Going down to ride Afan this weekend and was looking for opinions on which is the best trail.
I understand White's is a little more technical, has a couple of black (option)sections but has a 6km climb to kick it off.
Ideally we'd like a reasonable amount of technical riding, some good flowly singletrack decending with some jumps thrown in as well. After Afan we're of to ride Cwm Carn (XC) as well.
Look forward to your thoughts.
white's without doubt
I prefer White's Level, but why not do both?
isn't there a route that combines the best bits of both?'
Whites is my personal favorite from the two but they both start with a climb! If it were me I'd scrap Cwmcarn and spend the time riding W2, which is the Wall and Whites linked together start from Glyncorryg
Are you short on time? Otherwise ride both - signposted as one loop and called "W2".
If I had to pick one or the other I'd probably go for Whites but The Wall probably has the most fun single section.
whytes climb is excellent. far more fun than the wall climb. best to do W2, it's only a mornings work to do one or the other.
Cheers.
Not really short of time but we wanted to go back to Cwm Carn as a reference point, plus wanted to spend a little time in the freeride bit to practice jumping
Why not do Whites then the shortened Skyline (July trail)?
Perfect day out.
Both! So W2 - not too bad if you ride regularly.
whats the average time to get round W2 then?
start at 10.30, have lunch half way, done by 4.30
taking it easy.
Do Skyline if you have the time. Ecellent day out though seem to have had it to myself the last few weekends for some reason.
whats the average time to get round W2 then?
4-7hrs according to MBWales.com. Though undoubtedly some XC god will get there willy out and say 2.5hrs. Then the resident pie munchers will say they take all day, you'll need a 180mm trail bike, 45liter rucksack and a satellite phone just in case.
Done it in 4hrs and done it in 6.5hrs (with a slow friend and long lunch), it's a really good ride though - recommended!
Why would you try to do both Afan and CwmCarn in one day? You're going to waste valuable riding time! More than enough at Afan to keep you busy.
I wanted to have a play on the free ride section at Cwm Carn and it would be a good reference for some of the group as we have all progressed since we last rode it.
Whites Level definately. The Wall seems a bit old and dated to me. Been a while since I've done WL though, a few years like.
Or carry on the M4 for another 40 minutes and try the trails at Brecfa. Awesome Black (Raven) and red route. Then finish it off with a beer in the Black Lion at the bottom of the red!! Perfect day!!
I'll echo what everyone else has said - White's is better, by a country mile. If you fancy riding W2, i recommend parking at the forest park visitor's centre; that way you can stop at Glyncorrwg for a bit of lunch at the half-way point.
W2 +1
cwm carn is ok for riding on the way home for an hour or so but i wouldn't cut short afan to go there.
the freeride section at cwmcarn was shut when I went a few weeks back so might be worth checking if its re-opened. if it is open, anyone know what changes they did to it?
Whites!
Whites definately can safely say it is the only climb I have ever enjoyed (At a trail centre). But as most people have said definately worth doing w2.
W2 with the new improved wall climb and extra new bit of descent 4 hrs max in my money!! Just up the road too ooh off work thursday i wonder what i'll be doing ?.. W2
Never done The Wall but I really like Whites Level.
Skyline bored my pants off apart from the last section which apparently you can enjoy without the slog.. 
Did bot this year whilst on holiday.
Wall was Ok but had a pretty lengthy climb which kinda killed it in terms of being interesting. Cant really remember the rest of it.
Whites was really cool - did it when it was absolutely tipping down with rain..
I woudl recommend Whites
creamegg, the 'freeride' section at cwmcarn is open again with all the new adjustments, for good or ill.
And Whites is more modern style trail as opposed to the Wall being one of the original trail centre trails, albeit with some alterations, like both be would probably ride Whites given the choice.
W2 - and I'd agree that the White climb is the best trail centre start climb I've done.
Going in a group your speed will depend on the slowest person. But W2 is probably 4-5hrs depending on stopping / chatting. You could start on Whites, go to Afan for lunch ride the rest of the W2 to finish.
Solo under 3hrs is fine.
So doing W2 starting from GC, when you get to the end of The Wall, do you stay on the same side or do you have to cross the river (& back at Cymmer) to get to the start of the Wall?
When you finish the Wall descent (Zig-zags), you'll go up the Wall fireroad, all the way to Picadilly, then join back on the W2 link fireroad along to Energy, back onto the white's.
So, it's all on the same side
As mentioned above, W2 is the definitive trail for GC and Afan - well worth a visit and a great introduction to Welsh trail centre riding.
looking at the map on mbwales the linking trail from whites to the wall looks pretty dull as does the fire road back up along the river (normal start to the wall).
Therefore better to just do whites twice than W2?
Im off there for the first time with a very mixed group for a weekend . Staying at Rose cottage brynteghouse.. I have done alps trips and other trail centres few of the others have done some long xc rides with me . Will W2 be a little too much first day punishment for the newer guys .. also any hints or tips you lot have on Afan and where i am staying .. i tend to just blunder my way into having a good time to be honest.. have legs will pedel
Cheers D
I rode W2 in 3:20 without being any type of XC racer. I just didn't do the seeming accepted practice of stopping every 5 meters to chat and eat something.
Personally, i'd do Afan all day and stay as far away from CwmCarn as humanly possible. Never have i been so disappointed in a trail as i was when i went there.
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