Hi, I’m organising a ride for some friends, all can ride road bikes well but most haven’t done any (or very much) mountain biking before. I’d love to go to BPW myself, but I’m wondering if the group would have more fun at Afan? Would BPW be intimidating/scary for beginners? I thought that rolling down the blues and being driven back up would be great fun for them….

Ta.

Both. Either.
As they’re roadies, it might be nice for them to do some off road climbing?

BPW gives them less chance to ride the legs off you on the uphills.

Afan
Penhydd or Blue Scar, give them all a chance to ride off road with ample opportunity to stop and be sociable
Y Wal or Whites in the afternoon, if they are enjoying it

Cwmcarn would be a better bet IMO.

haha yes one of them is a super fit roadie and is very keen to ‘rip my mtb legs off’ so that was one motivation!

looking at some pics of Penhydd it doesn’t look that different to how some of BPW looks (at least on google) – so i think the uplift may be appealing for the less fit if technicality is similar….

Anyway, being selfish I want to take mr roadie down some blacks 🙂

Nowt to stop you riding up at BPW and it has the most ways down, I’d do that.

haha yes one of them is a super fit roadie and is very keen to ‘rip my mtb legs off’

Take him up whites level.

Yep, Whites Level climb could be a bit of a, well, leveller.

Yep White’s then – Penhydd and Wall Climb are too featureless and it’ll let him get into a good ‘Roadie Rhythm’.

Good choice. It’s a great ride.
If you really wanted to prove a point you could ride Blade but they’d probably not ever want to ride with you again….

How about the Forest of Dean, I’ve recently been with a group of roadies and all had fun, there’s a nice little cafe and the choice of blue and/or red loops.

Thanks all, we’re closer to BPW so I think that is my mind made up…