I’ve been invited on a ride by a mate with some of his work colleagues and they plan to give Llandegla a go.

I’ve never tried it and with the exception of Grizedale as part of the claife heights route and Penmachno i’m not really all that clued up on trail centres. Are there any bits to this that we really shouldn’t miss or a route that links it all up nicely?

Cheers

New trails open at Coed Llandegla

some nice new trails tread carefully they can catch you out, not too technical but fast.

Cafe is great nice food, great staff.

Bike shops worth a check out nice blingy bikes and parts.

Cheers Jeffus

Some people hate it, some people love it. IMO its quite good, especially after you’ve been round a couple of times and know where all the fast bits are and you get your eye in.

Full of weekend warriors mind and loads of rubbish.

its awesome if you can jump and hit berms properly, the blacks and the new bit are very good. but be aware it does get busy though. good day out

Not the most technical of places to ride but some of the Black bits are well worth doing – great fun at speed.

The latest addition (the final 6km of black/red) is great and makes it feel like a proper loop now. Some fantastic jumps that flow really well but definitely tread carefully the first time down – you can easily over jump the launches and it’s easy to loop round and do bits again if you enjoy that sort of thing 🙂

Good fun. nothing technical, but lots of fun to be had from speed and jumps on the black run.

Be interested to hear the reasons why some people dislike it, actually.

It’s great fun and fast, you’ll love it but make sure you don’t miss the black sections. I’ve not been since the new trails opened a couple of weeks ago but they sound brilliant and look great on the youtube clips I’ve seen.

As others have said, it’s FUN! You’ll love it.

People tend to criticise it because it’s like a giant BMX track, but BMX tracks are wonderful creations, so their argument falls flat.

hi wozza

i went last sunday for the first time ( my first trail center as well). ive only been riding 2 months, and i went on my own.

I LOVED IT ! i did the red run which was really good and made me smile all the way around, lots of jumps and berms then i did the black which again was good, nearly lost it a few times, and i was so knackered at the end of it as its about a 20k route for each run, but still enjoyed it.

beware though there is a alot of climbs and theres a 2 mile hike to the top (approx), but personally i loved it and cant wait to go back. carpark was £3.50 on the sunday i went and it was packed.

2 mile hike?

[2 mile hike?] more of a steady trundle to the top, a good warm up 😀 before the fun , 🙂

I really like the place, the faster you go the better it gets.

However the more dangerous it becomes 😉

Love the place, and the new red golden trail gives the places a new dimension.

Like other have said its fast and flowy, apart from the mile climb at the start

Great food at the cafe, can be a bit crowded at weekends

I have a question about Llandegla. Are there options to go back and re-do bits of trail or is it just one continuous loop kind of thing? Thinking of going soon but I usually ride things a bit slow the first time then do it all properly when I know what’s coming up. As it’s about a 3hr drive away it’d be good to know whether you’re able to “session” the new black runs etc or whether you’d have to do another lap to get it in?

Its missing any kid of rock gardens or anything technical (like most trail centres)

Its missing any kid of rock gardens or anything technical (like most trail centres)

And all the better for it.

more of a steady trundle to the top, a good warm up before the fun

i suppose ” a hike” is the wrong word !! lol 😉

I LOVED IT ! i did the red run which was really good and made me smile all the way around

That’s good enough for me! Cheers for all the responses.

tom – most of the black sections can be ridden back to the top of via a fireroad to have another go at. There’s a couple of red sections you can ride and then go back and do the black section and carry on round the loop so you dont miss anything.
Not been for a while, but its good fun and new bits look good craic.

It has some pretty poorly conceived sections and a ‘freeride’ track that is just bobbins.

Not that I don’t enjoy riding there.
I enjoy riding everywhere; just ridden to the doc’s for a flu jab, it was great! Until someone stuck a needle in my arm.

Be interested to hear the reasons why some people dislike it, actually.

Cause I don’t/can’t jump so the jumps slow me down. As most MTBers can’t jump I think the jumps are really there more as speed bumps. Must add to the fun if you can jump though.

Must add to the fun if you can jump though.

I can’t jump either. But I went to Llandegla for the first time a couple of months ago and on my second lap round I was happily popping off and over the tabletops and doubles and having a real blast.

I’d probably kill myself if I tried to do anything on real jumps but the ones on the red/black bits of Llandegla are small and friendly enough that a non-jumper like me can actually start to learn about getting the wheels off the ground. (It also helped that I had 5″ of travel to soak up any mistakes, too. I think I’ll take the HT next time though.)

Dont want to be a hater but, speaking as someone who does like actual bmx tracks my criticism would be that the jumps arent very good. The only ‘proper’ jumps are in the freeride area and are a massive pedal fest to clear properly.

Mind you I haven’t ridden the new bits…

I think it’s ok for a fast swooping ride.

I’ve been fortunate and never been while its been busy. I aid I wouldn’t go again after the last time I went as the last 1/3 was boring as hell… but they have since opened the new 6km to the end which will make it flow so much better.

uponthedowns – Member

Cause I don’t/can’t jump so the jumps slow me down. As most MTBers can’t jump I think the jumps are really there more as speed bumps. Must add to the fun if you can jump though.

Even if you can’t jump, you can pump most of those wee undulations and generate speed off them.

As most MTBers can’t jump

Really? Thought that was as essential as pedalling…. 🙂

[insert crying]I don’t like the jumps because I can’t jump[/insert crying]

Learn then. Llandegla is a GREAT place to mess about, session stuff etc. I love it. Yes its like a big BMX track but as someone has said, thats not a bad thing. For a purpose built trail centre, it offers something completely different to any other trail centres where they’ve tried to make ‘natural’ MTB riding with rocks, singletrack etc etc. Llandegla offers something completely different in a good way. As I’ve said before as well, its nice that they’ve had the balls to build stuff that you won’t see in other FC trail centres like decent jumps which can be hit flat out. Spooky Wood at GT comes close(ish) I suppose…

At the end of the day, on a wet afternoon in an office in Bradford, any type of riding is an exciting prospect!

Like DaveyBoyWonder says, it’s a great place to learn to do jumps and stuff.

I reckon the skills section bit is great for looning about on at the end of a ride, and the pump track is fun too.

I don’t get trail centres trying to replicate ‘natural’ trails. There’s nowt natural about a long smooth bit, followed by a rocky section, followed by a long smooth bit, followed by a rocky bit. The natural trails I ride day to day are rocky as hell and although fun, I have that on my doorstep.

It’s a bit like going to the baths for a swim. If you want the sharks and the jellyfish, swim in the sea. If you want a slide and the rafts and floats, go to the baths.

Yep Llandegla is fun 🙂

Though I worry about the amount of people pushing up the new red singletrack at the end, there were traffic jams forming on the last few miles on Sunday!

ton let me know when you go and I can show you around its my local haunt.

I’m going tomorrow. Taking the fully rigid and was gonna ride the Blue and just maybe have a peep at the Red. But tempted now to ride the Red. Does anyone with experience of the Red think I’ll be underbiked on a rigid?

My post above must have been a really stupid question (or a really hard one) cos I got no reply 🙁 Rode Llandegla True Blue in the end and loved it. Tailor made for old school rigids with Vs. Ride it as fast as you dare for a flowy descent from the top of the forest.

Rode the black today. It was splendid fun I must say. Swoopy goodness indeed.
However, two things sucked. Loads of people were parked like knobs, it was utterly heaving and many cars had almost a car width between them. Come on people.
Also, got onto my bike two thirds round, and rear mech just buried itself into the spokes for no apparent reason and bent up like a fortune cookie….
Had to walk rest of way then except the downs. Didn’t want to butcher my chain.

Does anyone with experience of the Red think I’ll be underbiked on a rigid?

Only if its a fixie on 23c tyres.

[insert crying]I don’t like the jumps because I can’t jump[/insert crying]

Learn then. Llandegla is a GREAT place to mess about,

Well you know what you can swivel on then Davey. I’m well on the wrong side of 40 with wife and kids to support so don’t really want to spend any time in plaster. I can enjoy my MTBing just fine with my wheels on the ground.

So… I enjoyed it! The trail is great fun, I can’t think of a bit that was trying to be clever it’s just one swoopy downhill after another, i’ll be going back, but…

How bad was the parking there on Saturday?! Car after car after car taking up two spaces, dillrods.

thats good to hear, 🙂 im may be going back tomorrow myself. i went on a sunday 2 wk ago and it was packed, and i thought i got there early lol. defo midweek outing for me.

Was mleh before…is slightly less mleh now.
Going under the hour is bit harder now…….especially having to queue behind all the ‘walkers’ on the last climb 😉