MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
We will be in touch
We've booked a cottage in mid wales (Elan Valley) for over New Years, now which trail centre to nip out to for a cheeky few hours; Nant yr Arian (35min drive) or Coed Trallwn (25min drive) or anything else?
No need for a trail centre if you're staying in the Elan valley. OS Explorer 200 is all that's required 😉
Is it easy to find routes from the door then? I can probably squeeze two rides in, so maybe one trail centre and one exploring ride then...
Machynlleth
More riding that you can shake a stick at.
Suggested good long route from Rhayader, the bridleway over Gro Hill is good. Continue along the track around Claerwen Res, ancient road over Monks Trod. Little bit of tarmac to Craig Coch dam, then take a good track over the Roman Camp until it joins the Cwmystwyth mtn road. From there, there's a BOAT that goes over PenRhiw Wen. Known locally as the Golf Links - first class trail takes you straight back to Rhayader.
Lots of other stuff to be had too, but that's a good one to start 🙂
Golf Links Descent a few months ago.
A great finish to the ride.
Don't imagine it looks much like that today Stu 😉 ... roll on spring!
Snow your way the mate?
Nice vid ssstu. Was great fun coming down that at the weekend with the Larry up front 🙂
Stu - how much snow in Pennant?
We've supposedly got trees coming next week for the piece on the top...
Possibly a good inch in Brecon so far. Not looking like stopping either.
We've got something like 4" at the moment. Slight let up but the sky looks full again.
if you can organise a pick up, it's possible to get down to the lovely doethie valley from there.... mmmmm 7km of sinuous valley side singletrack.
Looking at the booking again, we're closer to Newbridge-on-Wye, than Rhayader but there still looks to be loads of stuff about.
But if the snow keeps up maybe I'll bring my snowboard instead? actually is it generally snowy higher up around the area dec/jan?
Its snowing moderately here (15miles from Rhayader), so theres plenty about on the hills now.
Ref Elan Valley if you want I could take you around a few of the trails there, (email me on that), as I do some MTB guiding over in that area anyway. Although most of routes can be readily navigated at points routs choice of sheep tracks isn`t so obvious! However given the longer term forecast, and possibility of further snow and ice, Elan Valley higher tops maight be rather difficult indeed.
Nant yr Arian will be about 45 min from you, but that too may be snowed up!
If you`re staying at / near Newbridge you also have the option of rides on Radnor Forest hills or the Gwaunceste / Llanbedr / Begwns hills areas, which have a good range of mostly grassy natural trails, plenty to go at but as above weather may well have upper hand again this winter (:
Re you last point, last winter here I couldn`t access most of the areas from late Dec to end Feb due to either deep snow on hills or highgly dodgy away from main road conditions (= untreated packed snow and ice)