theres a race on next weekend, expect it’ll be busy…

I’ve never used the uplift only ever ridden up, haven’t done any of the blacks, I like vicious valley the best, all the blues and reds are good fun. I start on reds then change to blues once I start getting tired. Thought about buying a few single ride uplift but you guys have put me off that, sounds like I wouldn’t be able to get on the bus. I think the cafe food is good but they seem to sell out quick.

the new 50 shades is the best. feels like a really natural dirty old DH track! especially after a few hours on all those groomed blues..

apart from that sixtapod into rimdinger is my favorite way down.

id avoid Melted Welly and Terry’s Belly.

Making notes prior to my first visit next weekend.

What hours does the uplift run? Can’t find it on website for some reason.

Uplift Operating hours

October to April: 9:30AM – 4:30PM with the exception of winter months where we will be forced to end earlier due to limited light, this may be as early as 3:45PM during the darkest days.

May to September: 10:00 AM to 5PM

Please note all drivers must stop for a 1 hour lunch break each day due to driver hours regulations and there will be no service during these hours. Drivers will take their break at 1PM and will inform you when it is the last run before lunch.

Thursdays summer evening sessions (May – Mid August) 5PM – 8PM (subject to light)

Off to BPW for the first time in Easter. How do the trails compare to Antur ?

Cheers.

Thinking about it i love Dai Hard, Pork Belly and Insufficient.

This. For a full length combo.

I seem to be the only one of our lot that likes Half Cut. Its only short and has a little uphill bit, but for natural steep tech its fun 🙂

I need to go back in the dry. I’d like to do 50 shades in less than quagmire conditions and would like to try Terry’s Belly (it was closed)

cheers stevied

lowey – Member
Off to BPW for the first time in Easter. How do the trails compare to Antur ?

Cheers.

doesnt really. BPW is like any other trail centre but with uplift.

Half cut is a lot of fun. I only did it once yesterday but I was on a HT ? overall Antur is more technical.
Anyone else notice the number of police that arrived for lunch, I don’t think they have any complaints about the food…

The uplift would be a lot faster if they tarmacced the road, it’s killing the buses! I was there on Tuesday and one of the trailers snapped in the middle 😯

A470 then Coal not Dole is my favourite way of coming down. Agree with all the comments about the uplift, did 13 at Antur for the same time it took to do 8 or 9 at BPW (was 5 inches of snow last time I went though 😆 )

Terry’s belly is loads of fun as well.

Just to add to this…
We went last Saturday (my first time).
They had 7 busses on the uplift so never waiting for long.
They did stagger lunch, 2 busses went off around 12.30, 2 more 20 mins later, 2 more 20 mins after that.
All seemed to work well.
Our last uplift was after 4pm.
Got 9 runs in but wasn’t trying too hard.
Would be a lot faster if it was tarmacced but that wouldn’t be cheap. It’s a lot further than the uplift at Antur.

Been twice, going again this Saturday.
Both times the drivers were spot on.
Lunch…not bad,

Annoyed that we weren’t told this Saturday’s race had been booked after we booked.
Don’t think I’m being unreasonable in at the very least have been given the option to re-book.
Hoping it won’t affect us, just don’t fancy having to park miles away after having driven 150 miles.

Gripes aside, it’s a cracking day out.

And Terry’s Bell End for me.
With a bit of Willy Waver.
Did a red once…nah.

If people think the drivers are arsey then it probably because people cant put their bikes on the trailers properly so they have to re-do all the straps.

I’m sure they think the bikes are held on with magic.

If people think the drivers are arsey then it probably because people cant put their bikes on the trailers properly so they have to re-do all the straps.

A not unreasonable thing to say, however like most I suspect, I don’t have a lot of experience in doing it, Rather than sigh and tell people “you’ve put that in the wrong place” (happened to me) how about a quick run through on the first left of the day?

As a first timer, try not to run anything twice would be my advice. If you’re looking for runs to avoid in order to maximise time then I would avoid Terrys Belly, Melted Welly and Blue Belle. All three are far too long for very little reward by comparison to other trails.

Also plan your runs around buses. If you miss your bus you have variable wait times for getting another which can frustrate you. You can beat the bus down, certainly match it if you get a shuffle on and plan your routes accordingly. If you want to maximise bus time then look to organise your runs that end above the road when you’re fresh and fast guaranteeing you getting the same bus, then ones that end below the road when you’re likely to stop on the way (and so not quite make your bus again either way), and then ones that end near the cafe at lunch/end of day and no longer care about making a bus.

@jaffejoffer

the new 50 shades is the best. feels like a really natural dirty old DH track!

Thats because it is!

Yet if you go to any of the other uplift venues no one seems to have issues with putting bikes on the trailers. Bpw is the only place i have ever heard of a bike coming off. That’s including the pearce uplifts that are essentially off roading in landies

tarmac the road and they would have to cancel alot more days in the winter due to the vans not being able to get up it due to patches of ice
Also not feasible at is, I presume, still also a working forest road so there will occasionally be some heavy, possibly tracked, machinery going up it

Blue Belle is the only trail I wouldn’t bother with
Melted Welly also has that annoying uphill pedally section that ruins the flow

As I posted previously, I’d never done any kind of uplift before I visited BPW. I racked the bike correctly but used one of my neighbours straps. Once you’ve been shown it once, it’s not difficult, but some kind of ‘save time, mount your bike like this’ instructional on the blurb they hand out would have avoided it.

I think it’s probably an issue because it attracts alot of trail riders (like me) that otherwise aren’t familiar with uplift protocols.

then I would avoid Terrys Belly, Melted Welly and Blue Belle. All three are far too long for very little reward by comparison to other trails.

Alternatively I used Terry’s Belly to “get my eye in” as the first trail of the day, as I knew it’d be a bit less consequential than the Reds and Blacks, and it’s still a load of fun.

nickc – Member

A not unreasonable thing to say, however like most I suspect, I don’t have a lot of experience in doing it, Rather than sigh and tell people “you’ve put that in the wrong place” (happened to me) how about a quick run through on the first left of the day?

Ah, I’d forgotten about this, twice the same dude insisted on redoing the straps on mine, and both times they’d come loose by the top. That’d have been annoying even if he hadn’t been kind of a dick about it. No doubt it’d have been my fault if it’d fallen off.

(I’ve used the same Burtech trailers at FOD and white room, no bother. BPW seemed to have the straps a bit different but it was the driver that was the problem, when I was there, not the trailer)

Looked back at my videos and one of the best techy ways down to end right at the cafe on the last bus of the morning or afternoon:
Vicious Valley (quite natural) Red – Bonney Ville (steep natural) Red – Deep Navigation (tech rocks) Black

I’d say those compare well to Antur Stiniog Red and Black 1 too.

I’ve been about 6-8 times now & on the most recent trip the uplifts did seem to be running slower – I asked one of the drivers & he said they’d been asked to slow down as trailers kept breaking. There also seemed to be more stopping to wait for uplift vehicles coming in the opposite direction to pass, which I suspect was down to the increase in uplift vehicles they are now running.

Im a regular there, favourite trails are sixtapod, vicious valley & rim dinger.
Least favourite a470 & terrys belly.(& 50 shades but only as its too technical for me.) but a great trail for better riders.
I do find the cafe & uplift bad value and poor food, but the trails & shop really good.
To eat, I usually go to the retail parks just below the mountain to Costa, nandos, co op or Pizza Hut. All under a 5 min drive.

Well that was a bloody good trip. Stopped at Twin Trails B+B, a no frills but bike friendly and well fitted out place that is a few minutes drive to BPW.

Had a day and a half and did all the red and blue and wimped out of doing any black.

Fav trail was rimdinger for the technical challenge and Terry’s belly for the length and flow. New Rex trail opens next month and I’ll go back again later in the year.

Yes, some of the logistics (showers and the bike wash (not working) could be better. But if you think you could run a centre any better I suggest you go and build one yourself!

Credit to the team for making it a great place.

New Rex trail? A new trail being opene there again? Seems they’ve got good plans for the place. I’ve been about 6-8 times and I re-iterate the same as most. Uplift slower than Anutr but that’s due to height gain and the working fire road. Not much can be done here. The food on the other hand is hit or miss, once ordered the dragon burger at 11:50 ish but they didn’t have any buns, next time they didn’t have the burger. I usually stick to a baked spud, must easier for your stomach and it’s hard to mess up a spud!

I was impressed with my burger when I went there (early Jan this year), must have had them ready or an order cock up as it came in about a minute, and it was delicious!

Though my mates panini was a bit meh, the cheese wasn’t even melted

But the day out was very good!

It was quiet (unsurprisingly given the time of year), and we couldn’t have timed the runs more perfectly. THere was a van there everytime we got to the bottom. Drivers were friendly enough, but I thought they could have been more vans (others had to wait a bit), should have staggered lunch, and they did finish very early!

this latter point wasn’t a deal breaker though as I was absolutely mullered after a day there and was planning to do a 2 day bikepack the next day

Have to say I was a little pissed off when my Garmin disappeared somewhere on my final run and I got to the uplift point at 4.10 to find the “last uplift at 4.15” had already departed, and when I met the van half-way up there was no way he was going to give me a lift the rest of the way up.

Most of the drivers are very friendly and helpful but they do like to knock off a bit early. Don’t we all.

Food is average. Tracks are great.

Typo, ‘Rex’ should read ‘red’