W2 - AFAN FOREST
To our knowledge, W2 – which is The Wall and White’s Level routes combined – is the longest official trail centre lap in the country. Luckily, no matter which starting point you choose, there’s a cafe halfway round! Because Afan and the adjoining centre of Glyncorrwg are situated in a steep-sided valley, you can’t go far without tackling a pretty big climb, but thankfully the long grinds are broken up with undulating traversing sections, and when you do make it do the top you’ve got a big elevation drop to look forward to.
The riding here is mostly on fast, surfaced singletrack, with nothing super-hard, but general wear and tear making things rougher and trickier as time goes on. Keeping speed on the flatter bits is all about finding flow – pumping the rollers, braking lightly and sticking in the odd hard pedal stroke to keep up the momentum. When the gradient steepens, rapid acceleration turns sections that would feel like a doddle on flat ground into something more akin to a proper downhill track. Your arms and suspension will be getting a full workout as you thread the needle left and right, eyes fixed on the snaking trail and blanking out the sheer banks off to the side.
If you want to step things up a notch, one diversion we’d recommend peels off the ‘Graveyard’ section of The Wall. A sharp left turn drops you into a trail called ‘Six Feet Under’. This was built for one of the Welsh Enduro rounds a few years ago and has since been made official. It’s a mega alternative to the normal descent, but it’s hard, scary and steep. Don’t say we didn’t warn you!