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Heading to Nant yr Arian this weekend. Anyone been? Any tips or advice? Any trails to do/avoid?
The Reaper trail is always good for a laugh.
Mark of Zorro is always good for a laugh
The way the trails are set up you will pretty much ride all of them by riding the longer loops. It is also quite easy to session a section or do one part as an extra loop if it takes your fancy. Mark of Zorro section is closed at the moment due to tree felling. Not sure what the diversion is like but even the farm tracks are pretty good fun, usually loose and rubbley, but its a big climb back. Its good to be at the visitor centre for Red Kite feeding time (2pm GMT, 3pm BST). Great place. Really epic scenery and feels miles from anywhere. If you do the big Syfydrin Trail loop then there will likely be some large puddles on the farm track, you are better off trying to ride through the middle than navigating the bog to the side. Just go for it.
If you like relatively old school out in the sticks natural riding, the longer Syfydrin trai is great.
A fair bit of tarmac and open paths but great riding and scenery.
You don't say what sort of rider or level you are, the reaper is awesome for example but I wouldn't be taking my fella down it or the other people I ride with from time to time.
I don't know it that well, been a few times.
The way marked trails are Pendam which is pretty short, Summit which is the same trail with a big loop added which is where 'mark of Zorro' is and brillaint and there's Syfydrin which is the same with a longer XC / hills and dales type loop to make it 30K ish?
It's a great centre IMHO, where as all the South Wales TCs have changed over the years to be a lot more bike park like, Nant is still narrow, loose and slate strewn.
What's Reaper all about? I don't think I've heard of that.
What’s Reaper all about? I don’t think I’ve heard of that.
Its an unofficial black near zorro. Steep, exposed and rocky. There's a few videos on youtube if you want to see if it is for you.
Rumour has it that in addition to the Reaper, there's a wealth of sweet enduro trails (mainly blacks, with a couple of reds) with killer views nearby
Was there yesturday, as its very local to me
Melindwr is a blue with 2 loops that build outwards, good fun flowing trail which has just had the first section resurfaced and reopened a week or two back. 5km if you do booth loops combined.
Pendam is red, slight step up with some sections of Italian job and drunken druid having rock steps and small drops (rollable).
Summit (also red) uses section of Pendam but heads out further to mark of zorro but as state above is currently closed.
And Syfydrin (black but i had ridden technically harder reds, consider is at a good height in the mountians so it gets gnar points for that) uses sections of all, but heads out over the moor on 4x4 tracks which do get exciting at speed. Like this as a good training ride, again last section coming back is mark of zorro so closed.
If you have all day Syfydrin is a good mixed route, or you will have a blast making combos of the best bits. I would head out on mark of zorro, continue following Pendam out past the lake but hang right on the tarmac to a short cut up to the start of hippity hop (can describe better if needed), which can be sessioned couple of times, then back to the centre, the trails all combine to do so at which point you can do the climb back up for as many descents of the final sections of the blue or red options until you legs fail.