Hi,

A bunch of us are looking to visit BPW for a long weekend Friday- Monday, driving across from London after work Friday.  Will be 6 of us going, maybe a couple more.  I’ve had a look around Air BNB, but thought id tap up the wealth of knowledge on here for suggestions.

Any help/advice appreciated!

Stayed at the Premier Inn, last time I went, they’re used to mucky bikes, it’s clean, there’s a restaurant and a free car park  BPW is 10 minutes drive away, and you can pretend you’re not actually in Merthyr. Winner

If you’re only interested in BPW there’s a Premier Inn in Merthyr which is close, usual PI fayre, all you need, nothing you don’t, keep your bike in your room etc.

If you want to go out for drinks etc in the evening Merthyr can be a bit of a culture shock for, well, anyone. You might be better off staying in Cardiff which is about 30 mins south – the City Centre is nuts at the weekend, I can’t stand it, but I’m 40 now, if you we’re in your 20s you might like it, some of the suburbs have better, slightly less binge drinky places.

If you want lovely scenery and peace and quiet, then Brecon is about 30 mins north, Brecon town is nice enough, pubs etc, but there’s also endless places to stay that cater for outdoorsy types.

Premier Inn for me and me boy too. Closer than all the recommendations on the BPW website. And near to all the local entertainment facilities too (Pizza Hut and the Vue 🙂 )

ps. there are a bunch of B&Bs on the BPW website, if you’d prefer that type of thing, only trouble is you might be a bit too late to book any of them.

Stayed at the Premier Inn, last time I went, they’re used to mucky bikes

Give it a hose first if its filthy. showroom quality not expected but it seems like they are ignoring the standard Premier Inn rules to meet their weekend clientele, so don’t push our collective luck.

Pub adjacent gives a good dinner but I wouldn’t bother with the brekkie (which you must prebook). BPW provides cheaper and better – which is saying something.

There’s a rather ‘interesting’ bunk house in Cwmcarn….. Main selling point is dirt cheap :D.

Awesome, cheers for the info guys!  Forgot to mention a few of us will be hiring bikes.

We are the outdoorsy types, 3 from New Zealand and a few of us in our 40s, @P-Jay Will take a look at places to stay in the Brecons as the NZs will most like want to see a bit of the country, but its nice to know the Prem is there and ticks all the boxes for a good weekends riding.

We stayed an hour away in Glyncorrwg at Ty Skyline house which was ace. But we did three days riding in Afan and one at BPW, so it made sense.

Local takeaway was doing BOGOF on pizza too. Still feel a bit sick.

The Premier Inn is, well, a Premier Inn. You can have a rubbish dinner on a retail park if that’s what you fancy. I would avoid Merthyr town centre like the plague.

If you want somewhere actually nice, and still 10 mins away, which is geared up for bikers, with cleaning facilities, workshop, nice rooms & a great breakfast, try The Grange in Cefn Coed. You are walking distance from a really good curry house (Mango) & the owner of the guesthouse has a great range of beers if you want a few drinks.

Not as cheap as a Premier Inn, but a whole lot nicer.

Merthyr needs investment, Premier Inn and Pizza Hut don’t.

Get yourself into one of the locally owned hotels and eat / drink at one of the locally owned businesses.

Ooh, I feel so bad 🙄

I’ve stayed in 3 different AirBnb’s all been acceptable but not palatial.

The town is a good laugh, decent curry house called Red Spice, had a few beers in various bars and ended up in the Kirk house, proper dive but everyone having the best time and so cheap.

I’m 38 not quite tipping the 40 year old aspirations.

The breakfast on the retail park isn’t that bad.

Make sure your Airbnb has a shed or somewhere solid to lock a bike to.

We took lots of locks to ensure maximum faffage for any would be thieves.

Lots of friendly locals.

Get yourself into one of the locally owned hotels and eat / drink at one of the locally owned businesses

I’ve tried the Castle, its what I imagine Soviet hotels looked like in the 70’s and then the Bessemer Hotel is a carvery, so veggie option was a plate of overdone carrot mush, the Imperial is a cross between Fawlty towers and The Overlook, and the last time I tried a local Pizza restaurant, their oven was bust and they couldn’t cook me any food. I walked out of the curry house, as the waiter that handed me the menu had clearly been under the bonnet of his car just 5 mins earlier.

I’m all for supporting local, and trust me when I say I’m not that picky, but TBH none of the local stuff in Merthyr deserves my hard earned

Yeah def don’t stay in the Castle that is a death trap

Thanks for all the suggestions guys, the prem inn allows a cancellation on the same day before 1pm so think we will book this then cancel change if necessary.

I would like to consider other places in to ride and stay in Wales, however we are travelling from London on Friday night so ideally needs to be close, so south Wales?  And I’m booking for 6 people so things can get complicated as its hard to please everyone!

I would like to consider other places in to ride and stay in Wales, however we are travelling from London on Friday night so ideally needs to be close, so south Wales?  And I’m booking for 6 people so things can get complicated as its hard to please everyone!

I know that feeling, BPW suits your needs quite well.

It’s easy to find – directions for you are – leave London on the M4, stay on it until Jnc32, take exit for the A470 North, follow it for about 20 mins. (BPW is actually very badly signposted if you were mad enough to navigate via only that).

Cwmcarn is 2 jncs closer, but there’s less there to keep you occupied for the weekend. Afan is a slightly bigger venue split over 3 close sights, but further – adds about 45min to an hour to your trip.

Other than that, for official sites with some supporting infrastructure, it’s Brechfa in the west, lovely place, but not even a centre, just a few pubs and a few B&Bs add another 90 mins.

Or head right up North to Coed y Brenin, Antur Stiniog or Llandegla – all great venues, but going to add hours to your travel time.

@P-Jay cheers mate, that’s great info!

One of the lads has done BPW before and reckons we’ll be done by the 2nd day, and a 3rd would be way too much. So will likely aim for at least the Saturday and maybe Sunday.

Possibly aim to visit another park on Sunday, maybe Afan – would be interested in perhaps a cross country route as we are mostly road / tour riders but still happy with a day of trails.

Then for something different on the Monday, perhaps a hike or kayaking then back to London.

Thanks gain for all the info guys its been a great help! 🙂

The Black Mountain Cycle Centre is another uplift venue, it’s close to BPW and very good. Give it a shot!

Give it a hose first if its filthy. showroom quality not expected but it seems like they are ignoring the standard Premier Inn rules to meet their weekend clientele, so don’t push our collective luck.

Agreed on hose down first, but (fairly clean) bikes allowed in rooms is the standard Premier Inn policy these days.

https://www.premierinn.com/gb/en/why/bike-friendly.html

Twin Trails B&B is what you want, it’s the equivalent to £30 per person per night and they cater specifically for MTB users. Bike wash in the garden, bike racks, tools and a bike stand in the reception area plus breakfast included…can’t be beaten for the price and it’s only about 5-10 minutes away from BPW!

http://www.twintrails.co.uk/

As I said, stuff like that is pretty booked up this late in the day.

I reckon Glyncorrwg/Afan is worth a day.

+1 for Twin Trails B&B…

-1 for recommending things that are unavailable when the OP’s going.

Twin Rails is good, but parking can be hit and miss as you are parking on a main road.  Good space for your bikes in the accomodation though.

Stopped in a great converted miners house last time, but only sleeps four though, has garage with bike repair kit and a Jacuzzi in the garden!

For food, try the wood fired pizza place in the centre of town near the Wetherspoons.

Yes, Merthyr is different from most English towns as is Dunmfries, but just enjoy somewhere that is different and avoid the generic high street brands that litter our nation.

Coming from London the the uplift at the Forest of Dean is another option.

My standard ‘weekend away’ is drive to Merthyr Fri evening, Saturday at BPW, on Sunday drive to FoD (~ 1h in the right direction), day on the uplift and head back after that.

but just enjoy somewhere that is different and avoid the generic high street brands that litter our nation.

Sure, but I’m not going to give my cash to a terrible hotel (see above) “just” because they’re not Premier Inn. I’ve tried the last three times in Merthyr to do that, and I’ve pretty much concluded that the folk of Merthyr don’t want (or don’t need?) my money.

I would recommend The Grange at Cefn Coed.  They are a small B&B about 8 mins drive from BPW.  Run by cyclists, secure bike storage, mech room, bike wash.  Also most importantly he stocks a great selection of local welsh beers and ciders in his cellars and there is a big lounge to enjoy them in.  Great Welsh breakfast too in the morning.

The Grange at Cefn Coed. , Its already booked out for that weekend 🙁

Plan 1:

Friday Night: London – Afan stay over.

Saturday: Hire bikes, Ride all day in Afan stay over.

Sunday: Drive to BPW, Hire bikes ride for day and stay over.

Monday: don’t know, find some activity to do . Hike in Breacons maybe

Plan 2:

Friday Night: London – BPW stay over.

Saturday: Hire bikes, Ride all day in BPW stay over.

Sunday: Drive to Afan, hire bikes ride for day and stay over.

Monday: don’t know, find some activity to do . Hike in Breacons maybe

Accommodations is getting tricky as the Kiwi cant confirm if the other 2 Kiwis are coming yet!  So may just book for 4 of us.

Me and mate love the Castle, wouldn’t eat there but it’s clean, super old school decor, and will lock the bike behind reception.

The pub next door is owned by a micro brewery and has four decent ales. From there it’s curry or kebab.

A great night.

-1 for recommending things that are unavailable when the OP’s going

-2 for expecting me to magically guess when the OP is going…