Dual post really (thinking out loud).

I've been ordered to disappear from home next weekend as there is a 'Baby shower' happening (the thought of it and whats happening is stressing me out).

I could go and stay with friends etc etc however I was thinking- how good is Afan? Is it worth driving down Sat am- ride, relax/time to reflect and then ride again Sunday before driving home.

Is it alittle wierd going on your own?! Plus how good is Afan say compared to Glentress? Is there enough to do on two days that makes it different enough to be interesting?

How good is Afan? Very
Weird going on your own? Not at all. Just go ride!

its gonna rain babies 😯

GO GO GO

Go, it's ok, but you have the peaks on your doorstep so it should be nice and easy for you. If you do the pdnhyd? trail try to find out how to miss all the fireroad at the top as it is dull dull dull.

Take spare brake pads if it's wet

Spare pads check.
Wheres good to stay (with a pub downstairs)
Also – a hardtail will be fine?

http://www.brynteghouse.com/mtb.html

pub over the road [ish]

+1 for Bryn Teg, lovely people.

Lyons, on the Penhydd, the best approach is as follows;
After the first singletrack section (Desolation), rather than going left (Brashy Track), simply head straight on. This cuts out the rather dull section of Green Run, the rather damp section of Frog Corner and the rather needlessly steep and dull section of a Ridge too Far.
You then go up a little fireroad climb to the top of the Hidden Valley.

Pretty simple to see on the map;

Very good, best range of trails in south Wales.
http://afanlodge.com/ very nice, has its own bar & usually full of MTBers.
Spare pads? ridden there loads in all weathers & never needed any.

You'll be fine on a hardtail, some fat tyres will smooth things out a bit.

If your on your own the Afan Lodge is worth looking at. Its pretty big with a restaurant/bar.. always other riders around in the evenings.
http://www.afanlodge.com/

Afan is superb, easily enough to keep you entertained for a couple of days.

There's 2 trail centres – Glyncorrwg has by far the better facilities.

Oh yeah, WTF is a baby shower?

Afan is great. Never been to Glentress so I can't compare it but it is fun and there is plenty to fill 2 days IMO. If you want you could always pop over to Cym Carn anyway.

Regarding taking a hardtail – you will be absolutely fine on a hardtail but I definitely had more fun on my Blur 4X than I would have done on a hardtail when I was there. Just IMO.

It was described as alot of the female friends who stay over and bring lots of presents for the baby.

To me, it strikes me more like this

And a baby shower is a horrid American invention where friends of the mother-to-be all get together and give the mother-to-be baby-related presents. That said, it is a great way to cut down on the cost of having a baby (for the first couple of months anyway!)

jfeb- its a trail centre though? No need for rear suspension?

I regulary ride the Skyline at Afan on my own, without a camel back, with only 1 spare tube, a powerlink and two bottles of water and a phone.

I do it on a hard tail and I haven't died yet, stop fussing.

KINGTUT- riding on my own has never been a problem. Its the staying alone. I've never done that- just wondering if its abit 'wierd'.

I regulary ride the Skyline at Afan on my own, without a camel back, with only 1 spare tube, a powerlink and two bottles of water and a phone.

That's epic, i nearly died 2 years ago when I did the skyline. all that endless fire road…….

I like fire road.

Hora, at your age surely you must be comfortable with your own company? Or do the demons start talking to you?

riding on my own has never been a problem. Its the staying alone. I've never done that- just wondering if its abit 'wierd'.

will sir be requiring the services of an "escort" for the evening ?

Afan's great, hardtail fine. go you won't regret it. Did you sort those forks?

jfeb- its a trail centre though? No need for rear suspension?

Absolutely no need. Just more fun IMO. Some of the descents are reasonably bumpy and a little give out back certainly let me attack them a bit more. Afan's descents (at least the ones I have done) are basically roller coasters and the faster you can go down them the better 🙂

Loco- getting them fixed. Will just use a set of Lyriks wound down to 145.

Hora, at your age surely you must be comfortable with your own company? Or do the demons start talking to you?

Hey, like any man. I do like watching a DVD and having a drink alone from time to time. Im just worried why I want to go away like this!

Im just worried why I want to go away like this!

Your wife is soon to give birth, your life is about to irreversibly change, enjoy some peace, quiet and inner thought whilst you still can.

Maaan.

I'd say Penhydd and Whites are generally smoother and more flowing, but the Wall and some of the descents on Skyline (what I've done of it) can rattle the bones a bit more. Nothing there that rules out a hardtail though.

have seen people riding afan with fully rigids and no helmets 😯
Eyes like cookie monsters after some descents though.

😆

I just couldn't resist 😳

Afans great fun you big gayer. We rode it in a couple of inches of snow

We stayed for the weekend at the unfriendliest hotel in the world. I love the Welsh, me. They're such a warm and welcoming race and don't have a chip on their shoulders at all.

+1 for brynteg as well. Dropoff cafe is great to have lunch.

I regularly ride there, have done it on my xc hardtail, singlespeed and full suss. All perfectly doable and fun, but I have the most fun on the full suss as you can really let it go on the rocky descents.

I ride solo there most times nearly always someone to have a chat to if you want to….

Challenge for 2010 is to do all 4 trails in one day.

BTW Hora – Bryteg is about 50m from the link track between the 2 visitor centres

IIRC it's about where the 10 marker is on this map
http://www.mbwales.com/media/viewfile.aspx?filepath=1_20090901114132_e_@@_Afan_W2_6_panel_card_2009.pdf&filetype=4

We've stayerd here http://www.greenlanterns.co.uk/
plus the T-Bones restaurant of a Sat night is excellent for people watching.

Afan is great – I regularly ride it (alone but there are always people around). It's not as epic as glentress and I think that it's closer to a natural trail than GT. It doesn't have the big GT berms and the descents are smaller but ride White's level and there is no fireroads to speak of. I like linking the trails like W2W or Wall and Penhydd. If you are fit you can ride Penhydd/Wall/Whites in a day no probs. Skyline is the only trail with lots of fireroad.

We stayed for the weekend at the unfriendliest hotel in the world. I love the Welsh, me. They're such a warm and welcoming race and don't have a chip on their shoulders at all.

Was that when one of your party started rolling a jaunt at the bar? 😉

http://www.brynbettwslodge.com/

Jaunt? Joint even 😕

The bit that CFH is advising to skip on Penhydd is currently closed due to the conditions anyway so you're be forced to follow what he described as the diversion anyway. I take that diversion all year round though – you don't miss anything fun.

HT will be fine. Depending on your fitness levels you can do all sorts in two days there. For normal reasonable fitness I'd say do Whites and July (the half skyline, turn right when presented with the same signs pointing left AND right). The do the Wall and Penhydd the other day.

If you're super fit. I'd say do W2 starting at Glyncorrwg, taking in Penhydd on the way round. Then on day two do Skyline and Whites again if you've still got the guns left.

I went on my own to Scotland for 5 days last summer. It did feel a bit weird at first, especially as you dont see many lone female riders at trail centres, but i got loads of riding in, could do things at my own pace, and met loads of nice people. Ended up being one of the best things i've ever done! And no one i met thought it was weird (or at least they didnt say so to my face :-))

lexiekay

lone female riders

At risk of coming across caddish. Oh feckit!

Well Heeelllooooooo

8)

After the first singletrack section (Desolation), rather than going left (Brashy Track), simply head straight on. This cuts out the rather dull section of Green Run

CFH is each section marked with a numbered-post so I can spot where to turn?