To be honest, it’s not the best downhill as it breaks to double track and then farm track for a lot of the way. But you’ll have it to yourself

+1 but IMO, the top bit is wild enough that it’s worth it. I’d love to ride it again but even on an ebike the top really isnt rideable up for me (and I suspect most people).

is the singletrack down Cadair *better than the one down the rangers?

In that it’s not filled with vacantly eyed walkers not paying attention to anything other than the ground directly in front of their feet? Then yes, it is, there’s enough to get interesting at the top, and you can get some decent speed up

I think you’ve sold me on Cadair Idris. I quite like the idea of hooning down at speed without any walkers in the way and there looks to be a lot more cover than Snowdon which should make for a more pleasant climb & descent. We can do Coedybrenin then on the sunday before heading home rather than Degla. Next question, can anyone suggest accomodation in Dolgellau with cheap, clean single rooms?

Cadair is a good choice, it’s not as technical but you can make it what you want – choose your speed and lines. It is certainly worth it for the emptiness, and it – naturally – has brilliant views too. I did it on a summer weekend and only saw a few people right near the top. You could also do the Pont Scethin route the next day if you wanted to go full ‘au naturel’.

Not sure what you call cheap, but we have self catering cabins set in the middle of Coed y Brenin, just 400 metres from the trails.
You can sleep in the bedroom and the sofa bed in the lounge if you need separate rooms.
Depending on the day of the week, they are priced at £75-£100 a night, and can sleep up to four if you share rooms. 15 minutes to Dolgellau, and not much further if you are riding Cadair Idris
http://www.mostyncottage.co.uk if you want to take a look, or give us a call if you have any questions.
Regards
Keith

Ty Seren Nice B&B

stayed here before, right in the centre of Dolgellau, next to all the pubs, comfy rooms, nice hosts, decent brekkie, and wifi.

Last time we rode Cadair Idris, the snow was so deep we sacked the bikes off, went and bought sledges, and walked up it, then sledged down. It was a right laugh 😀

It was April

I quite fancy Cadair Idris, but when I head down the M6 I can’t get past the Lakes…. 😆

I think some perspective is called for on Cadair being quiet. It still sees well in excess of 50,000 visitors a year. Now think that these will probably mainly be scattered over 9-10 months. And then very heavily weighted to weekends… around a half of Snowdon’s 500,000+ annual visitors climb the mountain on weekends. So you may well still get 200-300 on the mountain on a saturday. The good news is that you’ll only share the very top section with these, with the trails up as far as where it joins the Pony Path seeing very little walking traffic. It’s a great ride, as is Snowdon. Enjoy!

I hate these large groups that head into the hills. Thanks to social media they are becoming more frequent. Arseholes, they ruin other peoples days out due to the noise generated and space they take up, block paths, crowd out viewpoints and generally get up everyones nose. Anymore than a group of three/four people and they become oblivious to anyone else around them. Hope you all get punctures!

You don’t ride trail centres then?