Tackling the mighty Snowdon by mountain bike
Tuesday 25 October
| Tweet |
Snowdon attracts a crazy amount of walkers, climbers and tourists throughout the year but is it any good on a mountain bike?
The short answer to this question is yes... very good in fact! The guys from PlanetFear in Betws-y-Coed have plenty of experience of mountain biking in the beautiful mountains of Snowdonia National Park and this "MTB Roots" article takes us beyond the trail centres and into some classic Welsh mountain biking territory. Read this and you will be reaching for the OS map and scribbling out your kit list in no time!
Over the past decade the sport of cycling has seen a huge increase in its number of participants, with more and more people taking to two wheels for commuting, exercise and adventure. The development of trail centres has helped thrust mountain biking to the top of the popularity pile: well maintained trails for all abilities, often with on-site facilities and waymarked routes make getting off-road on a bike easier now than ever. Trail centres have given rise to a new breed of biker who have learnt their sport on the well defined and marked trails of blue and red routes, but also who have never experienced the adventure of a quiet moor or mountain, the solitude and satisfaction that a day in the hills can bring.
Trail centres are fantastic resources but there is a danger that mountain bikers will never really ride ‘mountains' but base their experiences around tamed, manicured trails. Many will remember taking their bike off-road for the first time after scouring maps for bridleways, possible gems in their local landscape and revelling afterwards at their ‘discoveries'. This series aims to inspire all bikers, but especially those who haven't yet been able to fully experience the adventure of a UK mountain or moor.
We start the first of this six part series with a route to the tallest peak in the Snowdonia national park, not for the faint of heart, but one that will give you something to work towards or for the more adventurous get out and send now. Remember to cycle responsibly, don't be an idiot, we share the bridleways with other users and a bit of courtesy goes a long way. In particular the Snowdon Ranger Path has a voluntary access agreement, adhere to it, don't get bikes banned and we can continue to enjoy access to our fantastic landscape.
Snowdon is one of the Classic lumps in UK mountain biking. I always make the effort to ride the mountain at least once a year. Not once has it failed to be a brilliant and inspiring day out. There are a few different bridleways up and down Snowdon. The most popular route seems to be straight up and straight back down the main Llanberis Path. This is an okay ride but it's never been the most challenging or interesting option, especially since the hefty resurfacing that's taken place on the Llanberis Path has calmed down a lot of the lumpier sections.
In my opinion by far the best Snowdon route is to go up the Llanberis Path and then down the Ranger Path on the western flank of Snowdon. This route gives you a bit of everything that Snowdonia has to offer the mountain biker. Fast bits, rough bits, technical bits, flowy bits, beautiful bits. It's one of the few places in the UK where you genuinely can put the mountain into mountain biking.
| Tweet |