going to BPW on monday, was gonna blast down (from Mancheseter) sunday night and camp at Grawen but just thinking seeing as the cli-machx is fully open again for the first time in forever it might worth setting off a bit earlier and doing a detour via Machynlleth…?

its only 10 miles or so, so was thinking i could maybe get there for tea-time-ish then get round before dark. bite to eat in the Tafarn maybe then crack on down to Merthyr.

Having never been before, and usually struggling to find a good enough excuse to go all that way for a 10 mile loop – should i bother??

It’s a cracking final descent but the climb is a bit dull. The middle bit is nice enough. If I was the area I’d definitely ride it but that’s quite a detour. If you are heading to bpw then I think I’d do something nearer there (Brecon beacons, cwmcarn) or something more on the way (long mynd?)

LLandegla.

i worked in Bristol for a while and drove over to CwnCarn a few times, Afan too. plus theyre a bit long. Long Mynd is a day out n’all. also dont wanna ride natural on my own because i will definitely get lost and end up an American werewolf!

if you’re in the area i think its worth the detour, although not ridden it for a few years. final decent through the tree’s was always great fun (watch out for the big red arrow), but i’m not sure if they’ve heavlily felled that part now?

There’s a newish trail at Cwmcarn if you haven’t been for a while. I don’t think you’ll regret a detour to mach and it is a nice drive but they are slow roads.

i’d do mach over degla every day of the year.

nice to hear its fully open again *plans*

Yeah I wouldn’t mind doing degla in the dark if I can’t set off to machynlleth early enough, but I wouldn’t bother otherwise.

Final descent is great, you can do the full loop, then a straight climb to just do the final descent, just follow your nose

Yeah? What straight back up the way you came down? This may have just sold it.

I did it a few days ago- well worth the detour I’d say, and it seems more bouldery and full of gnar than I remember.
I didn’t see another soul there either.
If you want a short cut to do the final descent again after doing the loop, just go back down the fire road towards the main road, and keep right- follow the lane/fire road all the way to the top.

Also, there was a ‘car park closed’ sign on the way up to the car park- I assume this was left behind after the forestry work, as it was open and no work was going on.

Leave a bit earlier and go to nant yr Arian

hmmm, thats food for thought… although im kindda sold on the longest singletrack descent in Wales, twice.