Hey

Some mates are heading to brechfa in March. They are staying for a night but I might only get a day pass. It’s four hours drive each way for me, worth the effort for a day?

Not worth an 8 minute trip in my opinion

I really like Brechfa but four hours each way for a day trip? I wouldn’t.

Brechfa is very good….but not sure I’d do 4 hours each way for it (or for any single day of biking for that matter!)

if you go, don’t overlook the green just because it’s a ‘green’, it’s great fun.

but, 4hours each way? in a day? that sounds awful.

Didn’t know there was a green, but I would recommend the blue certainly, and/or the black which shares most of the blue route miles with gnarr options. The red was good, but not as memorable.

In the same area Cwm Rhyadder is worth a few hours sessioning too. It’s a Single fireroad climb and singletrack decent, but it’s as good as the best trail center descents anywhere in the UK IMO (without another 10 miles of filler singletrack to get to it).

If you’re fit enough to ride the blue, red, black and Cwm Rhyadder in a day and do 8 hours of driving then yes it’s worth it, if you can only do a fraction of that, then no.

For me Id just session Cwm Rhyadder , no centre just a little car park and one of the most fun little trails around. Nothing to crazy but you Finnish with a huge grin.

I’ve done Coed-y-Brenin with 4 hours each way. I prefer Brechfa, so sure.

But, probably not in March, unless it was unseasonally pleasant.

I’ve taken a few road trips to Llandegla for a ride, it’s about 4 hours each way for me, it’s not the worst thing in the world ever.

As for Brechfa, I think it’s brilliant. The Red and the Blue are great – as above don’t discount the Green because it’s green, it’s epic fun – but the blue includes all the green so if you’ve got the legs left after the red I’d do the blue.

I personally don’t like the Raven / Black, it’s got some nice sections, but they’re tied together with a lot of featureless miles for the sake of making it long IMO.

A few tips, there are two carparks – The one for the red is a few miles up the road from the one for the other trails.

Whilst they’re trail centre type trails, it’s not a trail centre, facilities are limited to a car park and a couple of portable toilets, so don’t expect to be able to shower etc before you head home.

You’ll want some grub after riding, ‘The Shed’ is very nice, it’s tucked away down a farm track in the car park for the Green/Blue/Black trails they close over Winter but they should be open in March, if you want a pint, the Black Lion just outside the other car park is lovely, food is typical pub food, but it has a lovely beer garden over looking a old stone bridge over a river.

Also, Cwm Rhaeadr is only about 20 mins up the road, it’s a short little trail, but good fun and technical in parts – depending on your legs I’d personally ride Red, then Blue then Cwm Rhaeadr and then head home, there’s loads of videos on YouTube of them all if you want a gander before deciding.

Afan is about 3 hours 20 from here and we’ve done that for the day quite a few times so it’s not much further.

If you live in Devon or Cornwall going anywhere interesting requires a couple of hours in the car at least.

Be fun to go somewhere new too!

Thanks for the tips

4hours each way? in a day? that sounds awful.

For us East Mids folk that sums up pretty much any welsh / northern trail centre…

The black and red loops can be linked quite easily giving you a 23 odd mile ride, the blue just follows the green but with an extra climb/descent thrown in and can be linked with the black as they start from the same place (worth doing mind you)
The Shed is now situated in the Byrgwm car park (where the black, blue & green start) but they do close over the winter as P-Jay said.
Not sure I’d drive 4 hours to ride there though.

Wait until you can get a two-day pass at least.

Also, it’s a very trail centrey trail centre if you know what I mean. Not really my cup of tea but YMMV.

I live in South Wales and it is 2 hours each way for me. But I still think it is one of the best trail centres. A good day trip doing the black/red/black. About a 4 hour circuit and guaranteed tired legs.

I live relatively close to Brechfa.

You could do the blue (Derwen) and black (Raven) combo at Brechfa twice in a day or add Cwm Rhaeadr which is a great little red.

Avoid the Abergorlech red (Gorlech) which is part of the extended Brechfa trail network (5 mins up up the road) to avoid major disappointment.

It’s not worth the return trip I reckon. Also, agree with all that’s said about cwm rhaeadr, as I did 6 laps there sneakily in September. Sneaky because the forest is closed for harvesting and there is machinery about on weekdays, and although the trail was completely clear when I was there, it may no longer be now.

I live in the Fens for Christ sake, ANY hill at all is a good few hours from me. I was just weighing up my options for this weekend – thinking about Afan as I haven’t been – any suggestions for anywhere else decent? Cwmcarn in the wet?

Nope

Afan has a lot more trails to ride.

Afan also has a good cafe at Glyncorrwg.

Afan over Brechfa every time.

Cwm Rhaeadr +1.

V short but so good. One of the best sections I’ve been on.

Afan over Brechfa every time.

Personally, I’d pick Brechfa every time of the 2.

“Done” afan quite a few times but never been to brechfa so be fun going somewhere new (plus it’s not “my” trip it’s a group from the mendips that’s organised by a mate and I’m invited to tag along – good excuse to ride with him since it doesn’t happen often!)

Cwm rhaedar sounds good though.

To be honest you have to drive 2.5 hours from north Devon to get and “proper” trail centre experience (Haldon excepted) and we’ve done a 3.5 each way day in Afan numerous times so it’s probably not much further!

Guess that’s the trade off for good surf and exmoor on your doorstep!

Isn’t Exmoor awesumz? Its featured in various mags every other month (or so it seems)

Isn’t Exmoor awesumz?

yep.

and the quantocks.

and dartmoor

and gawton

all places I’d be going to from north devon before I drove as far as brechfa. but if you are going to meet mates then that puts a different slant on it.

Exmoor is indeed awesumz, even better when parts of it resurface above the water !! (Actually a lot to f it drains pretty well) it’s worthy of the hype!

Dartmoor I need to explore more but it’s still 90 mins of meandering to go a short distance in miles. Quantocks are super fun too and almost like a natural trail centre in many ways I often think. Still 90 mins away but yeah, we’re really lucky fir natural riding in striking distance of home.

Like I said, it’s partly a social trip anyway!

Thanks for the learned opinions so far!

Just remember as I mentioned earlier that cwm rhaeadr is closed, and no guarantee the trail is rideable if you sneak in at the weekend. It’s over an hour extra to get from afan to Brechfa so a proper trek, but if it’s a mates trip then probably worth it…

any opinions on Llangollen and Llandegla?

Brechfa is great, I only live a 20 minute drive from Afan and rarely if ever go there these days. the best loop imo combines the green, blue parts of the black and the entire red loop with a bit of bridleway thrown in.

Cwm Rhaeadr is also great for a loop on a summer evening after work but why you would want to go round it six times consecutively is a bit of a mystery especially given the fantastic natural loop of Mynydd Mallaen above it.

Cwm Rhaeadr is just great fun to session, and easy because of the 1 climb. Agree the Mynydd Mallaen loop is superb, but if you want a bit of fun then it’s good to session. I will point out that my 6 laps were interrupted by a prolonged break for snacks and beer! 🙂

Cwm Rhaeadr is fully open by the way.

Drive 8 hours just for Brechfa? Probably not. I live about 30mins away and only go there on sunny days for some XC training. Green trail is probably the best for smiles, the others are very nice XC trails.

Ah, glad it’s re-opened!

I must have rode a difference trail because i thought the blue/green was pretty boring. The last bit to the car park is ok.

Red is quality tho. I like riding Cwm Rhaeadr then drive down to Gorlech.

The full blue is intertwined with the black run, did you miss that section?

I wouldn’t travel 8 hours in a day for it but I do like Brechfa trails. They each seem to have an individual feel which is nice but obviously as can be seen from the posts above, not all trails may suit all riders.

Its typically very wet there though. Its rained everytime I’ve ever ridden it apart from the time it snowed and I couldn’t even ride from the carpark to the trail head and the one time when it was warm and Sunny but I could have been hypothermic and halucinating that time.