Talgarth/ Grwyne Fawr Black Route

Bristolyyzz

Hi Guys

Have any of you done this Black route 54 K starting at Talgarth going up Y Das and then past the Reservoir to head south finally looping north west back up the Black Mountains to Talgarth. It's one of the routes in the Brecon Beacons Mountain Bike Guide and would be keen to speak to anyone who has done it.

What's the climb of Y Das Like, is it rideable or do you have to push the whole way and how long did it take you? Are the trails generally fast riding or is it a crawl due to rocks, it's a long route to do in a a day if the going is hard.

Hope to hear from you

Cheers

buckmulligan

I did it earlier in the summer. If your used to trail centres it might come as a bit of a shock, it's proper mountain biking, where you'll get yourself in trouble if you go unprepared, but that shouldn't put you off, it's a fantastic experience and much more rewarding than bombing it around a centre.

The climb up out of Talgarth is on the road and a constant 6-8% gradient I'd say for a good few kms, if you're struggling by the end of this, you'll almost certainly be pushing your way to the top! Once you get off road, your stamina is going to determine how far up Y Das you get. It's rough and steep (10-20%) the whole way up and IMO you need to be able to keep a decent pace up to make it over the terrain. If you have to get off and push it's no disaster, the trails aren't ridiculously steep or treacherous but you'll probably have to carry for some sections. If you manage to cycle most of it, you'll probably do it inside an hour, if you're pushing for large parts probably 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Once you get to the top though, it's totally worth it, great views!

Then down from the top is a loooooooong downhill past the reservoir. Again, loose, rocky and steep in places, but you can go at your own pace, just make sure your bike is up to the job, because you really don't want to get stranded out there, it's a long walk to civilisation! My advice is take a minor diversion from the official route to Llanbedr for refreshments, it's basically halfway round and they have a nice pub there. It's long, but certainly doable in a day, especially with the long warm evenings atm.

If it doesn't sound for you, try The Harder Gap route, keep following the Brinore Tramroad up around the side of Talybont Reservoir, then down to Ponsticill and up through 'The Gap' between Cribyn and Fan Y Big. Again, it's tough, but more manageable than the Black Route:

http://app.strava.com/activities/59362170

Good luck and enjoy! If you want any more advice give me a PM as I might not check this thread again.

Bristolyyzz

Buck

Thanks for the information, it's good to hear someone has done this ride, I am just waiting for the right day now. Cheers

Bristolyyzz

Well I finally managed to complete this trip the other day,what a fantastic ride, if you are after a real out in the middle of the mountains experience then I would recommend it. I did not see a single walker, horse, or infact anyone during the off road sections. It took 4 hours 30 mins moving time and 545 total and I'm 15.5 stone and average cycle fitness. A couple of breaks and a few photo stops and breath catching moments. A significant part is grassy bridal way so would not recommend in the wet and probably after a dry spell is best. It's only about 50K 30 Miles but if you are used to fast XC and 150M climbs its a little bit of a shock, I managed to ride all of it apart from about 75% of the First Climb Y Das. It was just too steep for me to maintain enough speed to roll over the rocks and bumps, but an enjoyable push and well worth it when you get to the top. The other main climb is about 5 K road and then 5 K bridal way, it goes on forever but the views are great and I only needed the granny gear for a few bits. All in all a really good mixed bag of climbs, river crossings, technical descents, fast descents, woodland trails and a fair bit of country lanes, but they are still a challenge! If you fancy a challenging day out with fantastic views you will find the route on MTBWales under Brecon Beacons Balck Route. There are no opportunities for refreshments apart from the Pub halfway round, it was closed when I went passed, so pack enough for the day. Also I took 2 different Mobiles and had zero reception for most of it, so tell someone where you are going.

Only 45 mins from the 7 Bridge