Mountain Biking / Cycling

Top 10 Worldwide Destination for Mountain Biking....

California. Chamonix in the French Alps. Vancouver’s legendary North Shore. The Afan Forest Park. That’s right, Afan is up there with the mountain biking gods as one of the world’s top ten destinations, says ‘What Mountain Bike’ magazine. Trails carved out of the hillsides once scarred by mines but transformed into a biker's paradise. 

You won’t find much disagreement amongst the pack of riders who pay homage at this singletrack nirvana (it’s the UK’s fastest-growing mountain biking destination), especially after they’ve swooped down ‘The Wall’ or pedalled the spectacular ‘Skyline’. Afan isn’t the only one. Our steep-sided forests are pitch-perfect for this addictive, adrenaline-fuelled sport. In the Cwmcarn Forest there’s the thrill-a-minute Twrch Trail along with a testing downhill track. But you don’t have to be a macho downhill hero. The sport is growing and diversifying all the time. At the Garwnant Forest just north of Merthyr Tydfil two new trails through the woods are aimed at novices and families. 

Not everyone wants to follow man-made forest singletracks. That’s where our gorgeous, nature-as-it-was-intended-to-be territory across grassy hills and mountains comes into its own. But don’t forget – what goes down must also go up. Knowing something about masochistic mountain bikers, we don’t think that will put may off.

It’s a pedal through history and scenery

You could be on top of the world right now (okay, we mean top of the Rhigos mountain road), having just climbed the legendary – and steep – escarpment separating the Rhondda Valleys from the Brecon Beacons. You’re breathless, and to make things worse the views are breathtaking. But you’re a keen cyclist and you don’t mind. Cyclists who like to climb love The Valleys – there are lots of highs here if you go looking for them (it’s something that world champion Nicole Cooke does all the time, and if it’s good enough for Nicole…).

You don’t have to be Nicole or Lance Armstrong to enjoy The Valleys on two wheels. There are hundreds of miles of gentle trails too, many completely traffic-free and dedicated to cyclists and walkers. Old railway lines have been reborn as leafy, peaceful cycle routes where you won’t run out of puff (railway lines have the gentlest of gentle gradients). There’s more easy riding on scenic routes around lakes and reservoirs and in our many car-free country parks. And for possibly the best two-wheel experience follow chunks of the 55-mile Taff Trail specially designed for cyclists, which meander through the heart of The Valleys. It’s a pedal through history and scenery.

Click here for details of all our cycle routes