mountain biking - afan forest
Discussion
bit of an enthusiastic mountain biker but far from talented. realised where I am at uni I am really quite near afan forest (which from what i've heard has very very good mountain biking routes!) i was wondering whether anyone can comment on it compared to coed y brenin in north wales where i have been. does anyone know the marin ride in the gwydyr forest? the marin is possibly my favourite ride, has some great technical bits. i did the beast of coed y brenin last week in the wet (no rain, but lots of damp/wet rocks!) and enjoyed it but preferred the technical bits on the marin. how does afan compare to coed y brenin and the marin rides? i have seen the skyline route.....2000m of climb......WTF!!!!! i did the old karrimor ride a few years back which was a little over 1100m and thought that was an awful lot!
cheers guys!
cheers guys!
you will have to let me know how you find it 
i won't be going there until some point in the summer, so it will be after you! had to borrow a mates bike for coed y brenin since i had to scrap mine last year as it was a pile of sh*t, and having found out afan is really not far away from where i live....it's awfully tempting to save up and buy a bike...even if it's just £5-600. what ya reckon?
i won't be going there until some point in the summer, so it will be after you! had to borrow a mates bike for coed y brenin since i had to scrap mine last year as it was a pile of sh*t, and having found out afan is really not far away from where i live....it's awfully tempting to save up and buy a bike...even if it's just £5-600. what ya reckon?Hi guys - i live an hour ride from the bottom 1/2 of the skyline trail and ride it at least once a week.
If you've never been to the area there are two trail centres within 2(ish) miles of each other. Afan forest centre and there's the Glyncorrwg Centre.
Afan has The Wall and Penrhydd and Glyncorrwg Ponds has Whites level and Skyline.
If you're starting out i'd start at Penrhydd, some good mix of single track and some fire roads for climbing. (I've never done the Wall but i've heard there's lots of single track and can be very technical)
Up at Glyncorrwg. The start of the whites and the skyline (they share the same start, has a serious technical uphill sheet track - i haven't done it for a while and when i did. it f*cking killed me!) Once you're up the top, skyline continues climbing whilst whites levels of and there's some real fun stuff to try riding! There's some of my favourite singletrack up on Skyline, though there is a small trail diversion but it doesn't really spoil any of your fun as its just a re-direct of some fire roads.
Hope that helps? To answer your question – I always wear my SPDs, its not as rocky as coed-y-brenin (I’ve never done that centre but a friend has)
If you’re in South Wales, why not get up to Nant-yr-arian? Did that a month ago and was real fun!
If you've never been to the area there are two trail centres within 2(ish) miles of each other. Afan forest centre and there's the Glyncorrwg Centre.
Afan has The Wall and Penrhydd and Glyncorrwg Ponds has Whites level and Skyline.
If you're starting out i'd start at Penrhydd, some good mix of single track and some fire roads for climbing. (I've never done the Wall but i've heard there's lots of single track and can be very technical)
Up at Glyncorrwg. The start of the whites and the skyline (they share the same start, has a serious technical uphill sheet track - i haven't done it for a while and when i did. it f*cking killed me!) Once you're up the top, skyline continues climbing whilst whites levels of and there's some real fun stuff to try riding! There's some of my favourite singletrack up on Skyline, though there is a small trail diversion but it doesn't really spoil any of your fun as its just a re-direct of some fire roads.
Hope that helps? To answer your question – I always wear my SPDs, its not as rocky as coed-y-brenin (I’ve never done that centre but a friend has)
If you’re in South Wales, why not get up to Nant-yr-arian? Did that a month ago and was real fun!
hi bigrich,
thanks for the post. the other centre, i can't find a post code for it...here is a map of where afan visitor centre is
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&a...
could you please be so kind to place a marker where the other centre is?
guessing it's around here?
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&a...
how much does it cost to rent a bike there, and what are the bikes like? i'm guessing you rent a bike from the afan forest park visitor centre?
i have been there before but i only went running (didn't realise it was an MB park!!!!)
thanks for any further replies!!
thanks for the post. the other centre, i can't find a post code for it...here is a map of where afan visitor centre is
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&a...
could you please be so kind to place a marker where the other centre is?
guessing it's around here?
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&a...
how much does it cost to rent a bike there, and what are the bikes like? i'm guessing you rent a bike from the afan forest park visitor centre?
i have been there before but i only went running (didn't realise it was an MB park!!!!)
thanks for any further replies!!
Edited by E21_Ross on Monday 20th April 22:06
WildCards said:
I went to Afan last August for a weekend, I did Whites Level and The Wall. Both are very good, much better IMO than the Marin trail which isn't a very generous trail compared to these two. I wear SPD's everywhere I ride. You'll love it.
good stuff then. i think for starters something like white's level or the wall would be good starters, i think i would need a little more cycling before trying skyline! which would you say is better though, given in mind i like the marin's technical sections ever so slightly more than the beasts....the wall or white's level? i know they both start at different centres, but only a few miles apart!cheers again guys!
afan is easy to get to. leave the m4 at junction 40
turn right and go under the M4
take the first left at the mini roundabout and the next left.
follow the A4107 towards cwmafan
after about 15 minutes the afan car park is on your right.
it gets very busy in the summer and at the weekend so if you can take a trip during teh week its far more relaxed. i usually rid ethe wall as it has some really nice fast singletrack sections and if you are feeling ok you can do two laps or go back to the cafe for beans on toast and then go out again!
turn right and go under the M4
take the first left at the mini roundabout and the next left.
follow the A4107 towards cwmafan
after about 15 minutes the afan car park is on your right.
it gets very busy in the summer and at the weekend so if you can take a trip during teh week its far more relaxed. i usually rid ethe wall as it has some really nice fast singletrack sections and if you are feeling ok you can do two laps or go back to the cafe for beans on toast and then go out again!
pablo said:
follow the A4107 towards cwmafan
...and enjoy it. (I like that road...)
Used to live in Swansea so Afan was my local trail centre and I really rate it. The Penhydd, although it's very short by trail centre standards is probably my favourite because it just flows so nicely with fantastic fast swooping downhill sections - it's a little bit like the Red Bull (sorry, Tarw) at Coed y Brenin. The Wall I thought was somewhat overated, but still great fun, and White's Level has one of the best constructed climbs anywhere at the start, plenty of open singletrack in the middle and a technical rocky section at the end.
There's not quite as much scope I wouldn't say (the sections tend to be shorter), but it tends to be quieter than Coed Y Brenin and it's every bit as good in most places.
If you're in South Wales have you been to Cwm Carn near Cardiff? Fantastic loop with one of the best XC downhills you'll find anywhere and a seperate freeride/DH area with uplift for those a bit more serious.
I live close to Afan Argoed, and started MTBing there over 15 years ago. (Before the trails had names).
After a boring layoff following a foot op, I did the Penhydd trail last tuesday. It was the day after Easter monday, and was nice and quiet. The monday had been hectic apparently.
The first few kms of Penhydd are uphill, but once you get into the Hidden Valley, and onto Sidewinder it's great fun.
Haven't done Skyline/Wall/Whites in their current guises, but back up there this weekend.
Try these links.
http://www.mbwales.com/default.aspx
http://www.mtb-wales.com/modules.php?op=modload&am...
After a boring layoff following a foot op, I did the Penhydd trail last tuesday. It was the day after Easter monday, and was nice and quiet. The monday had been hectic apparently.
The first few kms of Penhydd are uphill, but once you get into the Hidden Valley, and onto Sidewinder it's great fun.
Haven't done Skyline/Wall/Whites in their current guises, but back up there this weekend.
Try these links.
http://www.mbwales.com/default.aspx
http://www.mtb-wales.com/modules.php?op=modload&am...
I live not far away, and ride there a couple of times a month I'd guess.
I wouldn't disagree with anything above. If you're new to the whole Trail Centre thang, then try Penhydd out first. As above really, the climb gets pretty steep in parts to get the blood pumping but it's nice fireroad so not very technical. The downs are all singletrack and suit any level of experience, it's just a matter of how fast you want to go.
The Wall is my fave trail. Oddly most of my riding mates hate it. it's really, one long massive climb. Starts off pretty flat fire road, then slightly steeper fire road, then steep single track. Meanders up and down at the top, and then has a really, really long fast descent. It's bloody stunning. Starts all rocky and dusty (a bit like Coed y Brening only more open and faster). As you get lower and further into the woods it gets softer and more tech. The last couple of hundred meters are pretty tech as it gets muddy with tight woops and turns and really dark even in the middle of summer.
White's is the busiest trail there. It's the one, most people who are down for a special trip hit. The Climb is hard, but once you're up there's not much more climbing to be done. The Downs are fast (if you want to go fast) and technical with drops and rocks (nothing massive) The optional black run is best left alone until you've done the main trail a couple of times as people do get hurt from time to time on it. There's also some raised (2-3ft) wood sections, some on the black section which isn't optional, but pretty straight and some twistier stuff on the main trail that's now optional.
I've never done the full Skyline, I'm told there's lots of featureless fireroad. But i've done the massive final descent a few times on my DH bike, it's bloody awesome!
I wouldn't disagree with anything above. If you're new to the whole Trail Centre thang, then try Penhydd out first. As above really, the climb gets pretty steep in parts to get the blood pumping but it's nice fireroad so not very technical. The downs are all singletrack and suit any level of experience, it's just a matter of how fast you want to go.
The Wall is my fave trail. Oddly most of my riding mates hate it. it's really, one long massive climb. Starts off pretty flat fire road, then slightly steeper fire road, then steep single track. Meanders up and down at the top, and then has a really, really long fast descent. It's bloody stunning. Starts all rocky and dusty (a bit like Coed y Brening only more open and faster). As you get lower and further into the woods it gets softer and more tech. The last couple of hundred meters are pretty tech as it gets muddy with tight woops and turns and really dark even in the middle of summer.
White's is the busiest trail there. It's the one, most people who are down for a special trip hit. The Climb is hard, but once you're up there's not much more climbing to be done. The Downs are fast (if you want to go fast) and technical with drops and rocks (nothing massive) The optional black run is best left alone until you've done the main trail a couple of times as people do get hurt from time to time on it. There's also some raised (2-3ft) wood sections, some on the black section which isn't optional, but pretty straight and some twistier stuff on the main trail that's now optional.
I've never done the full Skyline, I'm told there's lots of featureless fireroad. But i've done the massive final descent a few times on my DH bike, it's bloody awesome!
Edited by P-Jay on Tuesday 21st April 11:01
Afan is great. I have ridden Coed y Brenin and Llandegla amongst others in North Wales but Afan is the one I will be going back to. We did The Wall in the pissing rain last July (I mean solid heavy rain ALL day, like you only get in Wales!) and it was still very good. There is a lot of climbing early on but it is more than worth it as the downhill is spectacular. It really is a white knuckle ride, I struggled to remove my hands from the bars at the bottom as it really is a long section. My mate did the ride on a rigid singlespeed bike though so it can't be THAT hard! ;-)
The whites level was the pick of the bunch, we rode that twice on the sunday in glorious sunshine. The uphill section is mostly singletrack and very technical in places which takes your mind off the uphill burn. Once at the top the scenery is stunning and the downhill sections are awesome. (we saw a lad with a finger which was barely attached and had put a rock through his full face helmet at the top of the last decent) but if you take it at your own pace then you will be fine.
I have changed to the darkside of SPD's since that trip, but will definitely not be changing back to flats for the trip in a few weeks.
We're planning a Raven trail at Brechfa on the Saturday and then a Whites Level sunday... Can't wait!
The whites level was the pick of the bunch, we rode that twice on the sunday in glorious sunshine. The uphill section is mostly singletrack and very technical in places which takes your mind off the uphill burn. Once at the top the scenery is stunning and the downhill sections are awesome. (we saw a lad with a finger which was barely attached and had put a rock through his full face helmet at the top of the last decent) but if you take it at your own pace then you will be fine.
I have changed to the darkside of SPD's since that trip, but will definitely not be changing back to flats for the trip in a few weeks.
We're planning a Raven trail at Brechfa on the Saturday and then a Whites Level sunday... Can't wait!
E21_Ross said:
also, something i have forgotten to ask...how well signposted are the trails at afan? as said i've done a few at coed y brenin and the marin trail and they have been fantastically signposted. just wondering if afan is as good?
keep the posts coming guys
Afan is well signposted. keep the posts coming guys
ps. I'm a SPuD person.
E21_Ross said:
hi bigrich,
thanks for the post. the other centre, i can't find a post code for it...here is a map of where afan visitor centre is
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&a...
could you please be so kind to place a marker where the other centre is?
guessing it's around here?
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&a...
how much does it cost to rent a bike there, and what are the bikes like? i'm guessing you rent a bike from the afan forest park visitor centre?
i have been there before but i only went running (didn't realise it was an MB park!!!!)
thanks for any further replies!!
Depends what you want to hire, but you'd be looking at £30-40, not bad when you consider wear, tear and transport costs. I've never hired, but they appear to use reasonable hardtails or full suspension bikes, might be worth googling to see if you can book in advance if you are planning to go on a weekend.thanks for the post. the other centre, i can't find a post code for it...here is a map of where afan visitor centre is
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&a...
could you please be so kind to place a marker where the other centre is?
guessing it's around here?
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&a...
how much does it cost to rent a bike there, and what are the bikes like? i'm guessing you rent a bike from the afan forest park visitor centre?
i have been there before but i only went running (didn't realise it was an MB park!!!!)
thanks for any further replies!!
Edited by E21_Ross on Monday 20th April 22:06
E21_Ross said:
from what i've heard...think i will try white's level for my first trip at afan. been doing mountain biking here and there for about 4 years now so not a complete novice at least not gonna be for a month or so yet....after exams are over!!
We followed the black W2 signposts last year. Which is Wall & Whites together, you start at Afan and ride to Glyncorrwg on the first half of The Wall, then ride from Glyncorrwg doing Whites which near the end neatly joins back up with the second half of The Wall and drops you back down to the Afan car park, it's a great ride and the final descents of The Wall will leave your hands feeling pummeled, I had to stop half way down to shake mine off. not gonna be for a month or so yet....after exams are over!!I think Whites level is probably my favourite, on the day we were set to leave the heavens opened and none of the other chaps in my group wanted to go out, so I downed a load of water and set out into the torrential rain on my own from Glyncorrwg, in shorts and a jacket with no tools, just a phone I monstered up the 6km climb like I a possessed man and railed the string of descents to get back into the centre car park 1hr 20 minutes after i'd left. Only to find my mates in the cafe boozing it up and eating Lasagne. That, is probably my best Mountain Bike memory to date.
Remember to carry some cash BTW, the foodery at Glyncorrwg is about the best there is, and they sell full fat mans beer too.
http://www.mbwales.com/en/content/cms/Centres/Afan...
Edited by WildCards on Tuesday 21st April 15:56
thinking of buying this bike....you guys reckon it will be able to cope with the likes of afan without any trouble?
http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2009bikes/bike.php?mo...
if i can afford it might go for the forks upgrade. a mate of mine has a scott with the upgraded forks but with 120mm travel instead of 100mm and they are good. any idea how long you need to place an order before they can deliver?
cheers.
http://www.orangebikes.co.uk/2009bikes/bike.php?mo...
if i can afford it might go for the forks upgrade. a mate of mine has a scott with the upgraded forks but with 120mm travel instead of 100mm and they are good. any idea how long you need to place an order before they can deliver?
cheers.
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