@jaffejoffer Nita’s B&B in Llanberis is always a good bet. Or if you’re wanting to start from the Ranger side, then the Ranger hostel is about as well placed as you’ll get.

jaffejoffer – can’t work out how to PM you through the site so here goes

Based Waunfawr – between Caernarfon and Llanberis. Can often work on very short notice as long as I’m not already tied up. And (very reasonable 🙂 )rates on my website http://www.mtbguiding.co.uk but deals can always be done 🙂
Thanks for asking

Hey Mrhoppy, any advice/pointers/gpx of cheeky sections?

Fantombiker, PM me for a GPX of Cowlyd. No wonder I can’t make a living out of selling guidebooks or guiding people 🙂

Snowdon is almost as close as Coed y Brenin though you’re still in voluntary ban season so evening ascent is best. Also great riding in the slate quarries etc above Llanberis. Can be linked with Telegraph Valley and a bit of cheeky stuff. A little further and you’ve Cowlyd, Capel Curig and Betws-y-coed.

Let us know if you want a local guide 🙂

There’s a good ‘natural’ loop you can do around the Gower – links Cefn Bryn with Rhosili Down. It’s in my Wales Mountain Biking book 🙂 Mix that with a morning at Afan and it would be a good enough reason to take it.

Great trail/trails. Pretty much run by volunteers too… The Eagles in Penmachno is excellent too – no need to go to Betws-y-coed for food if it’s open. Agree re the Cowlyd loop – a real gem. But there is just no way to avoid that road descent 🙁 It may be better started at capel Curig, that way it at least comes in the middle so you get the singletrack from Crimpiau at the end 🙂

I’d second both Mudtrek and Old Skool…

Hired a Ripley for a 2 day bike pack in the Cairngorms and loved it. Took it out on some forest singletrack at the end too and still loved it. Never ridden the Tallboy but can’t imagine anyone could be disappointed in the Ripley.

Would hate to say Amazon so how about http://www.bikemaps.co.uk/wales-mtb/wales-mountain-biking-routes-guide.htm or local shops in Wales…

Radnor Forest has a few good trails too – best in drier weather. Need to get back there myself – still some more exploring to do!

@johnnystorm – Nice one!

There’s some good stuff to the east. I usually start at Hundred House but you could also start at Aberedw. Either way, a shortish road ride from Builth.

The route in my Wales Mountain Biking book (plug), heads south to Aberedw, up over Llandeilo Hill and Llanbedr Hill, then north to Allt Dderw. Continue east then west to Glasgwm and then north back to Hundred House.

Hope that helps?

I just used Parcel Monkey – around £18 all in. And no complaints.

Try https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.canouet.android.smb&hl=en_GB

No, check out the website http://www.verbierbikepark.ch/activites_enduro_en.php

Check out the new Enduro trails – there’s an official map etc. Rode a few a couple of weeks ago and they were excellent. The bike park downhill blue is great too.

BeddgelertForest would be good. There’s a waymarked, non-techie (fireroad) trail and a superb well-surfaced Bridleway linking Rhyd Ddu and Beddgelert. The forest is lovely and gives great views of the Nantlle Hills and Snowdon.

The initial drop onto the south ridge is pretty techy – read unrideable – so you’ll not bother too many there. If you go all the way to Bwlch Cwm Llan, it’s much the same but then you can blast down to Rhyd Ddu – wide and not too techie. Most would break off at Llechog, like your map, in which case you’ll meet some walkers but it’s not as busy as the other side. It’s pretty techie though. The good bits are better than the good bits on the Ranger, but there are a lot of bad bits, there aren’t any really on the Ranger. Either way, work within the ban and it won’t be too bad.

Ta for the replies all.

@P20, mine’s compact dualiner – 2 seats in the front and 3 in the back though one has been removed. Loving it so far.

@deadkenny – absolutely – thanks for those, real food for thought.

Re just tying them to the side, it has windows all round so this means bars onto glass 🙁 Hence the need to get them supported somehow.

There’s also a campsite near Llyn Cwellyn, which is very close to the Ranger, and another at the Snowdonia Park, Waunfawr, which is a. close to the Ranger and b. has a pub that does food etc…

As another local, and a guide on the mountain http://www.mtbguiding.co.uk , I’d like to echo other opinions here.

1. Pushing up at any time is unlikely to cause a problem per se, and I’m not sure about counters and wheels? But the problem is that a. you will definitely be descending a busy path – no fun for you or them and b. The walkers you pass will obviously realise that you were on the mountain a lot earlier than 5 and that will almost certainly form part of any complaint.

2. Yes, it’s voluntary but anybody who flouts it is just sticking 2 fingers up at all mountain bikers as we will all be banned from the mountain altogether.

3. A suggested route would be to start at the Ranger at whatever time you like. Go up and over Bwlch Maesgwm and down Telegraph Valley at whatever time you like. Then head back up Snowdon at around 5pm from Llanberis. You’ll top out by 7 and can then descend the Ranger back to the start – probably by 8, which isn’t too late to get some grub or check into accommodation.

Enjoy

I bought 4 x 532s as they are a bit cheaper. Carried too All-mountain MTBs and 2 x light carbon road bikes all around Scotland over the last few weeks and worked perfectly.

Aviemore – great town, amazing riding… could even recommend a cottage/house that I stayed in 2 weeks ago (PM me). I’d give the Old Bridge Inn a miss though.

Was winter climbing on Snowdon on tuesday – the top few hundred metres are snow and ice and ill-prepared walkers are getting hurt… This will melt eventually.

To link Rhyd Ddu with Llanberis, either go down the Ranger then push/carry (1/2 hr) over Bwlch Maesgwm and down Telegraph Valley, which is great singletrack as long as you can bunny hop drainage channels.

Or ride the road up to Waunfawr and climb over Bwlch y Groes and descend into Llanberis. You can stop and play in the slate quarries on the way if you pump your tyres up hard!

Give me a shout if you like? Know the area well and wrote a guidebook http://www.lakedistrictmountainbikeroutes.co.uk

My guiding business is just getting off the ground so preferential rates as I try and build it up.

PM me if you want to chat – no obligation or hard sell honest!

It’s better up Grooves Beck than Calfhow Pike, but it’s soft and pretty gruelling in all but the driest conditions. It’s still the easiest way up though…

There’s snow down to around 700m – perhaps lower at the moment – even on Moel Eilio (which is about 1 mile from my house). But it’s not particularly well consolidated so if it gets warmer it’ll all go in minutes.

Re riding Moel Eilio, there’s no right of way over the mountain and the ground’s soft as hell, I’d recommend keeping it legal or waiting for summer.

If you want a loop, try over Bwlch y Groes, down to Waunfawr and road to the Ranger. Up the Ranger and over Bwlch Maesgwm then down Telegraph Valley.

Llyn Cowlyd loop is low enough to avoid the snow.