[Closed] The Gap

a few weeks ago, theres more on there to see from the gap down (and my comedy fall off clipped in)

Cheers plod, still worth the ride for the views I reckon 🙂

defo worth the ride,views are superb,dun it twice in a week last month,on a SS rigid,cus it's fun. 😆

absolutely the views are phenomenal! in fact that's why the clips are in small chunks as I keep stopping to take some snaps.

Hmm, they have taken out the difficult bit, which is a bit of a shame. However it is meant to be a RUPP isn't it? So open to vehicles?

There's tons more good riding around of course 🙂

For my money there's a much better ride nearby of a similar character, but with better views and trails...

oh. That's the first time I've seen the Gap like that, what a shame that bit has been flattened.

I did it a few weeks ago with a group of inexperienced riders and really, really enjoyed it. The descent wasn't as smoothed over as I was expecting and, as others have said, worth it for the views alone (sunshine helped, mind). Although the pace was slow, I quite fancy going back and nailing it at full pelt all the way around.

For my money there's a much better ride nearby of a similar character, but with better views and trails..

Cheeky or something you could post up on here, Molgrips? I'd be very interested to hear about any ways to extend the ride or anything else in the vicinity.
PS If you're doing it, there's a good farmhouse that does cream teas etc about halfway round. When you get to the tarmac road after the tramway, instead of turning off the tarmac to rejoin the fireroad, drop down the hill to the Old Barn Tea rooms at Ystradgynwyn. V good VFM and massive slices of cake. There's no need to go back up the hill, just follow the short section of road back to rejoin by the Neuadd resevoir.

It'll be cheeky, guaranteed. Not too much legal stuff around that area.

That will be the National Parks contractor who flattened that top obstacle out. We asked the Parks for it to be kept as it's a good feature for users and bed rock doesn't wash away in a hurry. They had money in a pot that had to be spent, unfortunately they decided to spend it on our land.

Not been up myself recently, but our access team don't expect it to stay like that beyond the winter as no drainage has been built in.

"drop down the hill to the Old Barn Tea rooms at Ystradgynwyn. V good VFM and massive slices of cake"

Yes I agree. Well worth losing a little altitude for, is that cafe.

We were up there last weekend and had a great day.Flattening out 4 or 5 drop off's on the top 30ft section doesn't really detract from a good day's outing(IMHO)

It's a great day out with your mates!

Cheeky or something you could post up on here, Molgrips?

You never need cheeky trails up there! It's about as good as MTBing gets in the UK 🙂

I'll post up a map in a bit, when I've put my daughter to bed 🙂

Ok so I've got a Tracklogs file - whaddya want? TRL? GPX? It's a bit big for me to make a JPG of I think.

[url= http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2699/5697069848_3dc6518cf5.jp g" target="_blank">http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2699/5697069848_3dc6518cf5.jp g"/> [/img][/url]
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/11569254@N06/5697069848/ ]Fforest Fawr[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/11569254@N06/ ]molgrips[/url], on Flickr

The link over Fan Gyhrych is on private land and not a RoW, unless that has changed recently.

I know it gets used during the Brecon Beast but thats with the landowners permission.

Oh, well then I take that back about it being non cheeky. However it's pretty flippin desolate up there so you'd have to be unlucky to meet trouble. I've certainly never seen a single soul up there. Plus last time I went there was no sign so I am not sure the landowner gives much of a fig. It's a solid stony track so no question of trail damage.

EDIT I hope incitement to trespass is not a criminal offence 🙂

Many thanks, Molgrips.

I've rode that in the opposite direction to your arrows (-Ystradfelte loop) as it avoids that horrendous climb up from Heol Senni and doesn't seem to detract from the rest of the ride. There are some interesting cheeky additions you can do too 😉

It is certainly doable in either direction. I prefer the track up to Fan Fraith as a climb.. the uber rocky bit back to the car at the end is almost unrideable on the way up IIRC.

Anticlockwise, the climb up from Pont Rhyd y Cnau looks rideable but is (or was) so insanely steep and loose that I have yet to manage it 🙂

Timber don't you know IanB in real life?

Colin-T - Member
The link over Fan Gyhrych is on private land and not a RoW, unless that has changed recently.

It is indeed private land and I've had a farmer tell me that once, at the end of the downhill. He didn't seem to bothered TBH.

But I'd have to agree with Molgrips and also say, so what? It's all very well surfaced, there's no possibility of damage to the trail or surrounding environment, and you don't even have to climb over any fences to access the trails. Even the livestock is so spread out that you aren't likely to spook any of them. It's a good example of a part of the UK where there should be full (responsible) access.

timber - Member
I've rode that in the opposite direction to your arrows (-Ystradfelte loop) as it avoids that horrendous climb up from Heol Senni and doesn't seem to detract from the rest of the ride. There are some interesting cheeky additions you can do too

If you ride it in the anticlockwise direction you'd climb up the Roman road rather than ride down it and also miss out on the great DH on the N side of Gihyrych. And it's not like there's much less climbing if you do it anticlockwise. You're doing it the wrong way!! 😉 (edited: Just noticed the arrows in Molgrips' map - you're doing it the wrong way Molgrips!! 🙂 It's all rideable clockwise.)

We've always parked in the layby near Crai reservoir and ridden along the old railway, but last time I rode the loop the had been a landslip and the trail was blocked.

None of you were in the bunch I met up there in the snow? (In March I think - lovely warm spring day everywhere else!)

No, I haven't done it in a fair few years actually.

I don't care much for the downhill on the north side of Gihyrich.. although having said that the last time I did it was on a fully rigid bike so it was a bit of a slow bumpfest. Must try it on my Patriot.

Try some of this.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ambrose_hearne/5697530198/