Even more reasons to holiday in the Coed-y-Brenin

Calling all mountain bikers: there are now even more reasons to book a break away at our holiday let Glyn-yr-Aur. Based in the heart of prime mountain-biking country or the Coed-y-Brenin forest park, our bright and contemporary barn conversion is close to over 100km of world class mountain-biking trails. But the tracks and trails have now been upgraded to include a fearsome, new technical feature - the Cavity - and 4 km of all new trail, dubbed the Minor Tour.

The Cavity, all new technical section, can be found on the section of the trails more commonly known as False Teeth. It was built over 10 years ago on the MBR trail and was so named because contractors found a set of false teeth there while developing the trail. And the Minor Tour, as its name suggests, was finished in early 2011 in a bid to attract beginners and novice to the mountain-biking sport.

Forest ranger Andy Braund said the Cavity was a new signature piece that people would want to ride again and again. Forming part of the 18km MBR trail, this new 800m section was said to have taken four months to build in total.

He further explained: "The design and build has produced a truly progressive trail where the features start off small, but gradually get more challenging as you ride along, so you have time to prepare, warm up and gain confidence.

"Some riders may well be too intimidated by the Cavity and choose to walk it. But on the approach, you're just aware of this edge where the trail appears to end, then there's just a big hole. You can't see a landing. Your speed increases as you drop in, and your carried up and out the other side."

Some commenters on a mountain-biking message board said they were looking forward to trying the new Cavity on their next trip. However, others who had tried it, warned people to take the approach to this new section slowly.

One said: "The Cavity needs some bigger signs or something to tell people to reduce their entry speed. There is little to suggest that it's a much bigger drop than other similar features."

So those wanting to check out the new sections and trails at the Coed-y-Brenin, or just reacquaint themselves with the old ones, should book a break away soon at our bright and cosy holiday cottage, Glyn-yr-Aur.

To find out more, please contact Bob or Jane Chilton on 01341 440611 or email onygena@tiscali.co.uk.

A SUMMARY OF THE TRAILS

Yr 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 Gwynfynedd 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 actually pass through some of the best scenery within the Coed-y-Brenin. Most people should take around 2 hours to finish this whole course. And it now comes complete with the new False Teeth and Cavity section.

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 definitely suitable for more advanced bikers.

Dragon's Back

This 31km course is for expert riders only and is characterised by long climbs, tight single track 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 from 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.

Pink Heifer

Cyflwm Coch

Audio trails go live in the Coed-y-Brenin

If you've ever wondered if you could have your very own personal guided tour of the Coed-y-Brenin by a forest ranger or expert, then wonder no more, because local ranger, Graeme Stringer, and wildlife enthusiast, Iolo Williams have joined forces to bring some of the trails much more vividly to life around the 9000 acre sized park.

Graeme recently persuaded Iolo to record a few hours worth of MP3 audio tracks that cover five miles worth of trails deep within the forest park near the Afon or River Eden. The tracks, which can be downloaded from http://www.forestry.gov.uk/coed-y-breninforestpark, complement existing leaflets and information boards about sights and places of interest within the Coed-y-Brenin itself.

For example, walkers can follow the designated routes and switch on their MP3 players at various marker posts to learn more about the Roman invasion of Britain, for example, or how the Coed-y-Brenin actually came into being.

Historically, the forest park was once part of the Nannau Estate, and was at one time owned by Prince Cadwgan in the 11th century. Eventually it was developed in to the Forest of the King (named after George V) or the Coed-y-Brenin in Welsh, in the early part of the 20th century, in a bid to satisfy Britain's growing demand for wood.

The Coed-y-Brenin is still used as a major production site for pine. However, much of the forest is being clear-felled in a bid to revive ancient woodland species such as sessile oak, rowan, ash and birch.

Today, the Coed-y-Brenin is known as perhaps one of the top mountain-biking destinations within the whole of the UK and now has 104km worth of tracks and trails totally devoted to this all action sport.

A new £1.6 million visitors' centre was constructed near the Afon Eden trail in late 2006, and this has seen visitor numbers swell to 120,000 in recent years.

The forest park is not just a haven for mountain-bikers though and also has much to offer ramblers, walkers, runners and those interested in bird watching and wildlife in general.

Iolo added: "Audio trails are fantastic because it's like going for a walk with expert naturalists, historians, geologists and archaeologists in tow. I'm sure the current trail at the Coed-y-Brenin will be the first of many."

Land managers and farmers will now be able bid for sizeable grants under a new woodland creation scheme up until the year 2013. The project forms a key part of the Welsh Assembly's Glastir land management programme, which aims to assist farmers and land managers to markedly improve their local landscapes.

A high priority is to be given to projects that set out to improve soil quality, water drainage and the habitats for wildlife and flora and fauna. And for woodland creation, farmers will be given support for the costs of developing new woods, and compensation payments for taking land out of agricultural use.

Otters return to lake near Cader Idris after an absence of three years

The Countryside Council for Wales has welcomed the return of a male otter (with his new family) to the Talyllyn Lake at the foot of the Cader Idris mountain range, which is just a 35 minute drive from our holiday cottage Glyn-yr-Aur.

Visitors to the area should be able to see the mother, father and two cubs playing in and around the banks of the 220 acre lake between Dolgellau and Machynlleth.

Conservation Officer for the council based in Dolgellau, Rhodri Dafydd, said that return of the otter meant that the waters and area around the lake were pollutant free enough to support one of Britain's most threatened wild species.

Otters' numbers are said to have declined in recent years throughout the British Isles due to a loss of suitable habitat, however after an absence of three years, the otter's return to the Talyllyn is said to be a sure sign of a thriving and burgeoning local eco-system.

Rhodri Dafydd further explained: "As one of our most attractive mammals, the otter sits at the top of its food chain and is therefore an indicator of a healthy ecosystem. Their presence shows that the habitats and water quality in this part of the Cader Idris Site of Special Scientific Interest can and do support a wide range of species."

A short film of the otters playing in the lake can be seen on youtube at http://www.youtube.com/user/rectoryonthelake.

Sport England wants more people involved in outdoor recreational activities

Sports promotional group, Sport England, hopes to dramatically boost the number of people who engage in sport or some form of recreational activity by the time Britain has hosted the London Olympics.

According to a recent survey undertaken by the group, around seven million adults across the UK regularly go running, hill walking or cycling or engage in some such other sporting activity for at least 90 minutes a week.

However, the group believes at least one million more people should be encouraged to embrace more active lifestyles and become engaged more intensely in some form of sport.

In a bid to spearhead this initiative an inquiry was set up to research how best to make sport and adventure activities more accessible to more people.

From a series of questionnaires and consultations with the general public and special interest groups such as the Woodland Trust, it became clear that too few people know about the opportunities available to them in the great outdoors. At least 43% of respondents felt more should be done to publicise and promote footpaths, cycling trails and so forth to the uninitiated.

Regular visitors to national parks were found to be well informed of the broad range of opportunities and activities available to them. But groups such as the Woodland Trust felt more needed to be done to educate the wider public about how to make the best of their time in the countryside and rural areas.

This autumn, the trust will be launching its Visit Woods campaign to advise people of the myriad of activities, footpaths and trails that can be followed with its profusion of woods and forests across the British Isles.

Sport England also discovered that from January 2009 to January 2010, cycling had become an increasingly popular sport with nearly 115,000 more people taking it up in that year alone. Canoeing was also said to have become more popular too, and an additional 17,000 people had decided to take up this sport during the same time frame.

The Sport England survey also concluded that schools should be forced to open up their sports facilities to local communities in a bid to increase sport participation, and that more guides and fact sheets were needed in general to alert people to the opportunities available to them for activities near their home and further afield.

New free walking booklet available that follows pilgrimage of local girl, Mary Jones, to find a Welsh Bible for herself and family and friends

Ever since Christianity began, there have been numerous tales about the lengths saints, ascetics and devout people were prepared to go to for the sake of their faith and for God.

However, 210 years ago, a girl who lived in a tiny hamlet at the foot of the Cader Idris, sparked a religious revival after she walked barefoot for some 28 miles to secure one of the very first Bibles ever printed in Welsh.

15-year-old Mary Jones who came from Llanfihangel-y-pennant in the southern foothills of the Cader Idris, decided her six year long wait to obtain an authentic Bible should now come to an end.

She had accrued enough in savings by 1800, and set out to the home of the Rev Thomas Charles in Bala to buy the scriptures for herself.

On arriving at the Rev Thomas' home which is now Barclays Bank in Bala, she was told that there were no actual Bibles in Welsh left for sale.

On seeing how distraught she was, it was said, the Rev Thomas Charles gave her a copy that was reserved for someone else. She managed to purchase two more Bibles, one which is preserved for posterity at Cambridge University Library and the other at the National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth.

Her moving story brought about the setting up of the British and Foreign Bible Society (in 1804), whose sole remit was to ensure that Bible was available in as many languages, to as many people who wanted them across the world.

And in 2010, the very same Bible Society has produced a free booklet, with a grant from the Countryside Council for Wales, that hopes to replicate the authentic journey taken by Mary over two centuries ago.

Divided into five sections, people can tackle as much or as little of this 28 mile walk as they wish. It passes along the shores of Lake Talyllyn, the Mawddach Estuary and the edges of Bala Lake into the small market town of Bala itself.

Paul Mitchell of the Countryside Council for Wales added: "The guide book is a really high quality publication with great attention to detail. I'm sure it will be useful to local and visiting walkers."

The author of the booklet, Mary Thomas, said that Mary Jones had achieved quite an amazing feat of walking through so much of Wales' wild and rough terrain without any shoes. She believed that the walk would be an inspirational journey for those who followed in her namesake's footsteps.

The booklet is available free from local tourist information offices in the Gwynedd area, or it can be downloaded from the Bible Society's website at www.biblesociety.org.uk.