From very humble beginnings, the Coed y Brenin (or King's Forest) has grown into one of the top
mountain-biking resorts in the whole of the British Isles. It was actually the vision of one man,
Dafydd Davis, that saw this once little known forest park become the very first dedicated
mountain-biking centre within Snowdonia and co-incidentally within the United Kingdom at
the same time.
After a few short years, it was soon eclipsed by other more technically advanced and expansive
resorts in Scotland and the Lakes. But time and again, Dayfydd and his team kept apace with the
competition and changed the Coed y Brenin from one single trail of 11km into the 100km of varied
tracks that can be found there today.
One-time forest sports development adviser for the Coed-y-Brenin, Dafydd literally began the
extensive network of biking trails with little more than a few shovels, pick-axes and an
army of like-minded volunteers. He instinctively seemed to know what appealed to the biking
community, and with the backing of the Forestry Commission he was able to develop the
varied loops, descents and miles of single track trails into the high octane riding
sensation that the Coed-y-Brenin has become today.
As a lasting testimony to Dafydd's success, people have come in ever increasing numbers
to the forest park since the very first trail opened in the early 1990s. Indeed well over
120,000 people are said to have visited the forest park's all new visitors centre last
year at Dolgefeiliau, according to the latest available reports. And around 80 per
cent of them were thought to have gone there solely to try out the biking.
The £1.6 million visitors' centre completed in 2006, is said
to have impeccable green credentials, which include a wooden fabric and structure that was
largely extracted from the local forest. In addition, the building has been insulated
with simple newspaper, and has a design that has done away with the need for costly air
conditioning. The centre is also run entirely on a woodchip type of fuel that is again
taken from locally available resources.
Not only that, the building also has a tourist information centre that offers all kinds
of leaflets on the biking and other activities available locally. There's also Beics
Brenin bike hire shop for those who don't wish to bring their own bikes, and an
cafe (Bwyd y Brenin) that sells a wide range of tasty snack food in addition to
more substantial meals. Flapjacks and tea are said to be one of their great pick-me-ups,
and the cafe is open 7 days a week in the peak season, and Thursdays to Mondays outside
that.
Incidentally, all the bike trails within the Coed y Brenin begin at the new visitors'
centre and most are for the more experienced riders among the mountain-bike fraternity (and sorority).
The new Yr Afon trail follows the road and forestry routes along the local
River Mawddach, and is said to be suitable for beginners and families.
Our holiday cottage, Glyn-yr-Aur, in the Coed-y-Brenin, makes for
the perfect base camp from which to explore all the myriad of tracks and trails available,
some of which can take people, the better part of a day to finish.
There's also plenty of other activities to try out in the area if you want a break from biking;
there's masses of walking or running trails in addition to opportunities to go white water
rafting, climbing, sight-seeing, boating, fishing or swimming in the sea. There's also
lots of cafes and pubs selling reasonably priced food and beer or (as most people do) bring your own beer
and use the Glyn-yr-Aur barbecue with complementary charcoal. You could even have a beach party or barbecue on
the miles and miles of coastline on Cardigan Bay. The coastal resorts of Barmouth, Fairbourne,
Harlech, Aberdovey, Borth and Criccieth are all within driving distance.
As we're fully booked for summer, we're more than pleased to take bookings for this
autumn, or next year, for anyone interested in discovering the Coed-y-Brenin for the first
time, or perhaps wanting to respark their interest in the trails.
For more details about booking a break away, please contact Bob or Jane Chilton on 01341 440611
email us at onygena@onetel.com
Mountain biking weekends (Friday and Saturday nights) are £200
Midweek breaks (Sunday to Friday) are £180 for five nights in total and if your legs can manage a
full week then its only £300 from September to March.
THE TRAILS
Afon
This trail of 13km should take most people about 1.5 hrs to complete. It is suitable for
beginners and families and follows in the main sections of road and forestry track close to the
River Mawddach. People will also pass the former workings of the Gwynfynydd goldmines.
Temptiwr
This trail of 9km in length is also said to be suitable for novices and beginners and should
take people about an hour to complete. The trail is said to give people a short taster of
some of the best bits of the trails close to the visitors' centre.
MBR
More advanced riders should find this 18km trail more to their liking, which is said to include
more open-style trails that pass through some of the best scenery within the Coed-y-Brenin.
Most people should take around 2 hours to finish this whole course.
Tarw
This trail was the former Red Bull trail, which was also the very first biking trail to be
laid out within the whole of the Coed-y-Brenin. But it has now been extended to a full 20km
and includes plenty of technically challenging sections that include rocks, twists and turns
that should almost certainly keep riders on the edge of their seats. Most people should
take up to 2 hrs to finish the course, which is only suitable for more advanced bikers.
Dragon's Back
This 31km course is for expert riders only and is characterised by long climbs, tight
singletrack and long, fast descents, that pass through some amazing mountain scenery.
Riders should allow four hours to complete this particular course.
The Beast
This trail as its name suggests is not for the faint-hearted and is seen as the most
challenging trail of all within the Coed-y-Brenin. At 38km long, the trail promises to
be both physically and mentally demanding, and people should not try it if their fitness
levels are low. Don't underestimate the 'bite of the Beast' say writers at mbwales.com.
Taking an average of 4.5 hours to complete, people need to be really sure they're capable of
lasting the course, or perhaps should just tackle it a bit at a time.
Three of the trails (Dragons'Back, MBR and The Beast) pass within half a mile of Glyn-yr-Aur
In any event, we hope we can look forward to welcoming you to the Coed-y-Brenin
soon.
The Glyn-yr-Aur bikewash!