One of the great joys of heading out on your mountain bike is the chance to discover a new trail you’ve never ridden before, and North Wales has these in abundance.
From the heady heights of the hills to the rolling coastline, cycling your way through North Wales’s spectacular scenery is one of the best ways to enjoy both the open air and the views. Here are three of the best mountain bike trails of North Wales to tackle.
Antur Stiniog
With five trails to choose from and a regular uplift service, Antur Stiniog is a great course for beginners and experienced riders alike. It’s one of the newer mountain bike trails of North Wales and quickly gaining a massive fan base.
There are up to 20 uplift runs each day, from 10am right through until 4pm, with a half-hour break for lunch at 1pm, and booking in advance is highly recommended.
For less experienced riders, the blue trails Jympar and Drafft (which has some red sections, but is entirely ‘rollable’) make for an ideal introduction to downhill biking.
If you’re more confident – particularly in your ability to stop if you have to – Wild Cart is a red run, Black Powder is black, and Y Du (which translates simply as ‘The Black’) is the site’s only double black run.
Coed Y Brenin
Coed Y Brenin is located in Snowdonia, giving you the chance to take in some of the most breathtaking views of North Wales from the comfort of your saddle as you cycle through the national park.
It was the first purpose-built mountain biking centre in Britain, and with eight waymarked trails, including six red and black routes and two trails suitable for families and beginners, anyone can enjoy this spectacular location.
Family groups especially should choose to take the road trail through the forest, an easily navigable route no matter what your ability level might be. It leads out to the waterfalls for a view you and your children will never forget.
Disabled riders can also take to the trails of Coed Y Brenin, thanks to the availability of adaptive mountain bikes as part of the Challenge Your Boundaries scheme to get riders out on the blue MinorTaur trail.
Marin Trail
Cycling enthusiasts shouldn’t leave Llandudno without biking the Marin Trail, a 16-mile route starting from the Saw Bench car park in the Gwydyr Forest.
It’s not for the faint-hearted – the countryside here is rolling, as the views of Snowdonia’s peaks prove along the way, and there are several steep climbs to negotiate.
Get to the top at 450m, and you’re rewarded with a mixture of downhill sections, all of which are single track but vary from forest sections and exposed ridges to tight, technical rocky routes.
The full red route takes anything between two and four hours, it’s clearly signposted along the way, and for keen riders it’s considered an absolute must during any visit to the area.
- Love mountain biking too? Tell us which of our famous trails you’ll be conquering this summer!
