mbwales.com/0 -
I've been to Cwncarn before on the way back from a trip in the breacons and loved it, just I rather fancy doing the other ones before returning, ideally sticking to only the south or only the north, as its a long enough trip as it is from here in East Anglia.
As for fitness, I'd say 97km isn't going to happen, but if we split that over 2 days its possible.
What other trail centres in s.Wales do you recommend?0 -
Brechfa is awesome.
Afan is pants.
Cwmcarn is awesome.
Then you have to start traveling towards mid wales adn there are a few more little ones.
Nant Y arian is meant to be good and is West
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Skyline trail is pants I agree
The wall isn't bad, didn't do whites but heard good things about it0 -
I'm confused, we don't have a season in Wales. We ride all year long.
Before any smart arse chips in, that's because it rains all year long to keep the dust down on the trails.0 -
i really like the wall, it's one of my favourite rides 0
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Wall is ok, bit easy but fast and flowy on it's decents with dull climbs.
Whites is just awful, even the downs are really pedally to get any speed, hate it hate it hate it.. stamp stamp throw toys out the pram yada yada
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Thewaylander wrote:Wall is ok, bit easy but fast and flowy on it's decents with dull climbs.
Whites is just awful, even the downs are really pedally to get any speed, hate it hate it hate it.. stamp stamp throw toys out the pram yada yada
Yes but as a rider who's local playground is Thetford, dull climbs are good (easy) and pedalling is something I am used to if i want speed!
Ian0 -
exactly so why would you go somewhere exactly like what your sued to when you have the opportunity to ride something totalyl different?0
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Don't bother with Skyline. Do W2 and Black/green/blue at Brechfa (they're not long), and stop off at Cwmcarn on the way back. 2 days for the lot is plenty.0
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See i'd say ignore W2 and do Skyline now more is open if your determined to do Afan....0
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brechfa beats afan hands down for trails
both red and black are great, but don't discount the blue and green. don't think i have had more fun on a bike than the final two descents of the green.
no facilities except portaloos but the black lion in abergorlich is good and bike friendly.
afan still worth a trip, the wall and whites are both good trails0 -
Just returned from weekend in Wales, camped near Brechfa and did Whites at Afan on way home. Totally disagree with few posts above.
Day 1 Brechfa, rode Gorlech in the morning 19km dry conditions, lunch Black Lion - good pub / friendly, riverside beer garden. Parts of the single track downs were good fun, lots of switch backs, few good steep slippery shale made some parts loose - problem was that the ascent reminded of riding a tow path; it was so groomed that all natural trail features had been banished, the linking sections between single track consisted in the main of of soulless fire track.
PM rode Derwin green 9.2km + Derwin Blue extension 4.7km and tacked on some Raven Black on way down which improved the run a lot. Preferred this route to morning run but high percentage of sanitised trails and more fire track took fun away.
Don't get me wrong I did enjoy Brechfa (the bits we did) and maybe locals will disagree as I'm sure you can improve the route if you know the area better to take in best bits. Brechfa is not a patch on Cwmcarn ascent for example which is tougher but more engaging on the body and mind.
Day 2 AM Afan Whites Level 17km - my god, I've not ridden this for 10 years but the place engages you from the start with an interesting climb requiring stamina and bursts of power to clear natural and man-made obstacles rocks/roots etc. I found it more interesting and varied compared than Brechfa, Afan is a trail centre but it still has natural terrain. Ascent is engaging and downs push you to squeeze speed out the run and maintain flow, its peppered with obstacles such as north shore, steps, and drops with optional diverts round. The final down left me knackered but happy. Facilities better but more riders, Brechfa was very quiet indeed.
Its horses for courses, and its only my opinion only but mountain biking should at least involve some 'terrain', some trail centres have it right and others go too far. OK tell me to avoid trail centres if I want terrain, but there more than one way to skin a cat, the sell in the MB Wales site etc made Brechfa sound a ripper, did I miss something??...it still may sit some riders, just not me but I would say my other mates did like it - maye it was riding Afan the next day reinforced my opinion a little more. Area was beautiful though. I'd hate to put anyone off going there, until you try yourself you can't form an opinion and maybe two rides there are not enough in fairness.0 -
Thewaylander wrote:See i'd say ignore W2 and do Skyline now more is open if your determined to do Afan....
Thats just backward. Skyline is horiffic, especially with the diversion through knee deep mud. Unrideable for about 10 minutes and utterly filthy.
Do the excellent descent, but not 40 odd k of fireroad and dull straight singletrack...
Brechfa can all be done in one day. Do the blue trail, then the black. Then go a couple of miles up the road, have food in the black lion, then do the red 8)0 -
Thewaylander wrote:Afan is pants.
What a ridiculous thing to say. Sure there isn't much technical stuff, but then I've met plenty of people there who've found it challenging. It isn't supposed to be Whistler, it's a beautiful place to ride if you don't want to be bothered with route planning and maps / gps.0 -
unlike most... i despised Cwmcarn and thought it was garbage.Salsa Spearfish 29er
http://superdukeforum.forumatic.com/index.php0 -
no trail centre i have visited is "pants". when i discovered mountain biking five years ago i could not believe that places like cwmcarn,afan and brechfa existed and most amazingly they are free (except token car parking). they all have their pros and cons, but having a young family and limited trail time, I love trail centres 0
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I really can't stand riding the Whites trail personally, there is no more depressing un technical slow dull trail.
The climb has been nuetered and is easy no challenge at all, but winds up with some pretty veiws but the decents are just dull as dish water, slow with no significant alltitude used in any good way
The slower sections on Skyline are in my veiw classic single track and if a trail is gonna rip down then it should flow like most of the further out sections of skyline.
Do like the wall but its a bit short, But afan at the moment is doing my nut in, they have been laying fine builders sand all over thats destroying bearings and chains as soon as a tiny bit of rain shows 0 -
Thewaylander wrote:they have been laying fine builders sand all over thats destroying bearings and chains as soon as a tiny bit of rain shows
Wrecking my paintwork, pivot bearings and brake pads :x
Brechfa has none of this sandy shite, just good honest mud.0 -
I really can't stand riding the Whites trail personally, there is no more depressing un technical slow dull trail.
The climb has been nuetered and is easy no challenge at all, but winds up with some pretty veiws but the decents are just dull as dish water, slow with no significant alltitude used in any good way
The slower sections on Skyline are in my veiw classic single track and if a trail is gonna rip down then it should flow like most of the further out sections of skyline.
Do like the wall but its a bit short,
So you find the White's climb boring and unchallenging, and rate the Wall more highly - with it's torturously dull fireroad climb? Erm... :roll:0 -
I find no difference to climing a peice of fire track with open veiws to a peice of non technical sheep track thats been totally smoothed over with a few open veiws..
A few years back i may have agreed with you Njee, but its totally featurless these days, and the decent its just dull, slow and dull.
And hey Doom, yeh its awful isn't it, left my headset in a fair state, no idea how it pentrated the bearings in one ride but i damn well did
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You can't say the White's climb isn't interesting though, if not technical, compared to just sitting and spinning up a fireroad, which is horrendously dull.0
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njee20 wrote:You can't say the White's climb isn't interesting though, if not technical, compared to just sitting and spinning up a fireroad, which is horrendously dull.
I can its sitting and spinning up a peice of sheep track with some limited veiws due to tree cover, feels pretty much the same to me.
In some ways I prefer to walls climb as it just gets on with it and gets you the top pretty fast rather than wandering around so you can get on with the fun stuff 0 -
I'm not sure if you're trying to look cool, or just being facaetious, but you can't really call the White's climb a sheep track, you may not find it technically challenging, but it's still a decent climb, and one which many people do.0
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No i'm being honest, when was the last time you rode there Njee?
Because this year its been sanded over, all holes covered, and its just a pure little smooth track to the top.
You guys make out that the wall is all fire track its not, it has 2 stretches of it, but half the climb or more is single track that is more slippy with more challenges now than Whites
This is my honest opinion of the trails down there why can't you begin to wrap your head round that?0 -
waylander just likes to moan about trails being santitised, just ignore him
but i do agree with him in the fact that i don't like whites either.
but i love the wall 0 -
Ignore him but he's right LOL Awesome. :P0
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No i'm being honest, when was the last time you rode there Njee?
I did White's about a month ago, thought the climb was the same as always to be honest! Not done the Wall for 18 months or so, but thought the climb particularly was totally crap! Personally prefer my local riding anyway, as do you it seems, so it's all good!0
