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Good grief it was quiet there today!
But it was also sunny, dry, dusty, fast and fun! Hadn't been to Penhydd since it was reopened and enjoyed it greatly. Blue Scar was pretty good too. Oh, and Y Wal is an old school classic!
Why so quiet?
going up there in May
have they fixed Skyline yet or is still 3000miles of rubbish fire roads?
I've never really got on with it TBH. Last time I went I was really disappointed. I know it's me and my preferences more than any failure in the trail - but I can't get excited about it. Every time I have been though - the weather has been great and it seems to dry well.
I love it there. I think most people just don't like hard work I.e the climbs.
Is Afan even Nduro dude.
It's worse than that, Stu.....
Both of us were on 26"
😯
All at BPW by the sounds of it!
It's usually pretty chocker at the weekends, I suspect there were a lot of people at Cwmcarn for the WGE today.
You're right though, it's fast and fun at the moment, here's to a long dry summer...
You have no shame. 😀
Please tell me you at least had a bumbag and water bottle combo each?
Rode there last year for the first time, thought it was ace. Well, I thought penhydd was mostly shite but luckily we decided to do the blue scar straight after and what a great blue. Enjoyed white's level too.
I got scammed into doing the combined Blade/Skyline because of the terrible signage, and a load of random diversions and trying to find my way back to Blade- I don't know if this is fixed but the windfarm works had caused total chaos when I was there. Oh but that climb! Best climb ever, srs. We rode up it in the fairly miserable rain on day 1 and I think I made ChrisL even more miserable by loving it "THIS IS A GREAT CLIMB! AND THE RAIN COOLS ME DOWN SO I CAN RIDE UP IT FASTER! WOOOOOOO!" "* off *".
Rode W2 & Blue Scar with some friends a couple of weeks ago.
First time there for a few years and I half thought it might seem a bit tame now, but the final couple of descents on The Wall are still some of the best bits of trail I've ever ridden.
Don't mind the climbs! I am slowish, but I do get to the top in the end.
Oops, I meant to add, I loved Blade... Though, it's falling apart in places and some of the bits I really liked, I think I liked because they'd fallen apart. But one of my favourite trail centre trails, definitely.
Didn't do it today, but as someone who's hardly a fan of climbing, the Whites climb out of Glyncorrwg is the best climb there is. It's a brilliant piece of trail building, every bit as good as the fun/rollercoaster stuff on the way down.
I miss riding in all the trees at Afan. Whenever I've been since it's always blowing a hoolie
Keep trying to enjoy afan, visit about once a year but just cannot enjoy the place. After riding Penmachno for the first time recently I now realise that afan is just a dull dull place to ride both up and down the hills.
There's 4 car parks now that feed the trails, 5 if you count Afan Lodge that has its own little trail into the network can make it look quieter than it is, but I don't think it's the draw it used to be - BPW sucks a lot of riders out of the centres and as unavoidable as it was losing all the trees means less "atmosphere" and rougher, rockier trails - it's certainly dampened the appeal for me.
Most of us local people hardly ever ride there when the weather is good, too much local stuff about to be at a trail centre.
There are climbs?
I think Afan is brilliant. I'd sooner go there than Pen, Nant, Cwm etc.
Actually I prefer it to BPW in a lot of ways.
Haven't been there since the old Penhydd was open,really miss the old Hidden Valley.
Was there two weeks ago and did Penhydd, Blade and Whites - it was incredibly quiet. Haven't ridden there for a while and forgotten how good it was.
funny the OP says its quiet. went in sept last year as part of our annual trip. stayed at afan lodge that was booked out but the trails were very very quiet. only saw a handful of bikers all day. then went to bpw on the way back and it was packed. I'm guessing a lot of weekend warriors with limited time would rather have an uplift and lots of variations than the afan clmbs and fairly limited choice in comparison. shame really but guess the times are changing
If you think Afan is quiet, I had Dalbeattie pretty much to myself on a very nice morning today. No one on the trail and CP empty
I'd say afan is busier when the weathers not great/been great given the weatherproof nature of the trails. it's been dry for two weeks so Most natural trails are dry too, spreading things out
Love the place, it's what MTBing is all about IMO. Don't get there enough though I admit, but I blame my mates for that who have mostly moved away from MTBs.
Visited Afan for the 1st time in about 10 years yesterday and also couldn't get over how quiet it was. Only managed to ride the Blade trail due to time constraints, however the place is relentless. Hard techy climbs, awesome views, brutal decents on a Highball...
The only drawbacks are its distance for visitors compared to those closer to the boarder (ie BPW) and the more 'XC' nature (ie you HAVE to climb, not just mince up a fire road).
Planning a weekend again soon, even the bloody sun came out. In Wales. In March!
And the flapjack was good.
That last descent on Blade is fantastic, I don't think I've ridden a bike as well as I did there a few weeks back. I should try to get there more frequently than once every few years!