Are Welsh Trails Up For Sale By NRW?

Local mountain bikers and councillors around Coed y Brenin are concerned that Natural Resource Wales (NRW) is planning on selling off the Coed y Breni …

By stwhannah

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Are Welsh Trails Up For Sale By NRW?

One Planet Adventure seem to have done a decent job of Llandegla.

The centre itself has been mooted for sale for some time. How it works with the trails too…

Seems like a great way of getting a load of off piste stuff built and giving yourself a further management headache to me.

One Planet Adventure seem to have done a decent job of Llandegla.

Very true. The difference as I see is they understand what thier customers like to ride and invested in building more of it. CyB have ignored riders for the last decade in favour of family entertainment. Dyfd being just down the road won’t have helped

This is the company that’s already got an accommodation presence in many of our forest locations, and has taken over a large part of Glentress in Scotland – resulting in a bunch of trail closures. Not necessarily a popular choice in the mountain biking community then, and very much a holiday accommodation provider and not a trail steward.

A bit misleading IMO. Yes, some GT trails were closed and removed, but a considerable amount of new trails have been built too, with plans for a new skills/jump area still to come (albeit slower than planned). More distance in new trails than those removed. And “a large part” – not really on the context of the forest as a whole.

Plus, Forest Holidays rent as far as I’m aware, not own/manage forests themselves. An accommodation provider isn’t going to want to get into sustainably managing forests.

And if Forest Holidays want to attract people to visit their cabins, having a good trail network on sight seems like a good attraction. Otherwise it’s just a cabin in the woods. The trails for walking and biking are surely a large part of the attraction. If they can input funds to get trails maintained or built, that could be a good thing.

Can’t speak for NRW but for FLS, they’re not primarily a trail steward either. They manage forests and land, and are dependent primarily on timber production for funding. Recreation is a very small part of it.

Article just seems a little sensationalist personally.

@vww

You are  indeed correct. Forest Holidays have not taken over a large part of Glentress as the above suggests. FLS are the land owner and remain so.

I would point anyone to read the Visitor Strategy document if they wish to understand where Glentress fits into the wider strategic aims of FLS.

https://forestryandland.gov.scot/publications/735-visitor-strategy/download

I sat on the Board of Forestry Commission Scotland for several years so probably have more insight into the organisation and its operation. Recreation is a key part of what FES do in order to help deliver improved health within Scotland. It was always and continues to be a key priority up here.

The prospect of reduced recreational opportunities in Wales is a concerning prospect. We need to be increasing the opportunities for people to get fit and healthy, not reducing them. I now work in the NHS and public health challenges are the biggest ones we face. Inactivity, obesity, diabetes and poverty are creating a perfect storm. Demand is growing and we have limited resources to deal with it. Improving healthcare is not just about fixing people at the point of demand but taking positive steps to change behaviours.

Cheers

Sanny

Very true. The difference as I see is they understand what thier customers like to ride and invested in building more of it. CyB have ignored riders for the last decade in favour of family entertainment. Dyfd being just down the road won’t have helped

Couldn’t be further from the truth.

Existing trails have been largely ruined and the new ones need a significant heatwave to become rideable and even then they’re not up to much. Coed y Brenin is a far far better trail centre and always has been.

And if Forest Holidays want to attract people to visit their cabins, having a good trail network on sight seems like a good attraction.

Lmao, the only people going to those cabins for the trails will be bringing a lightly used McLaren ebike.

Coed y Brenin is a far far better trail centre and always has been

Certainly the best TC south of Gretna. Only critisims I could level at it are

the length of time it took to repair/reopen the tawr du after the storm damage – likely funding and or manpower issue rather than deliberate negligence or apathy

the blue, save for about 50m of it, is pathetic and only suited to beginners, kids and hybrids. Unlike degla, afan, swinley where the blue can be heaps of fun when taken at speed. when there’s two days of good riding on the reds/blacks if its all open, I wont hold this against them.

the only people going to those cabins for the trails will be bringing a lightly used McLaren ebike

No, the cabins are perfect for the dentist/Santa Cruz demographic

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The difference as I see is they understand what thier customers like to ride and invested in building more of it. CyB have ignored riders for the last decade in favour of family entertainment

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In the last week I’ve ridden at llandegla, nant y arian and cyb

If family entrainment means easier trails then i wouldn’t call it ignoring riders, it’s just a different demographic. Arguably families benefit most from trail centres, more than the fit and the skilled. Though I’m keen for trails at all levels my self. I do think one planet have done a good job at llandegla. But I’d hate to see local interests ignored at CYB

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Existing trails have been largely ruined and the new ones need a significant heatwave to become rideable and even then they’re not up to much.

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Is This llandegla? I road the red during a storm in January. They didn’t seem unrideable. Quite impressed that one planet had guys out that morning with chain saws keeping things open

Forest Holidays have already taken over at Garwnant between Brecon and Merthyr, some of the chaos was still to settle on my last visit (could do with some signs to say they’ve changed the one way system).
To soon to say how this affects the site.

Premium lodges next to dogging car parks by the reservoir and where the visitor centre has a wooden roof because apparently other roofing methods kept getting stolen.

Garwnant and the Porth Yr Ogof buildings have roofed much of Merthyr and Aberdare over the years. Allegedly.

As far as I know, please let me know if I am wrong, The Public ‘own’ the FC/ NRA etc forestry trail centres and all the associated infrastructure. I may be wrong.

I am pretty certain that whoever it is that owns/ runs/ looks after the land with the trees on it has an obligation to provide public access and facilities to enhance their leisure. Please educate me about this because if it is true then surely any new owners must have to continue this.

Can everyone please just stop making things worse for a little while? Thank you.

Actually don’t bother attempting to make anything better either, because every time someone tries to, they succeed in making it better for someone but invariably worse for everything I care about.

NRW manage the Welsh Government Woodland Estate and Ambrose is right in a sense in that the public have a right to roam where ever they want (on foot). But I’m not sure about the public ownership bit of the land or any of the infrastructure.  I should know as I work for NRW but not in the commercial forestry side of things

And if Forest Holidays want to attract people to visit their cabins, having a good trail network on sight seems like a good attraction

Forest Holidays is an English company registered in Derbyshire though. it’s not going to support local businesses like restaurants and pubs and B&Bs that may otherwise have an interest in an attraction like Glentress, it’s just a low rent Centre Parcs, it couldn’t care less about the niche activity next door, and i’d even suggest that if the niche activity upsets its residents quiet enjoyment of the forest…

With people as organised, willing and engaged…

Googles their name, and finds nothing. A direct search in fb finds their page that is a few days old, 8 followers and no details posted. “organised” and “engaged” doing a lot of heavy lifting there.

One Planet and Llandegla are owned by a private company. CyB is publicly-owned. Really, NRW should be looking to employ a management team for ‘leisure-in-forests’ and expand what’s on offer – then we can all reap the benefits. Allowing an entirely private company to take over would be such a waste of all the effort that’s gone in over the years.

Things that made me laugh:

Certainly the best TC south of Gretna.

there’s two days of good riding on the reds/blacks

I’ve been riding at CyB for many years and it was groundbreaking then. I’ve had soooo many excellent days riding there and great memories.  But the various visits over the last few years have made me realise just how not very good it actually is. The MBR is good and the Beast is a good quick blast whilst the kids are at the playground but beyond that it really isn’t all that.

Occasional trips to Whinlatter and Hamsters make me realise just how good well built bit of trail can be.

the Beast is a good quick blast

Epic humblebrag

Even less for free nowadays. UK forestry is actually owned by our state but they do what they like when they like, it won’t belong till our recreational activities pretty much happen in a privately managed ‘resort’ just like they do in USA and Canada. Just sayin );

Top of the favourites appears to be Forest Holidays, the company behind similar uproar at Glentress.

Sorry if I missed it in the committee report, but where’s the source for this please?

Or is it unattributed hearsay?

That article uses so many words to not actually tell us very much.

@chakaping We were told by Coed Y Brenin locals the Forest Holidays was mentioned at their local meeting.

Update to the article posted now following response from NRW.