Grin factor/fun and techy
Cannock chase
Llandegla
Coed Y Brenin
Forest of Dean
Afan
I really like llandegla, not ridden the others
? Cannock chase
3 Llandegla
1 Coed Y Brenin
4 Forest of Dean
2 Afan although a bit spannered at the moment
Heard a lot of good things about coed y brenin.. But this video of llandegla looks very fun
..only ridden cannock chase 🙁 ..sherwood pines too
Hey buddy
Cannock Chase is OK, but I get bored to death of doing it. Make sure you add Brocton Coppice into the mix and also try looking for cheeky singletrack...when no-ones looking.
A mate of mine really rates Llandegla, but for me Coed Y Brenin is great. It's also really good in the wet as it's mostly slate...so no grinding paste like at Cannock.
No idea about the others.
I ride pines during the week as its local,and this is how I find them... Cannock is a bit like Pines but more gradient and a bit more techy but more fun. Llandegla is lots of fun, quite short not serious Xc or dh but lots if smiles apart from the drag to the top and the last bit back to the car park- very good cafe tho! My fave if the ones I've ridden is coed y brenin, namely the red or the beast (similar red trail just longer) I like the fast sweeping nature of some sections, most of the climbs are on forest roads tho which can be a bit dull, but does gave a fairly natural feel to the singletrack. The trails also hold up really well in the wet and dont become a mudbath. Nice cafe halfway round too.
Llandegla, fun, fairly easy if you can ride well and jump but speed can build up very quickly on the new section.
Cannock not been in ages
Coed-y-Brennin Nice balance of long tough and tech stuff out there great if you love rocks, potentially not so great if you don't
FoD no idea
Afan been a while but tech stuff, fun stuff and some closed stuff normally
1 Coed y Brenin
2 Llandegla
3 Afan
4 Cannock
5 FoD
I would also add to the list: Nant yr Arian, Penmachno, Cwm Carn, Betws y Coed, Brechfa in that order below Afan and above Cannock.
1) Coed-y-Brenin (because it's old school, or at least was....it's still good but they've basterdized the place compared to 15 years go when I was riding it as a child)
2) Afan
3) Cannock
4) Lllandegla
5) FOD
1. CyB.
2. Llandegla.
3. Cannock.
Cannock is 10 mins away but I'd still rate Llandegla above it.
Not been to the others.
Coed y Brenin was a favourite before they built Alton Brenin across the road. Sitting outside the old Cafe, scoffing beans on cheese on toast. And the cakes...mmmm the cakes.
As trail centres:
1) C-y-B lots of routes at different standards with options to mix and match. Decent facilities if you want them and the parkings not too expensive.
2) Afan the risings good but at the moment the trails are a little limited due to felling and stuff. Decent facilities but it is S Wales so your car might not be there when you get back.
3) Degla a bit BMXy for my liking but still ok for a blast, it gets its difficulty from the speed you carry, go faster and it gets harder. Good food always feel a bit teamed by the time I've paid to park though for what is half a days ride.
4) FoD blue route is enjoyable, the red less so, everything feels a bit short so you need to do laps. Parking is always busy when I've been and facilities aren't great.
5) Cannock trails tend to be clogged by people which can be frustrating and the surface is skippy as hell in the wet and when it's dusty too. Monkey trail improves things but it feels like you do twice the climbing as descending. Facilities are not great.
However there's lots of good off piste stuff in Cannock and the FoD that means I rate them above Afan as an overall experience but you need to know where to look.
For me.
1. CyB (has a bit of everything and some decent climbs)
2.Afan (though it is a good few years since I was there and it was before the other trail centre had been built so I count 'White's Level' in with it)
3. Llandegla (not as much variety as CyB or Afan but good fun with a mixed level group I would imagine as you can roll the stuff slowly or hit it full tilt)
4.Cannock (It's the nearest to my base when in the UK but given the choice I prefer Llangdegla as it has more flow. Cannock is a bit too tight and twisty (although the newer stuff is much better) so it's difficult to get a head of steam up.
FoD- Never been.
