After seeing Nick post this, I have been meaning to have a go for a while. Any locals got any comment on the route (ie bits to avoid, bits to add ?)

Think I’ll have a bash later this month.

Cheers all.

and I’ll hijack this thread a bit too…

someone said on the earlier thread that the flattyres route is “back to front” and that the other way round is better…why? any other points of view?

cheers

to be totally accurate this is the route we did a couple of months back, forgot it was in bikehike, can recommend it although we went a bit astray on the first leg along Afon Gamlan (keep south of it or you’ll be bushwacking)

Stopped for a pint at the George III and then went looking for the Bothy.

The bothy was great, but it took us ages to find it, the Ty’n-y-groes Hotel had some great ale on and the food wasn’t bad.

Nick, link no work for me… just takes me back to STW.

Simon and Nick’s Pont Scethin Adventure

http://www.bikehike.co.uk/mapview.php?id=5277

clicky fixed

Lowey,

The route is a good one, but the main fun part of it is in the bike-fax guide. This does it the other way round, which is a much better way.

Park here, then ride up through the woods to point 9, then follow the road / track to point 8, 7, 6, 5, then 4. Then head up to point 11 (this gets a bit hike-a-bikey). Then descend through 10, and keep going down the road, then peel off back into the woods on the left just after 10, keep heading down, down some steps too, until eventually you end up at the pub for a well-earned pint.

Having now done it following bikefax and flattyresmtb, I can safely say the bikefax route is better by miles, and the extra distance doesn’t really add anything to it in either direction from the flattyresmtb start point.

That last descent just gets better and better. Top is steep and techy, then bouldery, then smooth fast grass, a bit of tarmac, then flying through the woods of single(ish)track, steps, a bit more, then pint!

Hope that helps, and when were you planning on doing it? 😉

It’s actually not clear which way we went is it…

Parked up just off the road nr Penrhos and then rode back down to the 470

Afon Gamlan
Garthgell
Hendreforion
Bwlch y Rhiwgry
Pont Fadog
into Dyffryn Ardudwy for food and water
Pont Scethin
Penmaenpool
Back to Bothy

I would definatly leave out the slog along the estury too, into a headwind=not nice way to start a ride!

I really wish I’d checked the flattyres route before posting it but couldn’t find my bikefax book (and am fighting food poisoning at the moment…)

Dave
Email Deejay if you want-we did this ride last september when we went to Wales for the weekend.
He should be able to give you some info or talk to you on the 12th about it.
Cheers
Steve

Ta Steve. No doubt he’ll have a MM route.

Is it worth the 2 hr drive to get there for a days riding ?

Is it worth the 2 hr drive to get there for a days riding ?

That depends on what you’re driving past to get to 😉 It is a very good route, with outstanding views if you get a good day that would certainly make it extra-special. Whether it’s better than other routes in North Wales, the Peaks, or the Lakes / Dales is a matter of opinion. If you’re driving to Snowdonia to ride, it’s certainly one I’d recommend!

Zokes… coming from Bolton.

I regularly ride in the Peaks, Dales, Lakes, etc etc.. but not done much in Snowdonia other than trail centres, so looking to correct that.

Its a fabulous route lowey – just click the pic for more. We were staying in Dol so rode along to Penmaenpool Bridge – paid 20p to cross and then up to join the trail from Bontddu – over Bwlch Rhiwgyr and back via Braich.

edit – pics for that ride start at Penmaenpool Bridge

Well, as I’m from Horwich (before I moved to Bangor 8 years ago), and thought you were from up that way, that’s why I asked. Are you planning a day trip, or a weekend away? It’ll probably take more like 2 1/2 – 3 hours to get down there from Bolton. The views you get from up there really make it, and the extra loop Nick added (which I’ve not done) looks like it would make it slightly more worthwhile if you were just coming for the day. If you were planning a weekend though, the shorter loop I suggest one day, and then either the Druids Circle route in Bikefax (similar to this, but without the Drum climb / descent, which I heartily recommend) the next day.

In fact, this would be a good poor-weather-day ride taking in a good natural loop with the Marin Trail for all-weather enjoyment. An alternative would be this – quite a tough ride, but again do it the bike-fax way i.e. the other way round.

Had a feeling your were once a local. Pardon my ignorance, but what is this bikefax you all speak of ?

Dave… great pics… looks like it has a proper “out there” feel.

That! – A very good book or CD-ROM of routes in snowdonia. They do them for quite a few places now…

tis a good book, full of great routes, nearly ruined by it being full of adverts, for some reason includes descriptions of the Marin trail and CyB, everything is in both english and welsh (why?) and incredibly poorly made, mine fell apart.

Ah, I just have the CD and print out PDFs when I need them. As for bilingualism, well, the routes are drawn up in a very welsh-speaking area, by people who live and work in such an area, and obviously felt that it would benefit them financially in some way by supporting the welsh language….