Share your South Wales 'gravel' rides or trails

Nipper – that’s a regular XC cycle for me. Soaking wet this time of year up there apart from the fireroads obviously. Nice ride, lots of climbing though.

The run along the top from Twmbarlwm towards Hafodrynys is flat, windswept and desolate interspersed with deep boggy ruts. Just if you wanted to extend from Caerphilly.

Rob, Ive not been up for a while to Sarn Helen since the FC trashed the bridleway back down to Crynant – used to be my regular post work short blast.

Ah, there is some decent off piste stuff up there now

Ah, there is some decent off piste stuff up there now

Where would I head to look for that? (If you don’t mind sharing?)

This was my initial effort:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7jYe9__4MEyQ0liTjFFanlFZlU/view?usp=sharing

But I’m not really happy with the Eastern section. It’s a bit too contrived. I wanted to include a section on the big hills by Cwmcarn but it’s not easy to do without getting cheeky. I want to keep it legal. Might drop the Eastern valleys altogether and just go straight up to Merthyr Common via Caerphilly and Senghenydd.

There are a few good options on the Western side, not sure which one’s best. The finish is a lot of road, but I wanted to keep the bit coming into Llantrisant past the wind turbines, cos I like it.

Looks good Molgrips, I really don’t know very much of that route apart from Abertillery to Brynmawr. I dont know what crossing all the valleys south of the A465 is like, but the alternative would be to go through Brynmawr and onto the Blackrock road to Llangattock, from there you could do Canal to Talybont then back up via forestry to Methyr, or if you really want an extension you could go into the Black mountains briefly from Llangattock

^^Assuming you mean the Hafod mountain road and drop down to Llangattock, much much nicer than going down Blackrock, and theres all the roadworks at the moment.
Also, parts of the towpath around Llangynidr are closed at the mo, or at least they were last week, no problem to nip on the road though.

Could this route be done on cx bikes ?

CX would be the plan for me but mg is on a rigid 29er i think
Yes i meant road at top not the drop down to gilwern. quite a rough road but no traffic just not quite gravel, towpath is easy to get round or go quicker on back road.

Where are you houndlegs?

Abertillery, God’s little acre 😀

I’m aiming for rigid MTB, so there should be rocky bits. You’ll be ok on CX if you have big tyres 🙂

Ok, after an exhaustive afternoon spent compiling information from the Strava heatmap, OS maps and satellite imagery, I’ve modified the route quite a bit, mostly making the eastern half a lot more sensible.

It’s amazing what’s on the ground that’s not on the OS map above Cwmbran!

http://ridewithgps.com/trips/7421353

Please comment on the route as a lot of it I don’t know, so I want to know if there are better options. There’s an awful lot of fire road after Merthyr above Blaenrhondda.

Also the first bit from Castell Coch on the Rhymney Valley Ridgeway might change – too fiddly to be done so early in the ride I think.

The climb out of Machen may be a little steep and rocky. May be better off going up the lane out of machen towards trethomas past turners farm up top the back across puddle lane.

It’s pretty steep on the road bit, but it’s not that rocky and it levels off a fair bit. I’m intending to do this on an MTB so it suits 🙂

Molgrips. That funny bit between mile marker 75 and 76 isn’t there anymore where it goes through the trees unmarked. Just turn right at the quarry and go the shorter way to mile marker 76 keeping left on route 47.

Also, as you’ve mapped, it keep right of the Lluest Wen dam. Route 47 takes you across the dam and up an unrideable climb. When you cross the Rhigos mountain road your in the windfarm site so if anyone asks you’re heading towards Cwmparc away from the turbines. They’re normally pretty good tho as long as you keep an eye out for them.

I also prefer the descent down to Castle Nos Resevoir from maerdy road then follow the road up to Lluest Wen. Keeps it a bit more ingesting plus it’s an actual road from the bottom Resevoir to the top with no cars on.

Hell of a ride tho.

Phil, thanks for the local knowledge 🙂 edited accordingly.

Re Castell Nos, do you mean the FP that goes due west down the hillside from the lower of those two car parks?

Yeah thats it.

This is the descent…

https://www.strava.com/segments/6893099

Did the first bit of the big loop today, on trails I didn’t know were there until I found them on Google Earth. They aren’t suitable for a gravel bike… In fact, I’m not sure they are suitable for any kind of bike.. 3 hour loop turned into a 4.5 hour loop.. I think it needs some editing… !

Great thread!
Having just got a CX (gravel bike) I’m interested in doing some less technical off-road rides so the info here is perfect.

Out of interest, has anyone done some of the Beacons loops here: http://www.breconbeacons.org/mountain-biking-routes

Particularly interested if any of the blue routes are doable on a CX bike?

Any thoughts on the above?

Hi Kamakazie
Where are you based?
I live in the Beacons and use my cross bike more than any other at the moment
I dont know those routes on the website very well, but many of the routes and links I have added in this thread will include what you want. The best network of forest tracks are around Talybont reservoir and the 2 reservoirs near Merthyr of Pontsticill and Dolygaer
Usk reservoir further west has lots of forest track also but I dont know them well, the hill above Llangorse is quite good and can link in with the Hermitage Valley via Cwmdu /Pengenfordd but otherwise the blacks can be a bit too hard
Best thing is look at my strava routes above

Thanks captcaveman. I’m based in Cardiff so it’s a bit of a drive but we are wanting to test some routes before organising a works group ride.

I’ve had a look at some of the Strava routes and they look good thanks so will definitely test them out when we get some good weather!

The Usk resy route with a couple of add ons is nice on a cx but the FC have trashed the track and show no signs of making good at present – shame as its a nice after work loop (work in Brecon).