When I say best I mean easiest, climb Ywal first or whites level?
What are your thoughts

Depends on what you consider easy?

I’d prefer to get Whites out of the way first as I see that as the harder climb (if more interesting). Lots of ppl ‘used’ to say (if you going to stop for lunch half way) then start @ the Wall and stop for lunch at Glyncorrwg.. but the cafes pap now, so that no help any more 😳

So what would be easier for you? Slower long crap climb with fire roads first, or harder but more entertaining one…. followed by the climb youve just missed.

I prefer starting at the Rhyslyn car park in Pontrhydyfen. You get a nice long spin along the cycle path to warm up before doing the Wall climb. And you get to finish off with the Wall descent at the end with only a short spin back to the car.

Post lunch, Whites is hard work. I always tell myself not to eat too much, always fail, nearly yak by the time I’m at the top trying to keep up.

What’s happened to the caff then? Was cheap and giant portions last time I was there (Oct last year).

On a bike? What’s all this stopping for lunch lark… should take about 3 hours max.

Start from The Ponds though as it saves you some of the boring bit of the Wall.

What’s happened to the caff then?

IT WAS CALLED the drop off cafe (WAS, as Luffy get a bit [understandably] touchy), run by Luffy (or Scruffyluffy1970 on here), it’s now run by the skyline cycle below, who for some reason have “so far” failed dramatically to make a decent go of it.

The cafe went to Skyline cycles when the new tenders were accepted but then they didn’t open it for months and now run a basic service for it going by latest reports (it was closed when I went last in April)

I don’t blame skyline cycles for putting in a tender for the cafe, but they’ve really made a ****ing mess of the a place, that had a great rep for them to benefit from.

We did The Wall then Whites, I would prefer to do it the other way around next time I’m there.

What Huw said. Use the free ‘locals’ car park in Pontrhydyfen (or am I supposed to keep it secret for the locals?). Added bonus of being only about three miles off J40 of the M4 – saves driving up the valley to ride back down it again.

Take your own lunch and eat it at Windy Point watching the wind turbines…

or am I supposed to keep it secret for the locals?

badly kept secret as I’m from the midlands and use it… it was obvious to me that I needed to find out how to get to the car park the first time I did the wall (before being pointed out the ‘short cut’ across the river, from the afan centre).
Some ppl whine that we aren’t support the area/trails by using the free car park, and admittely it’s got no security, but as I used to park there in the evenings over the last couple of years (working away in Neath) & had no issues (in newish decent hires cars, if that helps the post below).

The Southern Yeti – Member
On a bike? What’s all this stopping for lunch lark… should take about 3 hours max.

I was wondering about all these lunch stops as well. Carry a banana, ride the trail, have lunch and go home or do another ride. I’d swear sxome people consume more calories on a ride than they burn. 😉

david jey – Member
What Huw said. Use the free ‘locals’ car park in Pontrhydyfen (or am I supposed to keep it secret for the locals?).

I was warned about parking there many years ago (when the Wall was a bridleway not the current trail) because of car thieves. It may have changed, but be careful.

Some ppl whine that we aren’t support the area/trails by using the free car park, and admittely it’s got no security,

You aren’t supporting the trails by parking in Glyncorrwg Ponds anyway – the money goes to the ponds not the trailcentre, afaik.

Thanks for the opinions, with the gf so think we will start at the small bike shop/hire centre
y wall first then cuppa tea and a cake at the (lame) cafe 😉 Glyncorrwg Ponds
that way as Huw says from the top of Whites its pretty much downhill to the car.

Geoff1 – Y Wal just means The Wall. Nobody is going to have a go at you for using the English.

In fact you’ll probably struggle to find a native Welsh speaker living within 15 miles of Pontrhydyfen. My wife clainms to be a Welsh speaker but probably wouldn’t realise what you were talking about if you called it Y Wal!

You aren’t supporting the trails by parking in Glyncorrwg Ponds anyway – the money goes to the ponds not the trailcentre, afaik.

Yep, the very people who kicked out the Drop Off cafe, and don’t contribute anything to trail maintenance.

In fact you’ll probably struggle to find a native Welsh speaker living within 15 miles of Pontrhydyfen

guffaw!!

Think Skyline’s problem is funding – They were all set to go with funding in place for all the equipment for the cafe at the start of last year (when they were supposed to start the lease), but with Ian (rightly) fighting his corner and staying for most of last year, the funding was withdrawn. From what I understand Ian got fed up with all the conflict and hence left quite suddently in November(?) last year to take the Drop-Off mobile with the buses, and Skyline have frantically been trying to get funding in place to set the cafe up. Hopefully they’ll get themselves sorted soon but they’ve got a way to go to catch up with the success of the Drop-Off……

I was wondering about all these lunch stops as well. Carry a banana, ride the trail, have lunch and go home or do another ride. I’d swear sxome people consume more calories on a ride than they burn.

Undoubtedly! Hence why there are so many overweight riders.

Start at Whites, have lunch afterwards.

njee20 – Member

I was wondering about all these lunch stops as well. Carry a banana, ride the trail, have lunch and go home or do another ride. I’d swear sxome people consume more calories on a ride than they burn.

Undoubtedly! Hence why there are so many overweight riders.

Hmmm, that may have given the idea that I’m svelte and athletic……..

I used to be. Honest!

Usually ride Whytes Level before lunch at Glynncorrag then do Whyte’s climb again after lunch, across the W2 link, and the rest of The Wall (minus the fireroad climb). Works fine as long as you don’t eat too much for lunch!

Loving the willy waving and need to insult everyone who maybe can’t manage the wall and whites in one go, or don’t feel the need to kill themselves every ride.

Personnally I enjoy my riding and company and don’t feel the need to kill myelf or my friends every ride, to me it’s not a race. 😉

You do understand for the majority of riders out there, this is ‘just’, yes ‘just’, a hobby?

Not willywaving, z1ppy, just that we understand that it’s not a HUUUGE day out to ride W2.

Surely the point of going for a ride is to, ahem, go for a ride?

No, I actually think it’s about having fun & enjoying yourself… well for me it is.

It’s the same for me, except I’d prefer to have fun and enjoy myself while riding my bike, rather than sitting in a cafe.

Plenty of time to drink coffee when I’m not supposedly riding my bike.

Mind you, the last time I was riding Whites there were a big bunch of riders blocking the entry to the Energy section, passing around coffee and packets of biscuits, so I have a feeling that more people would agree with you than me!

Umm… no willy waving. It’s completely about fun… 100%! The trails do get more and more fun the fitter and faster you go though.

Starting up any of the climbs with a belly full of food is not fun in my opinion. Each to their own though.