Call me Afan
A classic Welsh riding spot still hits all the right notes
When was the last time you rode the trails at Afan? If you’re anything like me, it probably wasn’t any time in the last couple of years. 10 years ago it was a different story though – whether for work or pleasure, I’d visit four or five times a year, generally mixing the White’s Level climb with Afan Bike Park and the endless descent of Y Wall, followed by that long, steady grind back up the old railway line to the Glyncorrwyg visitor centre and a huge slab of Welsh rarebit. Looking back, it was always a great lap. So what’s changed? Enduro bikes, bike parks, off-piste trails, deforestation thanks to tree diseases, our craving for the instant gratification of a steep enduro track or a swoopy, manicured bike park trail. All of those things have had an impact. But despite all this, what trail centres like Afan/ Glyncorrwyg still provide that can’t really be found anywhere else, is the feeling of being ‘out there’ in spectacular, wild scenery on all-weather singletrack. It’s something the freshly revamped and newly reopened Skyline trail has in spades. This 45km loop takes you out to the jaw-dropping Rhigos viewpoint, where a view across steep cliffs and deep lakes leads your eye up to the might of the Brecon Beacons. Jamie, Ben and Roo have been back there this month on a trip down memory lane that you can read about on p18, and judging by their comments and Roo’s photos, it’s something
I need to put on the list to tick off in 2022.