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Mountain Biking at Afan Forest Park (NRW) Afan Forest Park mountain biking

Mountain BikingWith a multitude of trails graded from green to black, Afan Forest Park offers some of the most exciting and progressive mountain biking in the country for everyone from beginners to experienced riders.

All of the mountain biking trails are waymarked.

Trails start from either the Afan Forest Park Visitor Centre, Glyncorrwg Ponds Visitor Centre or Rhyslyn car park.

And there's no need to bring a bike as they can be hired onsite.

Which mountain bike trail is right for you?
The mountain biking trails at Afan Forest Park are graded to give you an indication of their difficulty. To make sure that you pick a mountain biking trail you can handle, read the relevant onsite information before setting off on your ride.

Rheilffordd Family trail - (Pontrhydyfen to Blaengwynfi 14 miles, 22.5 kilometres, Glyncorrwg and back 14 miles, 22.5 kilometres, Circular route Pontrhydfen to Cymer and back 10 miles, 16 kilometres)
Grade: Forest road or similar
This trail is a low level cycle way along the wide flat route of the old railway lines that once carried passengers and coal the length of the valley.

As well as following disused railway tracks, the trail goes onto forest roads and winds through forest and open areas that were once railway sidings.

The former Cynonville station has been converted to a shelter and barbeque, and there are many benches and picnic tables along the route to stop and enjoy the view.

Rookie Trail - (green (easy) graded 3.4 miles 5.5 kilometres, optional blue graded loop 1.4 miles 2.3 kilometres).
This trail is Afan Forest Park’s first green-graded trail and it offers a perfect route for newcomers or those looking for a relaxing ride.

It has been built in sections to allow riders to experience as much or as little as they want.

This is a wide trail with slightly sweeping descents and there is a family skills area along the way where riders can develop their skills too.

At the end of the green trail, there is an optional 2.3 kilometre blue-graded loop by the river. This provides a taster for those wishing to progress or looking for a bigger adventure.

Blue ScarTrail (Blue (moderate) graded 4.3 miles 7 kilometres).
This mountain bike trail takes its name from the mining history of the valley and is designed for those who are very competent on green trails and want to try a more remote and challenging ride.

It climbs out of the visitor centre and rewards riders with some amazing views. The return down the other side of the valley has a few technical features.

This is a fantastic trail to improve riding skills and develop confidence.

Penhydd Trail (Red (difficult) graded 8.7 miles 14 kilometres).
This trail shares its first climb with the Blue Scar trail but, when the Blue Scar branches off, the Penhydd continues to climb.

The trail mixes the old with the new, combining forest road climbs with fantastic views, flowing singletrack descents and some new steeper sections looping back to the visitor centre.

Y Wal Trail (Red (difficult) graded 14.3 miles 23 kilometres) starts at visitor centre or Rhyslyn car park.
This mountain bike trail has some of the best singletrack descents in the UK.

It traverses the north side of the Afan Valley on singletrack which varies from fast, open and flowing to tight, technical and rooty.

There are great views of the valley and coastline and, in places, the steep-sided slopes can feel exposed.

Please note: The approach to the singletrack shares a section of the low level family cycleway and the disused railway line, so please ride with consideration for other forest users.

White's Level Trail (Red (difficult) graded 10.5 miles 17 kilometres) starting point Glyncorrwg Ponds Visitor Centre
This mountain bike trail is a very technical and progressive riding trail. It has an optional black-graded section with drops and step downs and long singletrack climbs.

The Energy section takes its name from its proximity to the Ffynnon Oer wind farm operated by RWE Innogy (formerly Npower Renewables). This new section demands energy, technical skill and confidence from riders.

Blade Trail (Red (difficult) graded 15 miles 24 kilometres) starting point Glyncorrwg Ponds visitor centre.
Funded by Vattenfall, a European energy company, the Blade mountain bike trail is a fantastic recent addition to the Afan Forest Park trail network.

The trail shares the same steep track climb from Glyncorrwg Ponds with White’s Level but takes riders out to higher and more remote areas.

It includes lots of great single track sections, some tough technical climbs and fast flowing descents.

Skyline Loop Trail (Black (severe) graded 15 miles 24 kilometres) starting point Glyncorrwg Ponds visitor centre.
The Skyline Loop takes in some amazing views and riding. It is an additional loop to the Blade trail and concludes with a rocky, six kilometre singletrack descent back into Glyncorrwg.

There are stunning, skyline views of the Brecon Beacons, the Preselis, the Black Mountains and the South Wales coast.

W2 Trail (Black (severe) grade) 27.3 miles 44 kilometres). Starting points Afan Forest Park or Glycorrwg Ponds visitor centres or Rhyslyn car park.
The W2 Links allow riders to devise their own trail by combining Y Wal and White’s Level (hence the name W2).

There are high level and low level links that connect these two trails, with some fantastic views of both the Afan and Neath Valleys, and two of the most demanding descents in the UK.

This trail can be started from either Afan Forest Park Visitor Centre or Glyncorrwg Ponds Visitor Centre. Each centre is an ideal halfway point for a break and refreshments.

Afan Bike Park
This is an extreme graded bike park for more advanced riders to improve their skills.

It has a circular cross country perimeter loop which encloses a series of different graded runs. Features include table tops, roller doubles, rollers, berms, rock features and log skinnies.

The closed loop system means you can push or ride the short distance back up to the top for another run.

The Afan Bike Park is situated at Gyfylchi close to the start of the final Zig Zag section on the Y Wal trail.

You can either pop in on your way round the Y Wal trail or you can drive up and park on site courtesy of Bryn Bettws Lodge, which provides accommodation.

There is another skills area on the Rookie trail near the Afan Forest Park Visitor Centre for less experienced riders.

More information in relation to whether or not this is suitable for you and where you can get training can be found on the Natural Resources Wales website.Port TalbotNeath Port TalbotUnited Kingdomhttp://www.showmewales.co.uk/?dms=3&feature=5&venue=0864370

Mountain Biking at Afan Forest Park (NRW)

Mountain Biking, free entry

Afan Forest Park mountain biking

Afan Forest Park mountain biking image 3843 from Natural Resources Wales

Details

The mountain bike trails have been carved out of hillsides once surrounded by coal mining, and the valley has been transformed into a rider's heaven.

The visitor centre offers: café shop picnic areas information about the forest park camping pitches (tents only) The South Wales Miners Museum is located within the visitor centre (there is an entry charge to the museum). The Afan Valley Bike Shed is adjacent to the visitor centre and offers bike hire, a repair and servicing workshop and the sale of bikes and parts. Please note: Sometimes we need to close or divert trails for your safety whilst we undertake maintenance work or forest operations. Occasionally we may have to close a site in extreme weather, such as high winds or snow and ice due to the risk of injury to visitors or staff. Please always follow any instructions onsite and make sure you follow any temporary diversion signs in place.

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Free entry

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Directions

By Car
Directions: Situated on A4107. Follow road from M4, (J40) for 6 miles, passing the village of Cwmafan.

OS Grid Reference: SS820 950

By Train
Frequent Great Western links London Paddington, Reading, Swindon and Bristol Parkway (connections from north east England and Midlands) with Port Talbot. Arriva Trains Wales direct to Port Talbot from Cardiff, Newport, Hereford, Shrewsbury, Crewe and Manchester, with connections at Cardiff from south and west of England. For overseas visitors, there are good rail/air links from London Gatwick & Heathrow, Bristol and Cardiff International Airports.

Bus 23 from Port Talbot Bus Station (1/4 mile); Taxis available at Port Talbot station

By Bus
From Bridgend and Maesteg: First Cymru 32 & 36 to Cymmer; connections to Visitor Centre and Glyncorrwg

From Port Talbot: First Cymru 23 direct to Visitor Centre and Cymmer

From Neath & Swansea: First Cymru 159 to Pontrhydyfen; connections to Visitor Centre and Cymmer.

Main bus stops at Pontrhydyfen Oakwood, Visitor Centre, Cymmer and Glyncorrwg.

Parking: with charge

Accessible by Public Transport: 8 miles from Port Talbot station

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Children welcome
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