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Cannock
Chace Now fully open.
Peak to
Peak ride - All open except for Rowlee Farm, see route
guide for small diversion. Nice to see
'PATH OPEN' signs to reassure the very cautious!
Coed y Brenin
Trails: All open! Icluding the ultimate, Pink Heifer.
Afan
Argoed Open again, narrowly misses closure due to F&M in district.
Llanwrtyd
Wells most trails are open: the Crychan, Tywi and Irfon forests are
all back open except for any trails going through farmland. See www.redkite-mtb.org.uk
for more info.
For
information on all of the UK trails open visit The
Countryside Agency site. They have excellent interactive maps
which will highlight open and closed trails clearly see Trails
Open in Wales
Good news on foot and mouth.
As from 6pm. Friday 9th June 2001 all footpaths and bridleways in
Wrexham, Denbighshire, Conwy, Flintshire and Gwynedd are OPEN. This means most of North Wales is now open to mountain bikers.
There are still widespread restictions in Mid-Wales, particularly around Builth Wells and
Powys.
Paul Davies
9Feet Trail Latest:
Open despite local F&M.
Coed
y Brenin Visitor Centre:
Open all week now, see above!
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Ride Report
We visited Coed y Brenin on Sunday the 8th of April. After a swift and
fun blast around the Red Bull we rode back up the first climb and
followed the new left turn on to the 'Flight Path' descent. This led
us down a long and fairly straight switchbacked singletrack and on to
the entrance road. The route then goes up the main road and uses
forest roads and a technical double track climb (from the Pink
Heifer/MBR) to reach the top of the hill. It then does one switchback
doubletrack descent before hitting a wet and soft single down to
another forest road. Things start to get good after this. Across the
bridge and on to a rooty, rocky single across felled open land, then
get off the back for a steep drop on to the corner of a rocky double
known to some as 'The Beast'.
Don't go too fast on here unless you're
really good on rocks. It's 300 yards of solid and loose Welsh granite
pieces. Tom A.K.A. 'Lensman' hit it like a bat out of hell! I was
behind him running the helmet camera when he crashed and went off the
right hand edge of the trail... This is not good, it's a fair old drop
down there. We found him, 10 feet down the hillside, upside down,
laughing and winging that he couldn't get up.
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Mountain
bikers and those of the cloven hoof spend a lot of time
together...
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We got him back on his bike and I sped down the
remaining bone jarring hundred yards to the bottom. I waited, and
waited some more, no sign of them. Eventually they appeared with a
story of 'The Lens' crashing a second time and becoming inseparable
from a bush... sheesh. At this point I found the video power had been
shaken out and I'd missed the big crash, DOH! A long climb comes next
but it's well worth it as you reach the top of the third section of
the main Karrimor descent (Cousin It or Hermon) This gives you three
awesome technical singletracks to ride in succession. Those without
disk brakes will have pumped forearms at the bottom, we did. We flew
down these at top speed and exited at the bottom whooping and
hollering having jumped off the drop off's in a manner likely to send
safety experts in to risk assessment overdrive. I really have got to
slow down before I break something. A group of riders chilling out at
the bottom clearly thought we were nuts, it figures. Next a gut
wrenching, sweat breaking forest road climb takes you swiftly up to
the top of a major MBR route descent. This one is a corker on any day
and we flew past a few riders walking the middle section. I have to
say that always makes us feel momentarily like pro's, pity we're
really not that good! Steve Peat? we are not worthy! Anyway from the
bottom of here the route does an easy climb up by the river, crosses
the bridge and takes the easiest route back to the visitor centre.
Conclusion
This route rocks! Four top descents on a relatively short course
(compared to Karrimor) lots of opportunity for personal injury, so
beginners take it easy!
Congratulations to Daffyd Davis and all the rest of the team!
The Forestry Commission
has further information on which forests are open or opening soon at this
link.
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