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Bearing in mind I was brought up in Cardiff so Afan and Cwmcarn are second nature to me, which other trail cwntres are great? Recently done Penmachno (disappointing) and The Beast at Coed y. We have 3 daysand 2 nights away and not sure what to do. What would be your preferred road trip and where would you stay? Llandegla, marin trail, coed y then nant y arian????
Thanks for the decision making help in advance!
Penmachno!
Brechfa. Raven and Gorlech join together for a nice day out.
Quite liked Llandegla, take the climb easy and use it to chat with people, then go like the clappers on every section and take the black sections for some properly (to me at least!) brown trouser moments, its all roll-able but its really good fun to push it just a tiny bit as its a really well designed trail. Its about 11kms long so you can easily do back to back laps before visiting the excellent cafe!
3 days, 2 nights?
Stay in Mach. Ride CYB, then Mach then NYA. In any order.
CYB could be worth two days, though.
Penmachno.
Oops, double post.
Still Penmachno btw.
If you didn't like penmachno then llandegla and Afan maybe?
Double p
Why was Penmachno a disappointment?
I love Penmachno. However I've met many folk have been disappointed - and this has always been because they have done the second loop, with its endless fire roads.
Brechfa/Abergorlech for a day, Cwm Rhaeadr and the Doethie valley, Black Mountains (any route). If the weather is crap, avoid the Black Mountains and Doethie, do Cwm Rhaeadr as a night/evening ride after Brechfa then head up to Nant yr Arian or Machynlleth/Coed y Brenin.
I hear Wrexham is a nice place to stop and ideal for people that like to get dressed up in body armour and bimble around smooth paths.
Penmachno!
This
And I absolutely love loop 2, nice and flowy, not that much fire road really.
It doesn't flow it feels un natural and it is always pi**ing wet they don't appear to understand irrigation despite it being a trail centre! Last time we went in had been blinding hot and dry for about 3 weeks but itw as still axel deep in water.
So take Penmachno, Cwmcarn and Afan OUT of the equation. The plan is leaving early Tuesday morning so get to WAles late morning, spend rest of day riding, all WEdnesday to ride, Thursday to ride then drive back after we've finished on Thursday. SO more suggestions?
bristolPablo and Neilc1881 what accommodation would you suggest for your loops then?
AS Neil says- Brechfa and Cwm Rhaeadr. Are you into natural stuff at all? Mynydd Mallaen, above Cilycwm and Cwm Rhaeadr is a fantastic loop in the dry, a proper slog in the wet. Lots of grass, amazing views, stunning descent, joining onto the final Cwm rhaeadr descent just above the two steppy bits.
Doethie in the damp- horrid!
Loads of places to stay- Perhaps the Royal Oak in Rhandirmwyn. Or The bunkhouse in Brechfa.
3 days?
Coed y Brennan, Betws y coed, penmachno, twice.
CyB, the MBR is probably my favourite trail centre trail. Then maybe a day at Antur Stiniog. If you and your bikes are still in one piece maybe a gentle day at Llandegla to finish off.
The drainage at Penmachno is remarkable, we went 2 days after rain, the drains were all bone dry and the trails were absolutely flooded in places. A work of art. Still, excellent riding and it gave us something to talk about.
I don't think I'll ever ride in north wales without visiting CYB, the Beast is just one of those rides. Also loved the Marin- it's inexplicably long and seems to have about 50% more climbing than descending but it has some absolutely bloody marvellous riding in it which makes it worthwhile. Lovely views too, and not many trails go through a museum.
My other must-do is now Antur Stiniog... Not for everyone but the blue and red are fine for anyone who can do a trailcentre black (er, an actual black anyway) and the 2 blacks are fab for the more discerning customer. You don't need a downhill bike, I used my Hemlock, though a fullface is mandatory for the blacks. Can't wait to get back. Blaenau Ffestiniog even looks alright from high enough and far enough away.
why all the love for penmachno???
its 19 miles of boredom for about 1 mile of fun.
Brechfa and Cwm Rhaeadr.
Just good fun. Try the Black Lion for accommodation.
b45her I completely agree and people clearly can't read! And that comment about good draingage is complete drivel!!!!
Is Cwm Rheadr a trail centre? Or am I going to have to self navigate? I was thinking trail centre as I want ease of following signs!!
Where is Cwm Rheadear I can't find any info about it on www.mbwales.com
Thanks keep the advice coming this is great!
[url= http://www.mbwales.com/media/viewfile.aspx?filepath=1_20080513142700_e_@@_Cwm_Rhaeadr_MtBk_guide_low_res.pdf&filetype=4 ]Cwm Rhaeadr[/url]
Do a lap or two as a warm up for Brechfa red & black.
I loved Nant yr Arian. Annoyed that we didn't do the full 35km loop, but the middle one was fun as well. Mark of Zorro is so good.
I'm guessing you're avoiding natural so to save navigation hassle? Snowdon couldn't be simpler though (big up/down/one signposted turn) and Llyn Colwyd is pretty simple to navigate. Both are easily reachable from Betws, although Bethesda sits in-between the two (not as middle-class as Betws but it's my home!).
Accommodation- I'd suggest the old school bunkhouse in Corris for it's singular ambience, great local pub in the Slaters Arms for the first night. Then the pub in Cil y Cwm (forgotten the name sorry) for b+b though they did once let us kip in the car park after a few too many to drive back to Brecon!
Hello, North Whalian here so if you fancy doing something near Llandegla then try the Clywydians.
Penmachno is good, but as above, not everyone agrees. Llandegla can be done in an afternoon but head out towards the masts and extend the ride a bit.(directions available from the cafe)
CYB would be my choice for trail centers just for variety of trails.
Steve
I'd do two days at cyb and one at antor stiniog. Staying at the log cabins if it is low season.
CYB is the best trail centre ive been to, it somehow doesnt really feel like one IMO
and its worth the drive, its quite a testing route, both fitness wise and rewards
its a 2hr drive ish for me but i do reckon its worth it!
still not done penmachno but i reckon from what mates have said (who also love CYB) it would be pretty sccchweeet
Cli-machx is worth a quick visit if you're near CyB, mainly for the final descent.
Guess I'm the odd one out in that I didn't really like CyB at all, not sure why really it was just a bit boring apart drom a few sections. Then again we didnt manage to do the full beast loop as my mates crank arm fell off and we didn't have the right size allen key for it!
CYB is the best trail centre ive been to, it somehow doesnt really feel like one IMO
I've been every year since 97 so it must be alright. But... doesn't feel like a trail centre? How? It's completely man-made and armoured with boulders. Short of putting a roof over it it's hard to imagine how it could feel any less natural.
Nant Yr Arian - probably middle loop (the long route is pleasant but loads of easy tracks and tarmac), then one of the Mach routes in the afternoon/evening, stay in Mach. Then CYB the next day.
love loop 2, nice and flowy,
Flowy in that it's like a stream.
Then there's a lumpy flat bit with loads of puddles.
I still love the place though, I just wear waterproof shorts.
'Machno.
And +1 for Antur Stiniog. It's like nothing else in the UK and you'll love it.
Munqe-chick - Member
b45her I completely agree and people clearly can't read! And that comment about good draingage is complete drivel!!!!
If you're talking about Northwind's comment then you prob need to re-read it 😆 He's saying the same as you - it's a work of art as they manage to keep the drains dry and the trails wet...
No cli-machs? Final descent is good.
Brechfa.
Nant yr Arian.- Mark of Zorro section in particular.
Day 1: Brechfa & Cwm Rhaeadr
Day 2: Nant yr Arian (plus maybe Climachx if you have time)
Day 3: Coed y Brenin
Prefer the Marin trail to Penmachno.
1) Climach-x at Machynlleth - the last descent is a work of art (though not quite as good since the felling) - only short but you can easily loop the last bit
2) Llandegla - lots of people slate it but it's brilliant fun IMO. They have ended up with a fair bit of slightly harsh climbing right at the end now which doesn't make for the best finish
3) Antur Stiniog - bloody fantastic if you don't mind paying for uplift
Nant-y-Arian is great fun too.
I would have said the Beast but you've already done it
(Mr Munqe Chick posting).
The builders of penmachno should get jobs as irrigation engineers in Egypt, we've ridden there after 3 dry weeks and loads of the second loop (sections 2.3, 2.5 and 2.6 IIRC) had standing water when the surrounding ground was bone dry. No flow to the trail, not a single section that is memorable for any positive reason other than the views on the second section.
Love the Beast etc and enjoyed Marin. Only specifying trail centres to guarantee ride quality when we are time-poor, I have a Garmin and would happily ride naturally if we had a gpx of a nice route, but back in my student OS-exploring days we had about a 50% strike rate for good rides vs yomping through knee deep heather...When we go back to S.Wales we dont even bother with the trail centres as there is terrific natural riding from the doorstep.
Heard lots of good things about Nanty but dont know many that have done Brechfa, Llandegla, Climach-X etc.
Okay so how about drive down Tuesday morning afternoon at Llandegla, spend night in Betws, Wednesday morning head to Coed y and do Beast or similar shorter trails, stay somewhere .. who knows where! Then Thursday ride Nant y Arian. Does that sound sensible or silly? as not sure on distances between Coed y and Nant y...google is your friend?! Anyone recommend somewhere near Nant y to stay? with either food on site or walking distance to good food and beer/wine? Don't mind if it's a B&B. cheers
Brecfa then Antor stinoghthhghllamgogogoch ( that is what's its called, right?) then CyB and then Marin
Every welsh road trip must finish with the Marin last descent. It's the Law ( in a Dredd stylee)
Landegla should fill about 90 minutes of your time. We linked the Marin and penmancho last week which we really enjoyed some good natural stuff in between the 2
Could do Llandegla and marin trail in an afternoon then? How far is it between them?