MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
The only Brecon Beacons mtb ride I have done was the classic Gap Road loop. It was fine, a nice day out in good weather, but it was not a route I am itching to ride again. On modern bikes the fast rocky descent was over all too quickly.
What other routes can people recommend?
I know the man made trails of Afan, Cwm Carn, BPW and BMCC, but is there any natural riding in that part to draw attention from that?
I'm imagining a weekend group visit, paired with one day in the FoD.
I live down the road from the Beacons and have always found it a bit desolate for MTB's tbh, more suited to boots, there are some bridleways you can hack together but the Gap takes in most of the good stuff you'd want to hit. The other classic is the Black Mountains Killer loop but unless the ground is frozen solid or it's peak summer it's a bit of a bog fest the other times of the year.
If your looking for a proper old school mountain bike experience with a long day in the saddle and good views it's worth trying to put a bit of a loop together of odds and sods and add in a cafe stop, if you're looking for something for a bit more of a quick buzz I'd be looking at locals trails near one of the trail centers.
There are a few other locals kicking around on here who may say different
Given the forecast for the coming week, conditions will soon be prime. If you fancy a big day out then you could do worse than this route we last did back in November. Unfortunately the cafe on the mountain railway was shut but the small "cafe" at the outdoor centre at Dolygaer was open and a life saver.
https://www.strava.com/activities/6284235141
Unless you are expert at hopping over water bars, take tubes. And leave early as it is a long days ride, especially if you don't no the way! Don't do it after rain though as it won't be much fun, and avoid busy weekends as some bits might get you moaned at (not that we have ever had a negative vibe from anyone yet)
Thanks for input. This planning for a weekend in May, but weather then can still be a lottery.
Bookmarked: I really should get out of the hobbitsville valleys into some bigger Welsh valleys @welshfarmer route looks interesting.