Easy rides, perfect for a summer day out
Riding bikes is great for young and old alike, and there are some great adventures to be had locally that make a great day out for cyclists of any age.
Here are 5 of our absolute favourites:
- Ystwyth & Rheidol Cycle Trail
- The Mawddach Trail
- Nant yr Arian
- Elan Valley Trail
- Coed y Brenin Adventure Trails
Ystwyth & Rheidol Trails – Great cycling for all
Our two local cycle trails offer some great local cycling that can be tackled on most bikes .
The Ystwyth Trail offers pleasant riding on a mixture of road and off road ways, with most of the off-road sections suitable for families with young children. The route is just around 32km and stretches from Aberystwyth to Tregaron.
The Rheidol Trail is around 28km from end to end, running from Aberystwyth to Devil’s Bridge up the beautiful Rheidol valley.
For those looking for a bigger challenge the Ystwyth Trail forms part of the 182km long Sustrans Route 81, Lôn Cambria, that runs from Aberystwyth to Shrewsbury with a very scenic detour though the beautiful Elan Valley.
https://www.discoverceredigion.wales/outdoor-activities-and-adventures/cycling-and-mountainbiking/
The Mawddach Trail – Great cycling for all, perfect for families.
This is a great route for novices and families with young children but can be just as enjoyable for riders of any age and experience level. Spectacular views of the Mawddach estuary and its surrounding mountains including the majestic peak of Cader Idris that stands alone on the southern fringe of Eryri national park. The trail is 15km long, almost exclusively traffic free, plenty broad enough and very level. It follows the course of the lower reaches of the Mawddach river as its valley broadens to floodplain. Most will choose to start their ride from Dolgellau where there is ample parking and ride to Barmouth (Abermaw), where the trail crosses the estuary on the Barmouth Viaduct (alongside the main North-South coastal rail route). Its level boardwalk crossing provides a novel reward for your cycling efforts. And if that’s not reward enough, there’s plenty of options for fish & chips or tea, cake and ice creams in the popular seaside town of Barmouth just the other side of the bridge. Most will opt to return the way they came with the ride back delivering a superb view of Cader Idris if the weather is fine.
Nant yr Arian – Great for mountain bikers
If you own a mountain bike and a keen sense of adventure, Nant yr Arian had some great cycling on offer. This is Aberystwyth’s nearest purpose built mountain bike trail centre with waymarked trails to challenge those who like to take their cycling off road and into more demanding terrain. But for those sturdy enough to take on the challenge, the centre offers access to some superb riding and a chance to climb up and enjoy some spectacular views in the wild and open terrain of the Cambrian mountains. There are trails on offer graded red and blue which are suitable for those with a little prior experience on a mountain bike. The red trails are rocky and challenging in places and there is a notorious local climb, “the leg burner” you’ll have to face if you want to ride the Summit trail but it provides some real quality mountain biking only a few minutes drive from Aberystwyth. And, with walking and running trails and a visitor centre café, there’s plenty on offer even of you don’t take your bike. The centre also has an MTB skills area that provides a great space young riders to learn and build on their bike handling skills as they progress, and the new flowing blue graded Melindwr trail offers a place for them to bring these skills to life.
Elan Valley Trail – Perfect for families
The full route is 29km climbing from Rhayader to Craig Goch dam that if you intend to tackle in full, we would recommend as an out and back, starting and finishing in Rhayader. It will be uphill all the way out but you’ll enjoy a very pleasant and easy ride back. However, if you are looking for a shorter outing that will be enjoyable for the family, there is easy access to the trail from Rhayader or from the Elan Valley visitor centre. The trail is tarmac surfaced between Rhayader and the Garreg Ddu Viaduct making easier pedalling for younger riders. You will enjoy some stunning views of the reservoirs as you ride along the route of old Victorian railway lines that were used to construct the Elan valley’s dams.
Coed y Brenin – Not just for mountain bikers!! Families, leisure, gravel.
Drive an hour north of Aberystwyth and you’ll find Coed y Brenin Forest Park. Coed y Brenin is the birthplace of the modern mountain bike trail centre but recently expanded its offering to add over 100km of adventure cycling routes. These routes don’t require a dedicated mountain bike and can be tackled on a leisure ebike, gravel bike or even a hybrid with suitable tyres. They are made up of forest access roads, tracks and trails that cover the area, allowing cyclist to enjoy some of the most remote and scenic corners of the forest. Although the longer routes can be a little rougher and steeper in places, most of the shorter ones are perfectly suited to families and younger riders or leisure riders just wanting to get out and enjoy some of the most spectacular scenery in southern Eryri. Coed y Brenin has ample parking, changing, toilets, walking and running trails, a kids play area and café and of course superb bike hire and bike shop provided by our sister store Beics Brenin. The opening of the new adventure/gravel trail network is great news for anyone who would like to get out and experience something of this spectacular forest by bike but doesn’t fancy the muddy shakedown of an MTB trail. We’d highly recommend a visit.
..oh and of course if you are an MTB rider, Coed y Brenin has some of the finest MTB trails in all of Wales including the best beginner/family trail we know of anywhere, the blue graded Minortaur trail.
Full trail information and route maps are available here:
Adventure/ gravel trails - https://www.beicsbrenin.co.uk/adventure/
Mountain bike trails - https://www.beicsbrenin.co.uk/trails/
Information and Bike/eBike Hire - https://www.beicsbrenin.co.uk/