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  • Which Welsh trail centre is the quickest to get to from the M62?
  • mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    Got a single day 'off' from looking after our newborn twins next week and fancy a day at a trail centre. My usual is CyB for a day out, but in light of the fact I need to get up, feed the babies, get on the road, get there, ride and get back ready for the evening feed, I want to get to the closest decent centre. (I know I could ride further closer to home, but I am riding alone so do not want to go natural and I just fancy some cheap thrills).

    I know there is another closer to the M62 but I heard it is a bit pants.

    So – where would you recommend?

    nbt
    Full Member

    Why Wales? Why not try Lee Quarry or Gisburn?

    Llandegla is closest in Wales, but it's pants. Next is Marin trail @ Llanrwst / Betws-y-Coed, but IMHO if you;re going to BYC then better to travel the extra 5 miles to Penmachno, it's a better trail.

    snowslave
    Full Member

    Second the Lee Quarry recommend…

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    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    Isn't Lee Quarry a bit short? I could do Stainburn (10 minutes down the road from me) if I wanted to sessions somewhere.

    Penmachno sounds a good idea – never been there…

    snowslave
    Full Member

    Yup fair comment. It's defo a fair bit shorter than a lap of Llandegla – unless you extend and go out of the centre, but note your comments wanting to avoid that. Llandegla doesn't take very long to do a single circuit either to be fair.

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    Yeah – looking to do about 20 miles or so – not too far as I haven't ridden much recently.

    neil853
    Free Member

    I would have a look at guisburn, i'm in preston and tried it last week and enjoyed it, lots on singletrack and some really interesting stuff there. really well built too. Nothing scary or anything but it will keep you entertained all the way round. thinks its around the 10-12 mile mark? 2 laps maybe?

    For the recored I like Llandegla too, plus they've built some new stuff there thats meant to be quite good, not sure if thats open though?

    nigew
    Free Member

    Sounds as though youre not too far off Gisburn, id go there.
    I went on Sun and the new trails are great, as Neil853 suggests go around twice or its very easy to do some of the sections twice, print off the map that is on the big gisburn thread though.

    Pieface
    Full Member

    If you don't mind driving I'd say get up early and head to Betws and do CYB (even further) or Gwydyr / Marin and Penmachno (Closer)and spend as much time as possible riding there.

    Llandegla is closest but not worth the drive unless you're already on your way back / to somewhere.

    Lee Quarry is short but good for sessioning things, but not as good as Stainburn for that sort of thing.

    Pieface
    Full Member

    Ignore me, I was being ignorant and hadn't processed the bit about not having ridden much recently.

    Pieface
    Full Member

    Ignore me, I was being ignorant and hadn't processed the bit about not having ridden much recently.

    In which case I'd say give Guisburn a whirl.

    You may love Llandegla, but I don't think its worth a day out. IMO there's not enough variety, just a lot of jumps and swoopy uppy down bits. No technical challenges apart from the jumps.

    Telemaster18
    Free Member

    Do Penmachno, loop 1 and 2. Loop 2 goes off about half way round (to the right). Loop 2 isn't great but all in, it's a quality trail! It's about 16 miles all in I think. Marin is great too. Just under 16 miles. If you haven't done either, I'd say do Marin, more fire roads but downhills are better IMO!

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    You may love Llandegla,

    I think I have done it once actually – isn't it the really sterile one with boring slopes rather than drops?

    I have done the Marin Trail before several times so could do that. Or as has been suggested, go to CyB and do the middle route (whatever it is called now). I would try the Beast but I know it would eat me up given I haven't ridden all year – I was there last spring and rode it anyway but haven't done the middle trail in ages.

    nbt
    Full Member

    I'd go for 2 laps of gisburn, or even a road trip of both Gisburn and Lee Quarry if you;re feeling adventurous

    clarkpm4242
    Free Member

    Llandegla moors loop

    Ignore all the Llandegla naysayers! If you have limited time it is ideal.

    Do the black and on the way up add this loop out onto the moors 🙂

    Paul

    whytetrash
    Full Member

    As a relative local who rides them all fairly regularly I'd vote for Penmachno M-F just a bit more interesting than the Marin and a bit longer(more of a day out) than the Marin or Llandegla…the extra sections weren't open last weekend according to a lad I rode with last night.

    ps Ask the local's what Fanylion means in Welsh…presuming you don't know!

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    ps Ask the local's what Fanylion means in Welsh…presuming you don't know!

    Something like 'detail' I believe – we saw it on a poster years ago when visiting CyB when we all started riding together. 🙂

    fivespot
    Free Member

    You could do Llandegla Red/Black then a lap of the blue. About 20 miles, and the faster you go, the more fun it is.

    DaveyBoyWonder
    Free Member

    Dalby

    shortbread_fanylion
    Free Member

    Mastiles, if you must ride a trail centre you could maybe head up to Keswick and do Whinlatter? It's quite good. And there's a new blue loop suitable for you I think….:-)

    I don't know if it would be any closer than a Welsh centre to you though, sorry.

    devs
    Free Member

    I did Marin and Penmachno today. Both good trails. If the weather stays nice then Penmachno is the no brainer for me. The views are great and the riding is just technical and challenging enough to keep the interest. I would imagine it could be hell in blustery rain though. Was scorchio today but some bits still quite wet. If you don't want too much then it's not worth the extra driving for CyB.

    devs
    Free Member

    Just read the OP. "cheap thrills" "not want to go natural". Got to be Wrexham's finest then – Coed Llandegla!

    catshoe
    Free Member

    Oi Devs! Llandegla is in Denbighshire! Bog off claiming it for Wrecsam, they've got a BMX track

    Mr Fanny-Lion – much as I love Llandegla, if yer coming all the way over here, do Penmachno. If you can imagine sweet single track, but someone has got a jack under the front end of it and tilyed it, so instead of pedals you need brakes. Well it's like that in the best bits. Not too many killer technicals but enough for fun.

    No, on the other hand scratch that, it's rubbish, stay away, leave it for us locals….

    devs
    Free Member

    No, on the other hand scratch that, it's rubbish, stay away, leave it for us locals….

    And that's another thing! You locals aren't riding it enough. I have never been slashed so many times by brambles growing across the trail. It needs more traffic or some TLC.

    catshoe
    Free Member

    Everywhere is just growing so much foliage at the moment isn't it? Just been out on the Clwyds and handlebar deep in bracken at times

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    Anyone got an address/postcode for me to put into my satnav to get to penmachno? I can get to Bet-s-coed (sp) but no idea from there. Ta.

    Russell96
    Full Member

    Map Linky for the parking area, turn right onto the fireroad and there's some parking bays on the left, nearest postcode is LL24 0YP. Remember some change for a donation in the box there. Oh and keep a careful eye on the signs otherwise you might miss loop2

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    So is it 16 miles-ish if I include Loop 2? Don't want to go all that way then only ride the shorter bit! (Even in my unfit state, 16 miles will be do-able and any less will leave me feeling short-changed!

    Russell96
    Full Member

    Yeah it's about 17 miles or so in length for the combined route.

    clarkpm4242
    Free Member

    A mates GPS had it at ~30km or 18.5 miles. Very XC route and you may find it a good workout 🙂

    Paul

    mastiles_fanylion
    Free Member

    Is nice – three hours from Harrogate and 2hrs 50mins to do both loops. Not exactly brilliant, but that's what a year or so without regular riding (ie, two rides all year!!) does to you! I thought that loop one was the better of the two, but both had some really nice and extended singletracks – I especially liked the second last descent on loop one (the one before the final fireroad climb).

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