Brechfa - Gorlech - Dragons Breath

As sw.Wales is such a long way from home I decided that I'd make the effort, get my sorry butt outta bed bright and early on our last day at Nonni Barn, hit the Brechfa's red graded Gorlech trail and be back before breaky.  A great plan being back by 9.30am would mean getting up at 5am - gulp.  Ah well never mind, off to sleep I dropped.

Tick, tock, 5.15am and I'm wide awake - WTH!  I lay there and pondered a while before slipping from under the cover and to peep outside, the weather looked favourable so I figured WTH and saddled up.

The drive over the moor was a mix of clear skies and low sun into really thick "dragons breath" that made spotting the sheep and ponies tricky.  Popping out the top it was reminiscent of The Smoky Mountains, awesome.  20 minutes in the V-dub had me at the Abergorlech trail head with a couple of sleeping MTB campers for company.

The initial fireroad crank soon turns to a lovely steady singletrack rise that creeped up through the mist into the cool morning sunlight.  A warm up has NEVER been soooo INSPIRING.  It's not long before the climb ducks into the woodland and eventually you find the swoopy trail edging you into a middle ring crank, that's still climbing (just).  Oh my, now I'm smokin' and pop into a fab section of swoopiness that definitely make the climbing worth the effort.

Towards the end the red grading starts to glow purple as a trail steepens and switches back down the hillside.  There are a few techy bits to keep you on your toes and some of the descents egg you on into some serious speed.  Interestingly I found that the more speed you carry (if you dare) then the more sense the curves and "yumps" make.  They flooooooow brilliantly - well done to the trail pixies.

The views up top are far reaching and with the lifting mist I had to stop several times to gawp.  A couple of hours of fun later and I'm rolling past the still closed tent and start packing up.  A quick drive back over the moor to find that I'm back at base camp, a quick shower and I still have 10 minutes before another slap up breaky from Rosemary / Jim - you're the best.

Yeah the ride has a fair amount of fireroad climbs (most do) but some of the sweetest buff singletrack that you'll find upon this isle.  Sure Brechfa's trails are long way west but they're well worth the effort, I lurve it.

Alas no pic's, the camera got left back at the Magic Kingdom.

Posse: Farqui (5Spot) aka "Billy No Mates" that get up quite that early
Mechanicals: none
Weather: cool, clear and sunny
Injuries: none (note to self: must try harder)

Brechfa - Derwen - rash

Last Sunday I showed Roger and his lad (noobie alert, aged 11) around Brechfa's gentle green/blue graded route, the Derwen.  After a hearty Nonni Barn breakfast we drove over the moor and took in some breath taking views before plunging into the valley and to the busy trail head.  While the gals ambled off for a gentle woodland walk our small posse cranked up the fireroad and Ryan soon began to wonder if all this effort would be worth it - after all, his guides had already been labelled "bike freaks" - charming little chap ;)

Eventually the trail swings into the woods with some more gentle climbing that cleverly undulates and doesn't feel as bad as a continually upward fireroad stomp.  The tracks are wide and well scrubbed in with loose slate at the edges, so our little charmer was eased in gently soon started to smile.  Kids are such fast learners and without any fuss we soon completed the short green loop.

Taking a breather at the green/blue intersection the noobie was keen to push on with the slightly harder blue rather than head back on the easy green - what a trooper.  Unfortunately the blue winds it's way upwards on a steeper gradient than the little chap could handle but he did a sterling job, digging in and winching his way upwards wherever he could.

At the top some well deserved snacks were gulped down and the energy lift soon had our legs cranking into the woods for some big time downhill action.  The gradient was again a little steeper and more challenging but it didn't phase our v-braked buddy and even the switchbacks didn't slow him down too much.

Riding from the front I didn't get an opportunity to directly see his progress but I figured that he wasn't too far back so seemed to be doing well.  His pah meanwhile kept an eye on the youngerster who only needed a gentle reminder now and again.

The final few sections are a swoop fest of corner after corner and 'yump' after 'yump' - brilliant they are and we were soon back at the trailhead to meet the rest of our adventurers.  We then hit the new Drop Off cafe bus (operators formerly ran Afan's excellent Drop Off cafe) and I can see why the trail head was so busy.  Their munchies and coffee are as good as ever :)

Food is a great motivator and before packing up the bikes we decided to pop back up the fireroad and re-ride the very last section again.  With pah up front our lickle 'borrower' didn't need any encouragement to dart off downhill while I kept a close watch behind.  I don't thnk it'll be long before this little chap is going to be giving us 'old timers' a run for their money 'cos he's non too shoddy behind the bars.  Ripping between the trees (aka Star Wars 'speeders') it didn't take long before we rolled past the bus roof top and into the last few turns.

Then someone hit the slow-mo button...as we turned into the last few gentle switchbacks our noobie opted to shoulder a tree on the exit which sloooowly lofted him off his rig and into a superman dive down the trail.  At one point I was sure he'd beat dad to the fnish but alas gravity was stronger - the gravel bit into his left side and to top it off the bike landed on top of him!  Ouch.  Now pinned to the ground he needed assistance to unravel limbs from bike and considering how painful gravel rash can be he did well to stop yellin' as soon as he did.  With no serious injuries he was soon showing off his busted knee.  Oh and Ryan, next time you decide to drop-it can you pick a spot out of sight of your mum!

Well done Ryan, you're now officially one of the 'bike freaks', complete with scars :p

Appologies for no pic's, I forgot my camera.


Posse: Roger (Spesh FSR), Ryan (24" wheeled iron horse), Farqui (5Spot)
Mechanicals: None
Weather: sunny with a light cool breeze
Injuries: Ryan shoulder a tree - ouch, gravel rash - double ouch

Gorlech

After a month or so of sullen rain swept commutes had sapped my enthusiasm for getting up in a morning let alone riding off-road we forced ourselves to adhere to our scheduled trip to Wales last weekend. We left work good and early on Friday afternoon and against all the "news advice" that ALL of Wales was under water didn't drive through any floods or showers of note until we were a few miles away from our b&b. When the heavens opened briefly and dumped big time, thankfully this was the worse downpour of our trip.

A crackin' meal at the Belle followed by a long soak in our b&b's hot tub washed away the 5hr journey (+1hr delay of Friday madness) and our spirits were lifted ;)

The near constant showers on Saturday didn't bode well for a ride and I feared my rig would stay in the bike bag for the duration - just like our last trip to Mabie :( So we spent the day checking out the local area, duckin' the showers and even managed a walk around the start'n'end of the Brechfa trail.

Sunday dawned as another overcast, gray day (surprise, surprise) but after another hearty breakfast I decided that I was riding and that was that. I was so determined that I barely noticed the rain as I loaded up the jalopy. 20 minutes later and I was unloading at the Abergorlech trail head and it was dry - hurrah.

On the fireroad winch from the carpark, with my thighs grumblin' I remained in high spirits and soon started to calm down and "get my head into gear" for the route ahead.

The Gorlech starts off on a wide fireroad that then swings off onto a narrower path before you then start a bit'a'duckin' and divin' between the trees. It's a terrific route that starts off easy and then gets more and more challenging. Even though the climbs are still there they I don't find that they beat ya's up too much either :thumbsu

The first section of singletrack is a real treat and I'm grateful to the local lad who ripped past and soon had me lifting a chainring a pursuit. Otherwise I'd probl'y have continued my granny ring winch through a fabulous atmospheric and flowing climb. The Nobby Nic's were hooking up nicely and after a few more miles my familiar Bonty wiggle was all but forgotten.

The rest of trail is just as impressive with a good mixed bag of up and down action with numerous obstacles to keep you focused.

At the start of the final descent I made a determined effort to clear a dodgy switchback between two tight trees, over roots, followed by off camber and slippery rocks that I walked last time. With a controlled entry and growing confidence in my booties I slithered through without a dab :) The subsequent berms come thick and fast to end a crackin' trail.

Although there's no autumnal Afan action for me this year I thoroughly enjoyed these few Welsh miles the blasted weather has allowed.

Many thanks to Rosemary and Jim for their warm hospitality.

Mechanicals: None
Weather: Overcast, light drizzle for a while

Brechfa, Derwen

The last ride of our trip was a little gem I found last September, it's a complete hoon of a trail and I simply had to come back. I'd done my best to explain it's "style" to Uphilla beforehand and wanted to hear what someone else thought of it. It's only a few miles down the road from Abergorlech and as we were passing it'd be rude not to make use of the trail fairies efforts :p

It's graded green from the start with the option of a little blue loop halfway around but after just a couple of sections Uphilla was struggling to believe any novices would be comfortable with it's opening salvo's.

Unlike the Gorlech trail the Derwen doesn't gently ease you in, it sets out the style early on and gives you more and more of the same. It's a great way to learn how to tackle berms, small jumps and better still how to pump for "free" speed and keep your knobblies hammerin' along.

The climbing is steady and a mix of fireroad and broad hard packed slate that my Bonty's appreciated a little more than this mornings surface. Quite impressive considering it drizzled throughout this ride - not that it dampened my enthusiasm. Or perhaps the additional grip this afternoon was simply down to the flowy nature of the turns ?

Did I mention the flow, my goodness in most sections you could see soooo far ahead that choosing your line was easy and safe, just as well 'cos the speed often had my eyes watering :p

Again I clocked a number of hawks that weren't just circling overhead, they'd be slicing and dicing their own trail through the forest.

The last section is the cherry on the cake and a great way to end a short blat around the woods. Now we can understand the comical first sign that comes shortly after leaving the car park which suggests the "1st short section". However having ridden it you could easily hammer through this last bit half a dozen times for some seriously fun "sessioning" :)

The smooth surface was great for Uphilla's dicky shoulder and he claimed not to have suffered at all. Some might prefer lumpier and more technically challenging trails but I'm sure this route will bring everyone a bundle of fun that I found to be quite addictive and could easily of had another loop had we had time.

So in the space of two days, I've had three awesome rides on superb trails, each with their own character and challenges. Fantastic.

Uphilla, thanks for driving and I hope that you're not too sore...

Tracklog and pic's here.

Posse; Farqui (5.5 Spot), Uphilla (5.5 Spot)
Weather; overcast, breezy with misty rain cooling our hot heads ;)
Mechanicals; none

Brechfa, Gorlech

Day2 of our sneaky mid week trip greeted us with a pleasant calm day and even a smidgen of sunshine. After a hearty breakfast we drove around the Brechfa hillside to the quiet village of Abergorlech and the quiet trail head for the Gorlech trail - named after the local river.

Neither Uphilla or I had ridden this trail and I was keen explore it's length and with a gentle ascent we began the next leg of our journey. A few km's in and the double track eased to a wide path before starting to gently wind it's way into the woods. The climbing continued into a fantastic atmospheric section amongst moss lined spooky trees, which I found mesmerizing. I surprised a bird of prey towards the top and the large red kite swooped from down from it's perch and elegantly flew off down the tree lined trail - awesome.

There's a fair bit of fire road on this ride but they have gentle inclines and have plenty of loooong views to entertain ya. Before the halfway point we were guided into a felled section of the hillside which is reminiscent of Cwm Carn's highest point on the XC course with berms, small jumps, table tops and lots of cheeky little lines that often used tree stumps as launch pads. It'd be great to ride this bit again but unfortunately we didn't have time to look around for a route back up.

This trail has been designed/built very well indeed as it gradually starts to get more and more difficult and although it's graded red both Uphilla and I found bits some of the subsequent bits were worse than Afan's black. The trail is predominantly compressed, credit card sized slate which my Bonty's found quite slippery in places. Mind you the super flowing sections are designed to keep your speed up and with lots of free speed available if you have the guts to hold off the brakes. The switchbacks aren't much slower as they're mostly massive berms that grab, spin ya's around and then catapult you even faster down to the next obstacle. The trail easily hits some fierce speeds and I dread to think how painful a wrong decision might be.

The trail gets more intense the further you progress and a particularly fast and ill predicted berm had me at a full stop atop an odd little section that starts between a couple of trees. I've not suffered "mind games" for a while but the line though this played on me and I decided to leave it for another day. As I recall I'd already slithered around a couple of loose'n'steep berms not too mention the odd fast sideways slither all of which had clearly got me rattled. "Breathe" ;)

This little beauty gets a big Farqui rating and will definitely see my knobblies again.

A Tracklog and few pic's of our trip can be found here.

Posse; Farqui (5.5 Spot), Uphilla (5.5 Spot)
Weather; overcast, a few sunny spells, breezy
Mechanicals; none

Brechfa

Around an hours drive west of Afan, you'll come to the small village of Brechfa which has a couple of relatively new trails. Approximately half of the drive is via the M4/A48 with the rest of a terrific twisty country lane amongst some fab countryside - an ideal end to a long motorway slog.

At the moment there's a gentle green graded loop that takes you out to a slightly more taxing blue loop before returning back the trail head on the last of the green. There are no trail head facilities and I didn't see any potential site for any, although the car park is substantially larger than say Penmachmo's.

My start didn't go well as the first section isn't complete yet and I'd read you have to drop back to the road and ride around to the start. A sharp road climb gave way to a steep "boat" before popping out on some fire road where I soon picked up the trail markers. I later learned however, that I could have simply ridden over the crest from the car park ! So don't believe everything that you read :p

A short section of fire road the trail ducked into the tree's and the compacted trail was lovely and smooth, approx 3-4ft wide, undulated and twisted it's way up and down. Although my legs were fresh I was glad I wasn't greeted with a long vertical slog, instead I was soon building momentum using these clever rollers and berms. It's like no other trail I've ever ridden and whilst it isn't technically difficult it's an absolute hoot blasting around the cleverly placed berms and boosting off the roller and roller with such little effort :D

Before long the blue section arrived with trail following a slightly steeper gradient upwards and the newly cut surface definitely needs a few hundred knobblies on it to compact it and take away the "stickiness". Before too long I was pointing down and hammering between the trees when I found the undulations where now more frequent and needed some long range piloting to get a good line. The smooth flat surface might be easy to ride but it's awkward to find any last braking traction so I opted for a more relaxed yet none the less rapid technique. Instead of the rocky, flat perilous switchback at Afan, these are smooth, big bermed beauties to rail and help keep all that sweet momentum going. The blue DH also has a couple of more technical lines that the DDave's amongst us could opt for so don't overlook the challenge this trail offers, it's just different to the others.

After the relatively short blue you head back along the fire road before taking a long, long and faster, faster descent back to the trail head. Again using the unique roller system to keep you out of the saddle and pumping each drop to effortlessly fire you around the next curve or over the next crest. There's no tight turns to contend with as it all "flows" on and on. It was so fast that my eye's were watering even though I had sunnies on. Should you choose, it's a full on g-in/g-out whoop and a holler that'll see you out of the saddle flicking left'n'right, lofting or sucking up the crests.

This is a great trail packed into a short package that should appeal to novices and single track gods alike. It'd be great for the young'uns to start developing their skills and even the teacher should be able to have a good ride too. For me, it was a great opener to a weekend of Welsh riding and I'll definitely be back...

Route: Tracklog
Posse: Farqui (5Spot)
Mechanicals: None
Weather: clear blue sky's and sunshine