Rides suitable for cyclecross bird in wales

gwillis
gwillis Posts: 998
edited September 2012 in Routes
I recently rode the Taff trail on a cx bike and had a great day out , could anybody suggest some routes in and around south Wales we are looking to do a full days riding ( in a loop) if possible .

Many thanks

Gwillis

Comments

  • welshkev
    welshkev Posts: 9,690
    as you live in cwmbran, the canal is right there. some of the guys rode to brecon and back on the canal last year as a training ride just to get some miles in. i've done as far as abergavenny and back which i think is about 40 ish miles. it's a nice ride really, not that hard and some nice sights (and pubs) to stop off along the way :lol: i think to brecon and back was about 80ish miles and should take you most of the day with a stop for lunch.

    other than that the cycle path that goes through cwmbran up to blaenavon and beyond is ok aswell, i've ridden it as far as garn lakes and back which from cwmbran is only about 30 miles so probably not far enough, but i think it does keep going to abergavenny and the further
  • gwillis
    gwillis Posts: 998
    Cheers Ive done the canal to blaenavon a few times and then over the top and back along the canal . I don't mind driving to a location .. Seem to recall a few in cycling plus / active but lost the magazine.
    Just looking to get some loops in that don't involve too many Roads so I can enjoy 32 mm tyres for a change and not have to dodge cars . Somebody suggested part of the. Cambrian way ?
  • W3LSH
    W3LSH Posts: 17
    I'm also on a cyclocross from Cwmbran - there's a few good routes locally

    Canal > Newport > loop round to the new Sainsburys > Caerleon then either back up through malt house lane or carry on and loop back through Usk > Pontypool > Cwmbran is a pretty good one
  • gwillis
    gwillis Posts: 998
    Cheers w3lsh I do the canal from Cwmbran then down to caerleon and up to new bridge on usk sometimes . Also been up on Wentwood too which was a good crack . If your into road biking look up our club ... Monmouthshire Wheelers loads of riders around us and a few cx rides in the bear future too.
  • W3LSH
    W3LSH Posts: 17
    Cool I'll check out the club - I don't mind the road, but as you mentioned above its nice not having to worry/dodge the cars so often try and stick to the Usk/canal/Caerleon style trips :)
  • jimothy78
    jimothy78 Posts: 1,407
    I'm also on the lookout for routes in the area.

    I'm based in Tongwynlais, so the taff trail is on my doorstep, but I'd like to find some short trails with a variety of features packed into a relatively small area, as my on-bike time is going to be limited to a couple of hours snatched here or there. Any suggestions?
  • craker
    craker Posts: 1,739
    I'm doing the Brecon Beast again on Sunday. Part of the route joins the old tramway (behind the White Hart in Talybont) and climbs up to one of the reservoirs - it's a good quality track which sounds fine for your bike. If you're brave carry on into the hills and tackle the Gap (on 32mm tyres... eek).
  • jimothy78
    jimothy78 Posts: 1,407
    Is this the route you mean? Definitely the right sort of length for me, thanks.

    You can forget about "The gap" (for the time being at least), though. Its so long since I've ridden that I'm going to be essentially starting from scratch in terms of technicality - that's why I was asking about varied features etc, as I need to do some re-training in that respect.
  • welshkev
    welshkev Posts: 9,690
    craker wrote:
    I'm doing the Brecon Beast again on Sunday. Part of the route joins the old tramway (behind the White Hart in Talybont) and climbs up to one of the reservoirs - it's a good quality track which sounds fine for your bike. If you're brave carry on into the hills and tackle the Gap (on 32mm tyres... eek).

    i was supposed to be doing the beast as well, but a broken bike and a bad chest have put pay to that :x