Hi, am off to that part of Wales next week and plan to ride at Brechfa. Any recommendations on which trial is the better of the two (red or black) from those in the know. Distance / technicality not an issues, just which one is more “fun”.

Cheers

Red is loads of fun, feels longer than its actual distance, big natural features coupled with man made berms and tabletops.

Black is just graft, there’s some good bits but they’re spread out. Worth noting it’s not massively surfaced in one of the wettest parts of the UK in one of the wettest months of the year, you might fancy an out board motor to help sometimes.

Cheers P-Jay

No worries, hope you enjoy it.

I love the ‘Big Dipper’ it’s not on any map, but you’ll know it when you see it. Go in at a controlled speed, spot your exit and let the brakes off and feel an MTB accelerate like an F1 car. (Be prepared to brake at the top 😉 )

I prefer the red too, feels like more bang for your buck. One of the climbs on the black is pretty nasty. You can combine both really easily though if time isn’t an issue.

We usually do red + black from Abergorlech which means first half of the red, full black, then second half red – 3-4 hours dependant on pace.

If it was one or the other, then probably red, but otherwise both.

Red.

Black. Just to be different. Last time I did the red it was washed out and horrible.
I do tend to miss out the first climb of the black cos it’s poo, but you need to know the woods. Don’t dismiss the green and blue loops, best bit of trail building for that grade ever. Hit them fast then grin, it’s that simple.

Do the black/blue/green combo ideally. It takes in the best bits of those three trails. Have you got a GPS? You should be able to download a GPX.

As Timidwheeler, do the ‘Dark Blue’. My favourite when riding with the pooch.
Leave the Carpark, ride up to the Blue (Derwen )/ Green (Derwen)/ Black (Raven) turn left off from the fire road (by the tiny picnic site/ table thingy), as normal.
Follow the trail and after a few hundred yards, at the very highest point, cut right, down through the woods to the stream. This is the Black ‘qualifier’ and is not signposted. Don’t worry if you miss it.

Once at the fireroad you should find a bridge/ junction. You can go left here to do the Raven climb if you really want to do so, but I always avoid this. Instead, follow the Blue/ Green signs along the fire road. Uphill will be on your left, downhill to your right. The fire road here is pretty much level. Take the first left fire road, uphill, and follow this until you see a sign on the right that indicates that you should not ride down the walker’s path. A few hundred meters along the fire road, at the hairpin, turn right onto the Black (Raven) chute. A great descent, albeit short.

Once back at the stream/ fireroad, follow the blue trail passing the green cut-off on the left. Soon you reach a fork. Blue climb to the right, Raven to the left. You choose, they are much of a muchness. IF you choose the Raven, once at the top, back on the fire road, turn right to soon enough rejoin the Blue. If you do the Derwen (Blue) climb, follow to the top and turn right, as signed.

Whichever climb you choose, the descent through the birch woods is great. Ignore the Raven split off on the left part way down. Following the Blue, you will end up at the Blue/ Green split above the stream, by a metal barrier, where you were a while back. You could now follow the green back to the carpark. You really shouldn’t.

Instead, ride downhill for a short distance and take the fireroad on the left and climb up to where the Raven appears on the left. Turn right to follow the Raven (Black), and follow this via ‘The Four Tops’, ever increasing tabletops. Then a long piece of singletrack, above the river will lead to a log bridge. Follow the trail back to the base of The Qualifier and then return via the Derwen, not the Raven. The final section of the Derwen is an absolute hoot.
Once back in the carpark, take a look behind the wings.

That’s the one. I know it might seem a bit of a faff compared to just following the red but it really is worth it. That is one of the best trail centre rides there is.

Also when there is a choice of climbs I would recommend the blue one as it’s much drier.