Should be heading to Afan this weekend, plan was to do skyline followed by the wall. However seems there are some substaintal diversions?

I can’t quite understand the map
http://www.afanforestpark.co.uk/PDF/AfanMapSkylineDiversions2AugSep2012.pdf

Looks like you turn back on yourself and follow a fireroad all the way back down?

Anyone ridden it recently?

Should we just do W2?

Was there at the end of July & the final part of Whites/W2 was closed with a fire road diversion from the end of Energy, up the hideous climb from the bottom of the black run to the top then doubling back all the way to the final Skyline descent. Looks like they’ve closed a load of Skyline now but I couldn’t see if Whites/W2 has reopened in full.

Edit: Closure details HERE

Yea thats where I was looking / found the map – I don’t know it well enough to know how much of it is closed and the map just confused me. Looks like well over half of it is shut?

Is it still worth riding skyline even with diversions?

List of closures here…

http://www.afanforestpark.co.uk/default.aspx?page=6486

According to people doing strava the old skyline is rideable but i think is not signposted, so if you dont know it i wouldbnt bother.

The wall should be fully open according to that link by Friday.

I wonder what the new climb out of glyncorrwg is going to be like on Whites?

I’ve never been a fan of Skyline tbh – too much fire road. If they’ve closed singletrack & added more then I’d not bother.

That said, I can’t tell from that map how much of the closure is singletrack.

oh christ.. went to do w2 on friday and it was a nightmare (then again we started from the car park near the viaduct can’t remember the name)

loads of sections closed off

The map isn’t very clear at all, even if you know the area.

Anyone ridden the Whites Level climb diversion yet?

If it is like the section they have added at the end of the old Whites climb then it is just a muddy trail with a little bit of gravel in places – therefore bringing huge mud puddles

I was there last weekend. Skyline open until just after On the Edge. Then well signposted (and rocky) route back to Deadwood to the end. The Wall is open with some small closures (mainly 323 section). Whites level climb is open with a very minor diversion after the first main section of the climb (this is very muddy so take care). At the top of Whites climb – black run all open. Windy point and Energy are open. Goodwood and Darkside are both closed. The Whites level run ultimately stops at the end of energy then there is a big slog up past the black run, past the end of the whites level climb and then joins Deadwood on Skyline and finishes with Peregrine Ridge and Jetlag. Hope this makes sense. Still a heck of a lot of good riding. Check the video I made of last weekend here: Afan Sep 2012

The map isn’t very clear at all, even if you know the area.

This.

So has white’s climb closed yet? – if not when (think I read end Oct), but anyone know for sure? Just wondering whether it’s worth a last spin before the mishmash that it seems to be becoming gets to the point that it’s not worth the journey.

Double post. 😐

So has white’s climb closed yet?

Hopefully it’ll just be the one section of the climb that’s closed as Dadster says above.

Ok – ta for that. 🙂

Whites level climb is open with a very minor diversion after the first main section of the climb

I thought that this was the new route? It’s optional anyway; nothing stopping you going around like before. It is a very muddy, crap little bit of trail but it’s tiny.

Currently theres a small diversion in place, but the whole climb will be closed at the end of the month.

On the new section on Skyline, is that singletrack?

phil, do you know where and what the new climb will be? Fireroad?

On the new section on Skyline, is that singletrack?

Not singletrack but it is still challenging. Loose rock – gulleys – that sort of stuff.

do you know where and what the new climb will be? Fireroad?

I reckon it will be.

🙁
Still, I suppose at least riders won’t be contributing to the crap traffic on the M4 to go to afan any more. Anyone know when cwmcarn is getting its new trail?

To be honest, I really think that Afan is worth the trip. The locals are up in arms at the views being held by folks on forums looking to avoid the area – we are their income and livelihood. Also, they are getting short change from the Forestry Commission – who are really hamstrung as the main reason for many of the closures is a Japanese Larch Fungus. Trees are being felled 20 years earlier than anticipated (650,000 so far) Darkside – is now Lightside. All the trees on this hillside are gone. And this doesn’t just impact Afan. This is across the UK. Could a better job be done of communicating the closures, reasons for them, alternatives, etc. Yes, clearly. But I still think that there is enough riding there to please any weekender – one dayer. So I will keep supporting Afan and the work it is doing to keep trails open in what is a very trying time for all those that live and work in the area.

Now off the soapbox.

Went to ride the wall on Sunday. First section after bridge was closed due to Landslip – diversion is on the old railway path to Cymer and then back on yourself on the other side to join the climb.
A couple of top sections closed too – 373 and one other.
Badly signposted diversions too.

Badly signposted diversions too.

Just follow the yellow square signs with black square in it (there are loads of them) with an arrow that points the way. There are loads of them….

Hmmmm doesn’t sound that good to be honest, as someone mentioned above once Cwmcarn has more tracks it will take a lot of afans business, even with only twrch I am half tempted not to bother with afan if loads is closed, poorly communicated and signposted. I heard a trail centre was being built at Abergavenny – is that finished yet?

Day tripping from Southampton so it is a long way to go if afan isn’t upto much at the moment

I thought the same – coming from SE London. But it was ace. And the area where there was a landslip is open (if you avoid the gate at the top!). The work has been completed to stop the slippage. And I don’t work for the Afan tourist board either…… 🙂

I loved afan. A really great place and I don’t even worry about the lack of trees. It’s not even the trail closures. Cognation just point us at a very very poor map and say there you go. Places like afan should be getting more trails, not less. The return of Penhydd has been promised year on year for what 4 years now? Skyline all but gone. Just leaves whites, which is about to lose one of it’s best bits (the climb) and the wall which is half closed. I admire the guys and girls in cognation, they seem like a really nice bunch but since they arrived we have less trails than we did before.
I understand that afan is a working forest, I know that there’s been problems with the tree disease but there must come a point where there are so little waymarked rides it ceases to be a marketed MTB destination.
Maybe time to get the GPS out and go explore the unofficial stuff?

Gutted if the Whites climb goes 🙁 one of the best climbs built IMO.
Even with Goodwood and Darkside sections closed of Whites, its still better than Twrch. Yes crap climb up fireroad to Skyline, but the descent makes up for it. It doesnt sound like much is closed on Y Wall?
I’m not a big fan of Twrch trail. Climb is long and the rest of it doesnt reward you enough (final descent is good, but short though). I’d still make the day trip (Portsmouth).

Why not climb YWal to get to Skyline – cross over W2 and then you are there……

What I don’t understand is why somebody at FC or someone else who knows whats going on doesn’t post a updates at regular intervals on the purpose and progress of the forestry work is and how it affects the trails. If it is in a language that bikers understand, like descibing the trail diversions or developments are like, it would be even better.

There seems to so little information on what is going on, much of it out of date, almost as if trail developments or destruction is a secret.

Surely FC owe it to the local businesses to inform the bikers (some of whom travel long distances) so that they can plan their weekends.

Did YWal on monday, lots of diversions with land slips and trail works

Genuinely gutted to hear the Whites climb is going. It’s definitely my favourite climb, not too step but technical and keeps you interested.

@wrecker, my guess its a new singletrack climb which uses part of Darkside (theyve called it Darkside B)for most of it then it joins the bottom of energy. Unless theyre using goodwood and darkside as the new way up.

Im more intersted in what theyre doing with Skyline tho as thats what i ride mostly, well part it as i go in from the Rhigos road and do smaller loops of it.

Looks like I might give it a miss next week… shame as i was looking forward to a few beers in ‘The Refesh’

Have to get on an uplift somewhere instead…. 🙂

Whites climb is going!!!!?

Say it isn’t true!

You can have a look on the Afan MTB rangers face book page as that is where most stuff is ‘communicated’. Very poor. I have suggested to both Cognation and the ranger that they post something on here but to no effect. There is apparently going to be a 10/15 mile new trail similar to whites/y wall put in prior to the building of the wind farm. According to the ranger Skyline was used by only 1000 people last year and this warrants its closure. Nobody is interested in longer routes such as Skyline. Only 1000 people used it presumably because the useless t***ers at the FC kept parts closed for ages with poor diversions so people just gave up.

Afan Forest Park Mountain Bike Trail Information

Afan Forest Park Mountain Bike Trail Information

Grr double post

Came back from Afan yesterday,was a few bits shut,nothing too bad.Trails were soaking wet.lots of puddles aswell,Rides well in the wet though.You will be fine

Bollox got to be more than 1000 people riding skyline last year. I did it once, with my mate. Went past at least 3 largish groups (10-15 riders). Whether they did the whole loop or not I don’t know but that was just one day last year…

1000 doing skyline in a year. Utter nonsense. What’s this, propaganda justification to not bother replacing when building the wind farm?