afan forest park

The biggest trail centre in South Wales, Afan boasts over 130km of well-maintained trails. It o ers a lot to experienced riders, with tight, techy singletrack through the trees, rock gardens and exposed hilltop trails, and there are a few family options too. Afan has two main centres, both with bike shops and cafes. Glyncorrwg is the biggest and the start point for White’s Level and Blade. Afan Forest Park Visitor Centre is where Blue Scar, Penhydd, The Wall and Rookie start. W2 can be ridden from either centre. There’s a bike park part way round The Wall at Bryn Bettws Lodge, which has parking and a basic cafe. The old Skyline trail is due to be reinstated in full, but work has been delayed this year.

Rheilffordd 16/22.5km Rookie 5.5km (with 2.2km blue extension)

Bike park

Blue Scar 7km

Designed for riders progressing from green to blue trails, this has a few technical sections and a fun descent to finish.

Penhydd 14km

With lots of fast, swoopy, open singletrack descents, you’re guaranteed to finish this with a huge grin.

The Wall 24km

Awesome singletrack; varies from tight and techy to fast and flowy, but you certainly earn the downs.

Blade 24km

The replacement for the old Skyline trail, Blade uses the White’s Level climb to access high parts of the forest before dropping back over the hill for a descent full of rocky features. For a longer ride, add on the current 20km Skyline loop.

White’s Level 17km

This trail is 90 per cent purpose-built singletrack and begins with a 6km climb to some great views. The descents are exposed in places, with plenty of berms and rocky steps.

W2 44km

A massive trail, and one to make sure you’re well prepared for. This route combines The Wall and White’s Level with a high and exposed linking section above the trees.

A dedicated downhill centre in beautiful Snowdonia, Antur Stiniog o ers a good mix of flow and tech with 14 runs graded from green to double-black, including three trails designed to be rollable for newbies. It’s a formidable location opposite a huge slate quarry, so expect lots of rock slabs and amazing views. You can get in up to 20 runs a day on the super-quick uplift so the only thing stopping you will be your energy levels! Three new descents were built last summer – Plug and Feathers, Detonator and Re-Powder.

Plug and Feathers 2km

A gentle flow trail aimed at beginners and families.

Jympar 1.8km

Smooth and fast with sweeping turns and flowy singletrack.

Drafft 2km

A top-to-bottom jump line for maximum airtime.

Detonator 1.5km

Cuts down the hill

in a series of fast, switchbacking straights with low tabletops.

Wild Cart 1.7km

A super-steep roll-in is followed by a long series of berms and jumps.

Black Powder 1.6km

Shares its top 50m with Y Du before a series of berms. Features steep banks and tight turns, with fun flat-out sections.

Re-Powder 800m

Mixes big jumps and high-speed fly-o s with classic rocky tech.

Y Du 1.4km

Fast and flowy, becoming steeper and rougher over the big rock slabs.

Bendy-G 1.2km

An all-natural trail that tests riders’ abilities to the full. Beware – it’s unpredictable when wet!

A runaway success thanks to its excellent range of well-maintained trails, BPW is the UK’s first large-scale bike park. It has a growing network of 40plus descents that you don’t need a DH bike to enjoy. The runs vary from green to black-graded and are classified as either Flow, Tech or Blend (a mix of of both). They’re all fairly short and have been built in sections down the hillside so you can link them together in various combos. Buy an uplift pass to get in maximum runs, or pedal up if you have the legs.

Here are just a few of our favourite BPW runs...

Kermit 5km

New this year, Kermit is BPW’s easiest trail. It’s smooth and flowing, making it great for novices.

Willy Waver 1.7km

This newly-refurbished favourite provides the ultimate fun and flow, and will make novice riders and experts alike grin from ear to ear.

Popty Ping 0.5km

Start here if you’re looking to improve your jumping and learn to rail berms.

Root Manoeuvres 2.5km

A timeless classic. This will test your grip strength and fitness if you hit it in one go, but it’s always fun.

AC/DC 1.2km

This has a bit of everything – jumps, berms and flow at the top, followed by techy, tight woods, then

back into the open again for some more airtime.

Dai Hard 1km

A high-speed pinball trail with drops, roots and rocks aplenty to keep you on your toes, and a few jumps for added kicks. 50 Shades of Black 1.8km

BPW’s toughest run is packed with sizable drops and rock slabs. One for experts only.