Local knowledge: Brecon Beacons
Tuesday 10 April
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We hooked up with mountain bike guide and coach Aimee Dix for a day of off-the-beaten-track trail riding in the Brecon Beacons. Check out the adventure.
It is widely accepted that the Brecon Beacons national park is epic for mountain biking... but for the uninitiated, a location like this can be a slightly daunting prospect. Most importantly, you have to know where the trails are. There are maps and guide books available to buy and there are some classic routes which see plenty of riders each year, but the real action is off the beaten track, and without any local knowledge, it really is a bit of a guessing game as to where these little gems are to be found.
There are also other factors to consider such as how to create a rideable route without spending most of it on tarmac, how to mix up climbs and descents to get the biggest grin factor, how technical or challenging the trails are, which trails are rideable in wet weather, where the nearest villages are for refueling, how much food and water to take... the list goes on. With all the OS map reading, GPS plotting and internet researching skills in the world, there are some details you can only know by finding out the hard way... or you can hire a guide!
Aimee from RideInWales has grown up mountain biking and exploring the valleys and mountains of South Wales and the Brecons throughout her teens and adult life. If there’s a cracking technical descent, a flowing ridge top natural singletrack or a challenging leg burner of a climb, Aimee’s probably ridden it. Aimee also has experience of racing downhill; both at national and world cup level so she is more than happy when things get fast and gnarly. Not only is Aimee passionate about passing on her vast local trail knowledge, but she also offers skills training for those looking to improve their overall riding, whether its trail riding or downhill. With all the necessary qualifications, safety training and first aid certificates, you are in safe hands heading out on an adventure with RideInWales.
Aimee and I headed up into the heart of the Brecons from a start point near Cwmbran and explored a stunning area full of swooping natural bridleways and exposed ridge-top singletrack. Its an area I’m quite familiar with myself but only one of the trails Aimee took me on could I recall riding before. This was a different perspective, with totally different trails, contours and viewpoints from my previous rides here... a refreshing change. As we coasted along the sumptuous and (luckily) dry terrain, we talked at length about other routes in the area. It quickly became apparent that Aimee knows a stack of great rides, for all levels of rider and in virtually any weather conditions. Her guiding style was exciting and inspiring but pretty chilled at the same time; she kept things very relaxed and we rode at our own pace until things got tricky when Aimee was keen to make sure I was comfortable with the nature of the trails ahead.. needless to say I was stoked to find some rocky singletrack perched on a narrow ledge below an overhanging gorge. This was kind of like a natural version of The Wall trail at Afan Forest, but with hardly another tyre track in sight.
The ride was really diverse and whet my appetite for a lot more phenomenal mountain biking in the Brecon Beacons. I would recommend getting in touch with RideInWales to book yourself in for some guided trail riding in South Wales or to improve your general mountain biking skills. If you're not yet convinced, check Aimee out shredding the trails in this video... you too could ride like this!
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