It looks like I have to take some leave before starting my new job, so I'm planning on throwing the bike, tent and doss bag in the car and riding some welsh trail centres. I'd love to do some natural riding but will be alone so best to stick to the trail centres. I ride afan and cwmcarn regularly so will miss those out. I'm planning
Brechfa Raven (ridden the gorlech before)
Machynlleth mach2 and climachx
Coed y brenin MBR, dragons back, tarw
Betws y coed marin and penmachno
Llandegla red and black
Are any of these trails a bit sucky? Any great ones I've missed? Just looking for some advice from peeps who have ridden these before please. I'm going to be pretty tired so wanted to miss out the really long rides.
Also any recommendations for campsites (near pubs) would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!

rode the gorlech and the raven t'other week, and we camped in the gorlech carpark, then headed to the black lion for a few beers really recommended!

You missed Nant yr Arian. Lovely place to ride!

Hmmm. Pubs…, well you could ask at the Tyn Y Groes for Coed y Brenin, they're bound to be able to help out. For Brechfa, ask the lovely, lovely people at Bike Brechfa.

Thanks CFH, if I include nant yr arian it would be at the cost of one of the other places. Still recommend it?
Anyone else?

Trail Guides tab at the top of the page…
http://www.singletrackworld.com/trailguide/category/uk/wales/

You're missing out big time if you're only riding trail centres, there's plenty of incredible natural riding there (some of the routes in that trail guides bit) and I'm sure a post or two on here will hook you up with some locals who'd be willing to act as guide for the day.

Seems a shame to go somewhere like that and only ride trail centres…

I'd pop up to Snowdonia & ride Betws-y-coed and Snowdon.

Hmmm, I could just get snowdon in before may 1st when the ban comes in.
Probably have to miss out brechfa though.
Crazy legs, I agree that I'd be copping out a bit just riding the trail centres but as I said I'll be alone and riding in the daytime, so I don't expect there to be many people around to guide me.

I'd miss out the mach trails and do Afan and W2 and Skyline, 2 great trails in my opinion.

If you fancy a night of luxury you could even stay at the Afan Lodge, a cracking biking retreat.

Cheers artydave but I ride afan regularly (bristol based).
I do agree that the trail are great and the lodge is brilliant and run by very nice people.

Leave out the Mach 2 and do the ClimachX and the Summit trail (Nant-yr-Arian) in one day.

Doethie valley.. if it's the one I am thinking of. Unforgettable.

rode brechfa red and black last weekend, have to say I think red was way more fun. Parts of the black look a bit tired imo…

Leave out Llandegla and do Nant yr Arian instead.

My 2p worth;

Don't bother with mach2.
Leave time at Brechfa for a blast round the green/blue.

Drop either Llandegla or the Marin trail for Nant yr Arian.

Nany y Arian would be top of my list, with everything else arranged around.

Post up on MTB-Wales for some local company riders. We are a friendly enough bunch. Then you can get to ride some of the natural stuff. And as mentioned above, Doethie is astoundingly wonderful.

Nant Y Arian would be a deffo fella, Beast at CYB is my preferred trail there…tough choice between those two as my fave Trail centre trail…NYA doesn't feel like one though! Penmachno over the Marin…Llandegla would be my last choice…although if you ride it at least you'll enjoy the peripherals!

OK I'll have to do some reworking to include Nant Y Arian.
Hows about;
Day 1 Brechfa Raven & green
Day 2 Machynlleth climachx
Nant y arian summit
Day 3/4 Coed y brenin MBR, dragons back, tarw
day 4 Penmachno
Day 5 Snowdon (rangers)
Day 6 Llandegla black

No replies; must be perfect!

(I've not read most of above, just your last reworked plan btw, so apologies)

"Day 3/4 Coed y brenin MBR, dragons back, tarw"
Do 'the beast' @ CyB instead of MBR and dragons back. I takes in 95% of the singletrack sections (excludes dreamtime) but the distance is a fair bit less. Get a map of the loops, and then on the dragons back/beast you want to cut out the big out/back loop (at the far away end) just after the (non FC) cafe and bomb up the road/(3rd) fireroad (on RHS) instead (the short bit of singletrack on that bit is supposed* to be a dull loose gravelly up anyway). It'll make it more doable in a day
Then the next day fitting Tarw and Penmachno (at least loop 1**) should be more doable

*or so I'm told

**IMO (and I'm sure many will disagree) loop 2 isn't that great (when compared to loop 1) so if you're pushed for time (and packing up/driving/unpacking in between 2 forests will take a little while) then IMO you could leave out loop2 @ penmachno

You'll want to do Nant-y-arian before Cli-mach X so you're not having to drive south (but defo do ClimachX, its brilliant, one of my favourites, made better by adding in the steep/loose hidden DH just after the last singletrack section .. )

Coed Llandegla won't take all day, but it'll let you get home I assume. Its a bit different to the others, but probably worth going (so long as you go with an open mind) just to try it to see if you like it if you've not been before

Thanks a lot james, that's perfect and absolutely the kind of info I'm after. Thanks again.
I'm totally open minded and just looking forward to some time on my bike!

Nanty, best out of the lot. nothing else comes close to mixing man made with the out in the middle of nowhere if it's mid-winter and I crash I'm gonna die feeling. Penmachno is one you have to do no matter what, just make sure to pay attention to the signs and do both loops.
MBNW

my choice after a few round wales trips would be taking friday and monday off work to do:
friday – brechfa and Cwm Rhaeadr
saturday – climach-x and nant-y-arian (loved it the one time i went)
sunday – coed-y-brenin
monday – llandegla on the way home

if you're going near Cwm Rhaeadr (pdf found at the bottom of THIS page) its worth getting out for a quick loop. good fun and another trail to tick off.

on your latest list – good idea sticking snowdon in, i'd love to try that. good you're doing brechfa green too – if only for the final descent! don't worry about skipping the standard mach routes – i did mach 2 and found it boring for adrenaline i was seeking.