Mountain Biking in Wales, UK
Rugged Wales. The UK mightn’t spring to mind as a top MTB destination but the small ‘principality’ of Wales is home to some of the finest mountain biking on the planet. Exiled Welsh native Steve Thomas provides an insight…I’ve been fortunate enough to have biked all over the world, well a fair portion of it anyway. Some 50 odd countries in all; from the Slickrock Trail of Moab, across the Himalayas, through Africa, Iceland and the jungles of Borneo—pretty amazing riding all in all. But do you know what the answer is every time someone asks me; “So, where’s your favourite place to ride?” Without so much of a doubt I always answer the trails of Mid and North Wales!
Okay, so being my original homeland makes me a little biased, but only a little. Ask anyone who’s taken any time to visit this mountainous lake-land region—it is genuinely stunning and plastered with a mixture of ancient trails as well as man made trail centres. Wales offers a huge profusion of differing trails all within an area about a quarter the size of Tasmania.
If you get the chance to visit the UK, be sure to spend at least a few days in Wales; you will be amazed.
Top Picks - Great Places to Ride
1 Coed y Brenin (near Dolgelleau) North West Wales
The relatively remote Coed y Brenin was the original Welsh trail centre and it remains as one of the best places to ride in Britain, or anywhere for that matter. Located near the small tourist town of Dolgelleau, it features a number of classic routes of up to 38km in length, all with amazing singletrack and vistas.
The trails are marked out and all-weather friendly, so great to ride at any time. There is a great set-up here too; with showers, bike wash, a café and shop on site.
2 Betws y Coed, Snowdonia, North Wales
Snowdonia is one of the most visually dramatic places in Wales, and its trails are just as stunning. Betws y Coed is the ‘alpine’ style town at the centre of the region. Marked trails head straight out of town and provide tough riding with great singletrack. The 29km ‘Marin Trail’ is a classic. Close by you also have the ‘Penmachno Trail’, which is another epic day-long ride.
3 Nant y Arian (near Aberystwyth) West Wales
Lurking deep in the forests above Aberystwyth is the Nant y Arian trail centre. This place is fairly remote, but does have a small café that opens year round (weekends only in winter). The trails are big here; steep sided, amazing scenery and great riding guaranteed—especially on the Summit Trail.
4 Afan Argoed (near Swansea) South Wales
Many mountain bikers rate the legendary Afan trails as the best in the land, and I guess that’s hard to argue with. This South Wales trail haven is home to several great rides, and they are really singletrack heavy—even if a tad on the lumpy side.
The forest centre has a café and bike wash on hand too. Check www.afanforestpark.co.uk for more information.
5 Cwnmcarn, South Wales
Deep in the forested valleys of South Wales is the Cwmcarn MTB Centre, another of the great purpose built facilities in Wales. There’s loads of singletrack there as well as a downhill track with a year round shuttle bus service to the top (www.cwmdown.co.uk).
6 Llandegla (near Wrexham) North East Wales
The small Llandegla Forest trail centre is the closest and best mountain biking to Britain’s Northwest. There are several singletrack based trails here of every grade, along with a decent café and trail centre, it makes for a good day of riding. Check out www.coedllandegla.com for more.
7 Llanwrtyd Wells & Coed Trallwm, Mid Wales
The small town of Llanwrtyd Wells (the smallest town in the UK) is legendary in mountain bike terms. This is more or less where the sport began in the UK, thanks to the ‘Man vs Horse Race’, and latterly the ‘World MTB Bog Snorkelling Championships’! This small town is surrounded by fantastic forest, moorland and mountain trails. There are many marked out routes, as well as miles of natural trails. There is also the Trallwm Trail Centre close by.
8 Elan Valley, Rhayader, Mid Wales
Known as the ‘Welsh Lake District’, the Elan Valley has long been home to big natural scenic rides. Here you will find rolling open mountains and wild scenery that you could ride for weeks on end; a truly magical place to ride. For details check out www.clivepowell-mtb.co.uk
9 The Berwyns, North West Wales
The slate and moorland based Berwyn Mountains are often overlooked by bikers and tourists, which means that you can ride some awesome natural trails and hardly see another soul. The trails around the stunning Lake Vyrnwy, Llanrhaeadr Ym Mochnant and over the Wayfarer are truly epic rides to take on.
10 The Clwyds, North West Wales
If you’re heading in from the north, the first mountains you reach are part of the Clwydian Range. Here you’ll find a number of great rides, many with superb views across the entire north of Wales, check out www.ridetheclwyds.com for more.
11 The Hiraethog, North Wales
The Hiraethog range of mountains are in the far north of Wales. The riding is wide open and natural featuring with plenty of forests and lakes. For more info go to www.ridehiraethog.com
12 Machynlleth; ‘Southwest of North Wales’
The small, near unpronounceable town of Machynlleth (mac-unth-leth) is a fascinating place, and it is at the centre of Welsh ‘alternative society’. The riding here is truly awesome. It clings to the southern fringes of Snowdonia which means dramatic mountain scenery and epic riding. Here you’ll find a bit of everything; singletrack, forests, moorland, lakes—you name it Mach has it. Check out www.dyfimountainbiking.org.uk
13 Radnorshire, Mid-East Wales
The old county of Radnorshire marks the border with England, and is home to an amazing number of trails. Here you will find plenty of ‘old style trail riding’; that is the sort where you will need to use a map to find your way around. For more go to
Trans-Cambrian Challenge
The 160km Trans-Cambrian Challenge is a ride that pretty well does what is says; traversing Wales from east to west, passing through some of the best and most remote terrain in Britain along the way. The route is an IMBA Epic and details can be found at www.imba.org.uk in the ‘where to ride’ section.
General Information
Getting There & Around
Wales is about three hours drive west from London, or an hour from Manchester or Birmingham. It has to be said that public transport is not great in the UK, but it is possible to use rail to get close to many of these ride sites. However, you must check in advance which trains take bikes and then reserve your bike space.
By far the best way to take in the wonders of Wales is to hire a car. All airports and cities have the major outlets on site. It costs around AUS$250 per week for a small car, although fuel is not cheap.
Where You Can & Can’t Ride
All roads, trails and footpaths are graded in the UK, and the superb Ordnance Survey maps detail these very clearly. The 1:5000 ‘Landranger’ series are excellent for mountain bike route finding. Most trails are pretty well marked on the ground, but it can get a little sketchy in more remote areas.
Most of the routes detailed here are well marked and designated biking routes, although in many areas you will need to adhere to the laws of the land; for the most part this means that you do not ride on public footpaths (dotted red lines on Landranger maps). Most ‘bridleways’ (red dashed lines) are legal to ride and many routes follow these. Check for details at www.imba.co.uk under ‘Public Rights of Way/FAQ’.
The highest peak in Wales is Mount Snowdon (1,085m), which has a number of bridleways leading to the summit. However, riding is banned between 9am-5pm in summer due to clashes with hikers. It is also something of a bike push to get up there, and best done on foot—without your bike.
Eat, Drink & Ride Merry
The UK is not the cheapest country in the world, but Wales is cheaper than England—especially in the countryside. Most pubs serve up food, and there are usually restaurants, good takeaways and cafes around the trail centres. Wales is not renown for it’s cuisine, but you really can’t visit without trying fish and chips by the sea, Welsh lamb, and a slice of ‘barra brith’ (Welsh bread/cake). Welsh country pubs are well known for their unusual hospitality, so be sure to frequent them.
There are plenty of good bike shops all around Wales and the trail centres tend to have decent spares on hand too.
Sleeping
Accommodation in the UK is more expensive than in Australia. A B&B or small hotel will be at least AUS$75 per night, but you will find cheaper in the wilds. Camping is a good option in Wales with plenty of sites around. In some places you will also find bunk hostels. Youth Hostels are another good option; check out www.yha.org.uk or even the listings at www.mbwales.com
When to Visit
Wales is truly a dramatic and very green land. It’s green because it rains a lot! But all of the man made trails are built with this in mind, so they are great for year round riding. Without a doubt the period between early May and late October is the best time to visit and ride in Wales. While you should still expect almost anything weather wise, it should be predominantly warm and reasonably dry—it can even be really hot in July/August. Regardless of the season, you should always pack some wet weather and winter gear if you are heading out into the wilds of Wales.
Other Resources
Events
Wales is the venue for numerous mountain biking events and these can be a great way to see the country. You’ll stumble across something or other most weekends throughout the summer, and even the winter. Be it a National Series race, a marathon ride, or a stage race, there is something for everyone. These events are also a great way to meet local riders and gain a little local trail knowledge. Check out these for starters.
