Category: Words

So for a while I’ve been using the OS Maps app to find some routes. In the exploring North Wales vein, I’d found what looked like a decent route to the East of Betws-y-Coed.

Thing was the route, selected as an off-road route, just didn’t have any off road. Which meant it was a wet ride round North Wales on some quiet country lanes, but not really what I had been looking for.

Sunrise
Sunrise
Looks like morning in your eyes…

– Norah Jones

Quiet in the woods this morning but some of the trails have a bit of flow and pop, good for cruising around on the fat bike. Better once the sun came out this morning

So after a bit of reading up it turns out that the trail formerly known as the Marin, is now renamed the Gwydir Mawr with its smaller sibling, Gwydir Bach. Mawr is Welsh for big or large, bach means small. Marin bikes donated the cash to waymark the trail in 2002. No new funding meant a new name.

Today’s ride was from the carpark at the Gwydir Mawr trailhead and then climbed up and along the side of the valley to the top of Trefriw and picked up the climb from the ride last Thursday in the rain. The forecast today was much better and there was even a chance of seeing the sun.

The same close to 5 miles of climbing before the first descent and this time much more rideable trails with lots of fireroad double track before the first sections of singletrack.

Fundamentally the Marin trail seems to be so changed that the original trail can be hard to detect. This might be because every time I rode it I parked in Betws and did the bastard steep tarmac climb up to the trail crossing which I think equates to the bit located in the photo below.

That different entry point to starting the old trail and a hazy memory means it just feels strange. Close to 20 years of tree growth and felling means the landscape views are different too.

The final descent is a proper blast and a lot of fun with lots of drop offs and a decent jump line. There were a few trees still down across the trails since Storm Arwen, but the section that was closed in October for felling was opened again. Looking forwards to joining the Gwydir to Penmachno trails in the summer.

Meh.

This route is detailed and pictured in better weather over at the excellent Flat Tyres MTB site. I discovered this after the ride and chose to park and start the ride in Trefriw rather than Capel Curig.

Crossing the bridge from Llanrwst there is rain water running across the road and it’s getting on for 6″ deep. I’m not confident I’ll be heading home the way I started. One of those rides where it’s going to be wet, but I have new Goretex trousers to the waterproof arsenal so we should be okay.

The ride started with a 4 mile climb out of Trefriw on tarmac past Llyn Crafnant then onto trails heading over the pass between Crimpiau and Clogwyn Manned.

From the top, just before going over. Relatively sheltered at this point.

Going down the other side along the Slate Trail with sleet in the face and water being blown up hill by the wind.

Sliding into Capel Curig across a very slippery field.

Taking the steady climb from the car park behind Joe Browns along the double track running parallel to the A5.

Crossing over bog on the way up Tal-y-Braich wet and would have been hard to follow without GPS in the conditions.

Techfest descent down and ahead along the shoreline of Llyn Cowlyd. When you get to the end of this there’s some horrendous climbing out from the foot of the dam and then having crossed the plateau, a depressing tarmac descent back to the car.

And yes, the road was closed due to flood water so it was back via the bridge at Betws-y-Coed. Waterproofs failed – everything was soaked at the end, but at least they kept the wind out. On reflection had it not been unseasonably warm (13 deg) then this ride could have been pretty serious had things gone wrong.

Storm Arwen happened over 26th and 27th November 2021 and hit the local forest pretty badly. A lot of roads were closed for days and trails have been blocked by fallen timber for even longer and still remain blocked weeks later.

Trail blockages have ranged from light (like a single fallen tree trunk across the trail as in the photo above) to complete blockages (with full canopy blocking and no way around) where no amount of bike limbo or parkour is going to get you through.

Since the storm, the rangers and forestry crews have been busy working things out and getting the trails open.

Unfortunately it’s also been used to clear fell some areas which has destroyed some of the trails such as “Escape from LA” which was one of my favourites – time will tell if the logging machines have left anything that can be salvaged.

Back to Wales for a late October sortie in the Mountains, but this time it was trying out one of the trail centres that I have driven past put not ridden before – Gwydir Mawr. Edit: Well, that is a fib, I’ve ridden it many times in the past when it was known as the Marin Trail.

Just to maintain a theme the rain started as I entered Llanwyst and stopped as I drove home (sun coming out on the way back just to add salt to the wound). Still most of the riding was in the woods so there was some shelter from the elements.

Loads of mushrooms out in the woods

Trails were really interesting – some quite technical bits without much warning that they were approaching and a slight reluctance to commit on some of them whilst riding solo.

The review of the trails I read said that it included amazing views of Snowdonia. Well not today, but what you could see through breaks in the cloud was looking stunning.

There was one section of man-made singletrack that was closed due to forestry work. The diversion was really badly signed and I almost went in totally the wrong direction, until spotting the sign at the last minute.

The Cambrian Rally stages were taking place the weekend after my trip and the trails were marked out for the event. Could be a good one to check out in future.