We are off to AS on Monday, I’ve done BPW twice and loved it wet and dry. I haven’t bothered with the 2 blacks from the top but have done everything else lower down.

So how do the two compare? I’ve watched a couple of videos and it looks very rocky and a bit like the Lake District?

Different but brilliant. If you haven’t been, it’s well worth the trip. The uplift is ruthlessly efficient and the people are great fun.
There are less trails but they are good fun (easily enough for a day anyway). Some great chunk on the black.

Heading up to AS in a couple of weeks, looks a real laugh.

I’ll be honest it was Martyn Ashtons video what did it for us.

The uplift is ruthlessly efficient

This.

It’s so efficient you have to force yourself to take a break from relentlessly downhilling. It’s hilarious.

However, AS is a very grim place in very grim (windy) weather

I’m knackered after 10 runs at BPW and I retire to the blues for the last course due to tired forearms/grip, so I’ll be resting them regularly, hairdressers wrists…

Is it as fast and flowy? Fingers crossed it’s dry and wind free then

Antur is cool, I’ve not been for a couple of years so it’s probably worn in a bit now but it was very manmade if you know what I mean. Wasn’t a problem, it was designed that way but it kind of dominated the character. Most of the trails are fast and flowy, a mate of mine spent the entire day on the blue just blasting down it, he loved it for that… Though there’s rough and gnarr’er if you want it.

I’ve not been to bpw but the characters of the 2 look very different

BPW is a long way from my house in Brighouse, Northwind, I wouldn’t fancy driving there from yours! It took us 6hrs last time inc a stop for tea!

I went a few weeks ago. Weather was crap but we had a blast. Just on my trail bike but rode everything (picked my way down some of it) apart from the bottom bit of the double diamond – you’ll see why when you get there. It is fast and flowy but very bumpy, would have love a go on a plush DH bike. I think I managed about 13 runs during the day but I had a good lunch break to have a break from the weather and had to leave by 4. The guys I was with stayed on and managed 20 runs on their DH bikes. I was knackered though. I didn’t have many more runs in me. You’ll have a great time.

I was at bpw last thursday & stiniog on friday. Fantastic weather both days. Stiniog is savagely rough, the youtube videos wont prepare you. Feature wise though there is less big stuff at stiniog. Obviously everyone has a different definition of big stuff, but bpw has some big features on the blacks imo, especially 50 shades.
I tagged onto someone who had been before, thanks john & tony! So got me up to speed quicker than if I had been fannying around on my own.
The stiniog uplift is ridiculously efficient compared to bpw.

I’ve not had any real issues with the BPW uplift so AS must be really good.

The videos make it look very rough but the fast lines seem to avoid a lot of the slabs. I’m better at smooth so it’ll be good practice for me at staying loose…

If I had to pick I’d go AS its rough and coming off probably hurts more plenty of jagged rocks on a pinch flat mission but eff me it’s fun!
The uplift gets you back up as soon as you hit the bottom as many runs as you could hope for.
I cracked my ribs first day and was weary of doing the second day especially as I was on a rigid bike, but soon as I hit the first run I was having a blast n forgot about the pain an excellent weekend it was.

BPW shortly after just didn’t give me the same feeling trails felt really short n over to soon.

Whats AS like if its wet?? Thinking of going the start of October

Did a day there in strong winds and horizontal rain……..we did as many runs as we could physically manage but gave in by 3pm mainly due to the damp/cold seeping in…..so if it’s cold and raining/windy be prepared!

AS is ok in the wet a little less grip than when bone dry, no real difference.
but no standing water or mud.

Rode both on a 150 full sus.

Prefer bpw. Stiniog is on my door step but is a bit too much for me. It’s rough as ****. I’d go again but out of the two: bpw.

Oh though stiniogs uplift is better.

I’m getting “rough” as an over-riding theme here ha ha, I’ll be on my 6″ trail bike – I’ll book myself a shiatsu now…

3 of us went to AS a couple of weeks back and the morning weather was the worst id ever rode in…the rain came upwards at us and getting any air meant landing off the track….saying that though, I would put compare AS blues to BPW’s reds.
BPW uplift doesnt compare to AS at all….its good…just not AS good

Oh…and yeah…its rough in places

Done both in the past couple of weeks. Have found Antur to be a bit more technical and punishing on the body than BPW due to all the rocks, you’ll feel pretty beat up after a dozen runs. Only did 10 runs on Friday, brakes were shot, gear cable snapped, freewheel had started to seize and my arms were like jelly so had to call it a day, felt pretty ruined at Coedy the next day.

oldtalent was that you on the YT on Fri? I was on the Norco.

Furious – Member

However, AS is a very grim place in very grim (windy) weather

+1 – I’ve been there with wind blowing rain and sleet so hard into my face that I had to pedal down the black just to keep mocing

Do I need to take my own food or is there a cafe?

Antur overall is a bit more ‘full on’ – as has been said the blue at AS could be compared to the reds at BPW. BPW has more variety though.

After the morning at BPW I thought I preferred Antur by quite a margin, but after the afternoon picking and choosing my favorite bits of trail (Wibbly Wobbly into Rim Dinger into Coal not Dole FWIW) I reckon there’s not much in it.

The uplift at BPW is good, but the bus crew at AS are amazing.

Mugboo – Member
Do I need to take my own food or is there a cafe?

need the cafe is pretty good, a stiniog burger sorts you out for the afternoon.

need the cafe is pretty good, a stiniog burger sorts you out for the afternoon.

AS wins the food battle by a mile!
There’s also places to eat and a co op within walking distance.

Cheers, fingers crossed for a decent forecast then 🙂

oldtalent was that you on the YT on Fri? I was on the Norco.

Yep that was me! Already booked again for the 3rd August. Also doing revolution bike park on the 2nd for the first time.
Fingers crossed for good weather again.

Antur is awesome. For some reason I always find BPW a little soulless and meh, even if their burgers are good. Antur is pretty full on for the reds and blacks, but don’t let that put you off, theres some great sections of trails where you can really drop the hammer and there are a heap of lines to try even after you’ve riden each trail.
Another big tick from me for the uplift, just the fact its a decent road makes it super quick and efficient.
Beware the weather though, with the open slate mine on one side, and some pretty harsh exposure at the drop off point its a little like the ar5ehole of the world if its wet. Always reminds me a little of Mordor from LOTR…

Like them both, Antur is pretty samey in that it is rocky, just some are are steeper and rocky than others. Having said that I think I prefer it to BPW just because the uplift is so efficient and fast!

In the wet it is still great fun and the blacks are really fun! Both fantastic and great fun!

I’ve only ridden Antur once, more than a year ago now.
It’s very good but I just can’t get on with all the big doubles. The one at the bottom of Y Du bit me, twice. It’s a bit “do-or-die”. When I “went for it” I died, hitting the up-face of the down-ramp both times and crashing out. My gripe is that you can’t build up to it like you could on a big tabletop for instance.

The uplift was very efficient, I think we got it down to <£1 per run by the end of the day just repeating Black Powder and Y Du all day. 🙂

Yep as above. I do wish these places with doubles had a tabletop next to them, of the same size, to help build confidence.

Well done for trying it again!

So I’ve now been to AS and can compare the two.

I’ve ridden BPW twice, once bone dry, once drizzly and wet. Today at AS we had rain all morning which cleared after the break to be replaced with high winds.
I have ridden all the trails at BPW apart the top two blacks & the 50 shades thingy & today stuck to the blues, reds & the last black section.

AS wins on doable jumps, I’m gutted that the wind meant it was too dodgy for air once the rain stopped.

BPW wins on flow and outright speed, today, maybe due to conditions, I never really felt the true sensation of ripping round berms, possibly it’s the lack of trees?

Uplift, nothing to choose between them, it was a quiet Monday with one bus on duty so instead of queuing we found ourselves waiting for the bus to fill up.

Cafe, again, nowt in it but stopping for an actual lunch break v BPW staggered version meant a cafe with queues.

Variety, if your a DH boy then AS no doubt has lots of it, if your a trail bike guy then BPW pisses it.

Having said all that, I am looking forward to hitting AS again on a dry and windless day, I understand that they get at least 3 of these every 2 years