Planning a bit of a road trip to Wales to do the usual trail centre stuff, but fancy doing a proper mountain as well… What's Cadair Idris like as a ride? How does it compare to Snowdon (Llanberis Path)?

I don't know what it's like now, but a couple of years ago I would have said unrideable… certainly for large parts of the ascent.

Lots of walker erosion protection had been put in making much of the bridleway route a stone staircase – great if you like that sort of thing I suppose, but still not good for getting up the hill.

Ah that's a shame, any other recommendations in the area?

Its a great walk. I wouldnt drag a bike up there though.

+1 for sticking your boots on and leaving the bike at the bottom, well worth the walk, but not really enough of it rideable.

Horsesh1t, we rode it in April. Rideable from about 50 yards from the summit. Totally recommended – brilliant day out.

freeridenick is right – apart from the very top it rideable (although some bits near the top are perhaps borderline. Definately worth both walking and biking.

Bollox, it's a great ride with a suprising amount rideable, it's hard but worth it.

Sure there's some carrying involved but it's not that bad

Click for more, some of Cadair, some from the Pont Scethin ride we did the day before

Pont Scentin is a very good alternative, buy the bikefax book for the route or follow this epic we did the day before Cadair.

Pont Scentin Epic

Horsesh1t, we rode it in April. Rideable from about 50 yards from the summit. Totally recommended – brilliant day out.

Yes – but presumably your'e only talking about the descent??

Real mountain biking, on bikes, on mountains.

it's a great ride. Yeah, alot of the uphill stuff required me to walk but I am unfit and give up easily. But it's well well worth it. One of my current favourites.

Freeridenick that top photo is ace, it looks like a toytown version of a mountain biker on a mountain.

It has a nice wee arete scramble on it. Probably more fun than dragging a bike up:

rkk01 – yes alot of pushing on the way up – but dont mind that,

if you have to walk up it is hardly rideable is it! 🙄

I reckon I managed to ride about 70%, Simon probably got nearer 80%, depends on skill and stamina.

Those cliffs are huuuuuugh and gave me the willies, climbing up them would not be fun imo.

That's the famous Cyfrwy Arete (isn't it?) – it's brilliant, spectacular but feels very secure as you're surrounded by big rocks all over the place and never feel like falling.

as mrmo says, I stand by what I say – it's a great walk, and if you really want to push/carry a bike to the top for the perfectly rideable descent, then fine. But it's not a rideable loop as most people would consider for a day out on the bike.

so less of the "bollox" crap.

mrmo – i only measure rides by the descents, don't really mind how one gets to the top, its uphill one way or the other!

stoner, then you must miss out on some of the best rides!

But it's not a rideable loop as most people would consider for a day out on the bike.

Not a criteria I feel is necessary to apply to a ride before I'd consider doing it.

Its a great walk. I wouldnt drag a bike up there though.

I've done both, the bike version was more fun, more satisfying, more challenging, more exciting. The walk was great, but different.

but not really enough of it rideable.

I suppose it depends on what your criteria is, but 70% is quite a lot.

How many mountain bike rides do you do that have that amount of off-road vs road? Or blatently not-mountain vs mountain?

Saying it's not rideable, that it's only a walk, from experience, is rubbish, sorry if that offends.

rode it about 4 years ago with my son, who was 13 at the time.
rode a fair bit of the up, did a bit of pushing and carrying.
then rode 95% of the down on a 456 with revs fitted. lad was on a kona hoss with bombers.
then the day after walked up it with the wife and daughter from the other side.
brilliant 2 days.

fancy another outing there on the big ventana……….anyone?? 8)

Umm…big feature on this in current MBR not sure they'd feature it if unrideable…worth reading for a route

carrying your bike is part n parcel of getting up real mountains surely?

Snowdon is ace fun also not all rideable but doesnt really detract from the experience.

Ill accept then that we have different definitions of a ride – I still object to the rudeness of the post.

Cadair is, to me anyway, a classic high level walk first.

BTW, whytetrash, it's a misconception to believe that to Mountain Bike requires a mountain. They were original so called because of the name of the company that Fisher co-founded called "Mountain Bikes".

Carrying a bike to the top of a mountain to ride it down is a form of mountain biking, not the only "true mountain biking".

I still object to the rudeness of the post.

I object to the negativity and closed-mindedness, from people who have only walked it and not ridden it, when replying to someone who was asking about riding it.. 🙂

hello

having done snowdon and cadair a few times in the past i reckon they are both great MOUNTAIN experiences either by boot or bike. I did both an a 80mm hardtail – glad i did as it was a slog of a push / carry as well as a ride.

Cadair BW is an up and down the hard techy frontside is footpath only….Its doable – even in snow – last winter we biked 2/3 up and walked last third – down was almost 80m % rideable..

dont underestimate either mtn re weather or potential for injury – rescue would be harder on cadair i think…

paul

Im riding/carrying it anyway, so there! 😛

Is there a bit of confusion here about the bridleway and footpath ascent. BW goes up form the south and I'd say over 80% of it is ridable, in fact it's probably more like 90% if you are a good climber. I've certianly been up harder climbs in the peaks that are included on many classic routes.

I've not been up the footpath – that'd be very naughty! But the contours look steeper so it's probably harder.

We went up last May and it was an ace ride. The climb starts on farm tracks then steepens onto singletracky type stuff, then opens out again onto what I presume has been re-surfaced with potato sized rocks – a good challange. The very top is not rideable but worth carrying the bike up for those summit photos and to give it a go on the way down. The downhill from the top is great – technical rocks with a few steps at the top then fast single track then faster race-your-mates-don't-touch-the-brakes farm track to the bottom. Only about 10miles there and back but all up then down.

maybe youve hit the nail there.

Im talking about the classic loop from the south from Minffordd.

Are you talking about the pony path?

ignoring the contents of this thread am I the only one who thinks this photo looks like a model? (as in airfix, not a photo-shoot))

BTW, whytetrash, it's a misconception to believe that to Mountain Bike requires a mountain. They were original so called because of the name of the company that Fisher co-founded called "Mountain Bikes".

100% factually correct. In future I shall ensure that I clarify my position and describe it as biking on mountains.

nope z1ppy, I'm with you, Imentioned it above – I want one for my train set

ahh missed your comment, looks really artifical, just like those train set photo's from my yoff.

Heres another model I made earlier ❓

So – what bike? Is it worth lugging the Patriot all the way up there? 🙂

Yep the pony path here

I wouldn't take a bike up there.

wonder how you'd fare on your bike if the weather suddenly turned into 60mph winds and sideways hail like it did last time I was strolling around on the top ?

keva, that could happen on any hillside in britain.
it is what makes it good.

Lucas – in which case we have our misunderstanding.

I was referring to this route http://www.streetmap.co.uk/map.srf?x=271072&y=312075&z=120&sv=271072,312075&st=4&ar=y&mapp=map.srf&searchp=ids.srf&dn=700&ax=271072&ay=312075&lm=0

which is the classic loop climb around Llyn Cau

Stoner – glad that's sorted that out.

Keva – probably the same as we faired on top of Hellvelin and high street when the weather came in. Hellvelin was not to bad, high street had us a bit scarred with 5 meter visability and enough of a cross wind to literally blow my bike of the ground sideways as I was pushing it.

Looking back I'm glad we did it – character building eh Whippersnapper?