Help needed to plan an Afan trip. Trails, Pubs, Etc

manc_ian

Hi

Im off to Afan on Fri 31st May for a couple of nights and trying to plan what trails to ride.

We are going really early on the Friday and then heading back Sunday afternoon/eve so basically 3 days of riding. We are staying at the Queens B&B.

What are the best trails at Afan? Ive been told to avoid Skyline and just ride White and The Wall.

Was also thinking of doing Brechfa on the way down. How do people rate Brechfa, is it the Raven Trail?

Also after one of Afan’s trails on the Saturday, we are thinking if heading down to the new Darren Farw Trails for a quick blast.

Just after some ideas really to plan the days out. Any help would be appreciated from Afan regulars and people who have done a weekend there.

Also suggestions for good local pubs and a curry house would be much appreciated too.

Thanks

Ian

cooldad

viewforum.php?f=40067

welshkev

well if you're just doing whites and the wall (w2 if done together) that's a day's riding sorted. the bike park is a good laugh for a few hours.

brechfa is excellent, but when you say 'on the way down' unless you're coming from west wales it's not on the way anywhere. but worth a visit.

if you're going to be there for 3 days i'd suggest visiting afan, brechfa and cwmcarn

clamps81

Blaengarw worth a shout as well. Good and close to Afan and doesn't take that long to ride.

welshkev

clamps81 wrote:

Blaengarw worth a shout as well. Good and close to Afan and doesn't take that long to ride.

ah yeah, forgot about that

balmybaldwin

Personally I prefer Brechfa to Afan, if only for the fact the trails flow rather than being constantly interuppted by anti motorbike barriers. the Gorlech and Raven trails there are both very good

I would agree best to avoid Skyline, as its fairly boring apart from the bits shared with other circuits.

Tom Barton

I find the july trail shortcut fast forwards you to the more interesting parts of skyline. Its an epic ride - big views but lots of fireroad climbing (2000m climb too in 46k).

Check mtbwales.com - theres been big forestry work on the the whites level/skyline climb hill and all those sections have been closed. Whites has a new climb going up the old descent which is techy in parts good to challenge yourself not to dab. Theres a new descent carved into the hillside higher up which is still a little raw but its brilliantly fast!

The wall and bike park side of things were all open last i knew and penydd still seems a way off being redone leaving you only with some green/blue bits to fill your time. Essentially - the W2 ain't going to keep you going for 3 days. Consider brechfa if your coming through mid wales - its about an hours drive west of afan. And the trails the other guys have mentioned are definately worth visiting.

manc_ian

Think we are definitely doing Brechfa on the way down and will have a trip to the Garw Valley on sat or sun.

So is the Skyline really that boring/bad at the moment? I still fancy riding it. I'm gutted we can't do the final Skyline decent as I've seen a few vids if it and it looks really good.

I'm just hoping all the diversions don't make our 3 day trip not worth it and should have gone back to Glentress instead.

Thanks

Ian

benpinnick

You cant ride the up (which was great) and you cant ride the down (which was even better)... That leaves you with not that much great stuff... Id rather ride one of the others twice.

Thewaylander

See i love skyline for a ride out,

but if the end decsent isnt available then i wouldn't bother as its epic. and some of the veiws over the beacons as you ride it are amazing. there is some lovely flowy single track further out too with it you just have to pedal down the fire tracks to get ot it.

I would just ride W2 at Afan as thats all of it in one ride (W2 is the wall and Whites combined) then sod off else where.

apple eater

Where is the Blaengarw route? I know where the village is but is there a well known trail/route there?

I've been to Afan once and we rode Y Wal. I found it boring to be honest. An awful lot of climbing and an anti climatic down hill ride at the end. Zigs and graveyard? It just seemed to be slow and very short.

The Abergorlech trail (gorlech) is really nice. Next time we are down at Brechfa we'll try the raven trail as i've heard lots of good things about it.

welshkev

apple eater wrote:

I've been to Afan once and we rode Y Wal. I found it boring to be honest. An awful lot of climbing and an anti climatic down hill ride at the end. Zigs and graveyard? It just seemed to be slow and very short.

then you must be dead inside


http://www.bridgendbites.co.uk/news/dar ... rails.aspx

Thewaylander

Or suck bad, there are few faster decsents at Afan or anywhere, the speed of the walls final two decsents is just scary.

Pedal Head

The old railway station in Cymer is a decent boozer for a bite to eat & post ride beer.

concorde

w2 that's your one day sorted, go Brechfa, bit of a trek but worth it. Cwm Rhaedr on your way to Brechfa too. There's some lovely natural stuff over Afan way mind but you'd need somebody to show you around, scary stuff mind :-)