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Hello all.
I'm off to stay with relatives this weekend and will have a morning scheduled in for riding. Currently looking at CwmCarn or Bike Park Wales. Never been to either, have very little experience of trail centres, and will only have about 2-3 hours riding time max. Any views on which would be better (and how they're each riding at the moment)?
I've ridden very few trail centres but plenty of natural riding (home and Alps), so will probably be looking at blues / reds (depending on who I drag along with me). Nothing too full-on, that's for sure.
Grateful for any input. Appreciate that I'll get lots of personal opinions, but that's what I'm after really.
Alternatively, any other suggestions for riding within an hour of west-Herefordshire? As I'll be with family I'm after minimum faffage, navigation and commitment, so probably give the black mountains / Radnor forest a miss this time.
Thanks!
Go to Cwmcarn - it's always very rideable, and is excellent. Cwmcarn if you like climbing, BPW if you don't. Remember £3 for the carpark in Cwmcarn though.
Cwmcarn if you like climbing, BPW if you don't.
If you can't get on the uplift at BPW, it's a pretty easy climb up the hill. They've put a singletrack section around the climb, but most people just bimble up the fireroad. Neither are very "interesting" climbs.
BPW fees for a day ride pass (non-uplift) are £6.
How about Forest of Dean? Not quite the same scale as BPW/Cwmcarn but still good fun if you've just got the morning to play with.Alternatively, any other suggestions for riding within an hour of west-Herefordshire?
If you can't get on the uplift at BPW, it's a pretty easy climb up the hill
Yes, but the climb at Cwmcarn is a cracking climb, technical in places and really enjoyable - I've not been to BPW but isn't it just a fireroad trundle?
I've not been to BPW but isn't it just a fireroad trundle?
That's what most people do. There is a decent effort at a singletrack climb, but it's not as engaging as the Whites Level climb, that's for sure. So, trundle it is!
I'd got for Cwmcarn - BPW is great, but unless you're uplifting you don't get much "bang for your buck" - yes the fireroad is an easy climb but it's a completely featureless and boring slog - the descents are great, but over all too quickly.
Anyway - I'd go with the original XC loop at Cwmcarn - it rides perfectly in all weathers and has the best final descent in the world (no doubt I'm wrong)
If you've only got 2-3 hours I'd head to the FoD.
Any ideas where I can get route plans for FoD? Are there many waymarked trails? And where should I be aiming for to park up?
Great replies btw. Thanks!
Head for the PedalABikeAway shop & carpark. Trails are signposted from there.
More info [url= http://www.pedalabikeaway.co.uk/advancedriding.html ]here[/url].
It's worth it for the last decent on the Verderers Trail. 😀
If you're in Herefordshire there's always Bringewood. Half an hour away, but you'll need mud tyres.
Hi all,
Just a quick "Thanks for all the tips". Went to FoD with my nephew, in the end, and did a couple of loops of Verderers. Feel I need to back on my tod and have a go at the red (Freeminers?). Great fun, though, and really impressed with the place.
Still looking forward to riding BPW and CwmCarn, too, and thanks for the tip about Bringewood, Molgrips. That wasn't on my radar at all, so I'll have to explore that. Maybe wait until a dry spell though, if it's likely to be a mud-fest!
Thanks again, anyway. Steve