Spending a few days in North Wales next month with the family and will probably take bikes so which of these has the best blue route. Both will be a similar distance from where we are staying so the criteria would be which has the best blue route. Everybody has done the blue at Glentress and the kids have also done bits of the red, they'll be on 26" wheels. The other lesser consideration is if there's other things for the family to do which might allow one or two of us to go and do something more challenging.
Hmm Coed and Lladegla are fairly remote, I'm sure there are walking trails at both if they're happy to go for a walk whilst you ride. I don't recall seeing any climbing frames or owt at either.
I took my 11-year old to both a few weeks back. We did the blue in Llandegla, and to be honest, it's pretty dull. There's a long straight 4k fire road climb o start (that's the case with all Llandegla trails), and then the route back is pretty sedate, fairly flat wide forest singletrack, the rollercoaster section right after the climb was fun, but there isn't much else. He was all done in an hour, we were kind of wishing we'd tried the red instead, although we needed to finish early to make it to the ferry home.
Much better fun is the Red Fox (Cyflym Coch) at Coed Y Brenin. It's 11k, and there's a bit more chalenge to it (one or two tougher fire road climbs for wee legs, but he just walked a few bits when he was tired), and there are several shorter fun blue trails that you can mix in for younger ages, etc. There is a climbing frame/playground there too, although it's small, I'm not sure how long it would keep youngsters occupied. Nothing similar at Llandeglas that I know of, but there s a pump track.
The red at Degla is very much doable by kids on 26" wheels, my mates 4 year old did the blue last week (with a Towee up the climb) - there's nowt on the red that's that sketchy.
If they have done all that at Glentress, then id also suggest the Red at degla would be a good option. The Blue at degla is utter toss and you be better off just cycling along a towpath instead.
The Minotaur at CYB is brilliant and far better than the blue at Llandegla, the cafe is however far better at Llandegla and both have walking trails.
The red at Degla is very much doable by kids on 20″ wheels
FTFY.
Agree with the consensus above. We've been doing llandegla as a family for 14 years and the phase when we focussed on the blue route was very short. It's got the same climb as all te rest but very little tech interest.
CYB OTOH is great.
CYB for sure. As mentioned by others the climb at Llandegla is 30mins+ of mainly grinding uphill, the blue is relatively pants and the red (whilst fun) is very stony in places with quite a few climbs. CYB has a multitude of blue routes that run from the centre and don't require silly climbing, plus there's lots of other things to do
Coed - y - Brenin, Minotaur -> Lunch -> Cyfflym Coch
Either is worth visiting if you've never been _but_ CyB has a sprinkling of magic about it I've never felt at other trail centers. Might be the mooossive forks you ride through, sitting on the cafe balcony, hitting the Minortaur at warp speed or jumping past skull and crossbones on the blacks. I had an out of body experience on Pink Heifer once, like I was just watching myself ride it perfectly. The first of the modern trail centers. If there is a bit of a downside is CyB trails mostly finish with a bit of uphill back to the cafe.
It's been a while but my memory is that cyb is ahead for a non cyclist. I think the walks are better. Nice view from cafe. I do remember a kids play area at cyb it lists a few kids things on the website.
Cyb is better for a family ride. With a map you can plan a a family ride that is almost anything combining sections of different trails. Plus you loop back to drop off rides legs and then loop out on new trails
https://www.visitsnowdonia.info/coed-y-brenin-forest-park
If there is a bit of a downside is CyB trails mostly finish with a bit of uphill back to the cafe.
So does Llandegla...and its a bitch of a climb too. Coedy is a lot larger than Llandegla and you can spend some time messing about around the car park at the skills area too. I would liken Llandegla to a smaller trail centre like Cannock Chase...something you'd pop along to for a couple of hours to do a loop after work or something like that. You can spend the whole day or a good portion of the day at Coedy.
We tend to treat Llandegla as a secondary ride when we go to Wales for an MTB weekend..so do it either on the way into Wales or on the way out but I quite like it. It's actually only about a 2hr drive from where I live so easily doable within a day...get a lap in in the morning, have lunch, and get a lap in in the afternoon before popping home, but not sure its worth a 4 hr round trip. it's good but not that good.
If you only have time to do one then I'd do Coedy.