Going to visit Afan in late May and I haven’t been for 10 years, so I can’t really remember any of the trails. Will be going with an enthusiastic bunch of blokes but with quite a wide range of skills and fitness. Some will only manage an hour and a half, the best might manage more like 4 hours (if given pub lunch as replenishment half way round).

Whilst hardly an expert, I’ll probably be looked at to come up with a plan of attack which allows some people to drop out half way through (preferably in a location that they can at least stay dry in!) and others to carry on for the afternoon too. Judging by the looks of it, W2 might test some a bit too far, so I guess we’d stick to the reds.

Has anyone had recent experience of taking friends round recently who don’t MTB regularly, or does anyone have an idea of how it might be best to tackle the day?

If it makes a difference: at least 5 out of the 6 of us would be looking to hire bikes for the day (hard tails).

Do W2. You can all stop half way around for a bite to eat, and the ones who wish to carry on, can. If you start from the afan end, you can stop at the skyline cafe approximately 1/2 way around. This way you do the mellower wall climb, and get a good descent.
The others can either stay in the cafe or take the low level cycleway back to afan (and the vehicles).

start at afan.
ride the wall.
the fittest bunch turn off just after picadilly and ride across the W2 link to ride some of the best bits of whites level, (up the fireroad climb after energy and do the skyline descent down). and have lunch in Glyncorrwg.
the rest carry on along the wall. Have play in the afan bike park and ride zig zags back to the carpark.
the fittest lads ride back up from glyncorrwg. do windy point back along the w2 link and catch up with/meet up with the lads back at afan.

a good day had by all.

Wait and see what’s open – lots of diversions and closures due to logging over recent times

As far as i can think of theres only been one diversion this year and thats the current one on whites climb (awful!).

Personally I would do Whites, with black run, have food in Skyline then drive down to the bike park and do as much as you want, bike park stuff, extra loop past the start of zig zags, you can even fire road it from the bike park up to the start of 373, do that and graveyard back to the bike park. Plus you you can do zig zags and do the enduro climb back up to the bike park if you want.

I cant see me doing the wall in full anymore, and if I do i’ll be parking at Rhyslyn and skipping tramway, the boring fireroad and nant y bar. You can follow the trail map for this.

I went and rode Whites the other day without realizing there were diversions in effect halfway up the climb, I was mightily unimpressed with the iced up churned Mud that I could not get any grip out of in the temporary climbing sections. the rest was OK but I bolloxed myself on the climb and had no energy left, in retrospect I wish I’d ridden the wall…

But I’d hope those diversions are no longer in effect come May…

Actually does anyone know, are the diversions there for forestry work or trail maintenance?

Was there on Friday and did the W2 with a big mess about in the Bike Park (good but not great IMO)

The divesrion on the White’s climb is truly hideous but at least it is short (and I was on a 1 x 9 heavy AM bike)

The W2 offers good cut out option either way. Greeble’s suggestion is good. We started at Glyncorwgy but I prefer the route from the Afan centre.

Alternatively start at Glyncorwyg and do the Whites with the fitter guys doing the W2.

Or all do the White’s, lunch at Skyline (very good) Fitter guys do the White’s climb again (if you can stomach the diversion again). At the top, turn right and continue up to pick up the final Skyline descent. The Bike shop can give directions

Thanks all – just looking at the maps and trying to piece it all together with your advice. Is there a map available which has all the trails on together?

Glyncorrwg is the best start point if you’re travelling down as it had good facilities and giant slabs of cake. Another option would be to all do White’s, lunch at the cafe, leave the tired and weak there. The fittest then cycle down the valley on an easy fire road track to start Wall (20 mins). The only downside is you’ll end up at the bottom of the valley on finishing The Wall and will have to take the bottom fire track back up to glyncorrwg (approximately 25 mins easy cycling).