Combining the red-graded White’s Level and Y Wall trails together into a monster loop thanks to some purpose-made linking sections, W2 provides plenty of challenge thanks to the distance, climbing and technical riding on offer.It’s possible to start this big loop from either of the centres, which also means you’ve got a lunch stop halfway around, … Read more
White’s Level is the most technical of all the trails in the Afan Forest and it’s 90% singletrack too. Once you’ve got the 6km sheep track climb out of the way you’ll be rewarded with some big views of the entire valley and the descents provide their own reward too, with some exposed feeling traverses … Read more
The IXS Trigger FF is a full-face helmet that aims to combine open-face breathability with full-face protection. It’s certainly light enough for all-day riding, but its open face style straps aren’t the most comfortable and the shell is fairly large. 100% Trajecta helmet review Troy Lee Designs Stage helmet review Giro Switchblade MIPS MTB helmet … Read more
Starting out from the Afan Forest Visitor Centre, Y Wal (The Wall in Welsh) heads out on the north side of the valley along the river and climbs up to take in some stunning views as well as superb singletrack riding.There’s a fair bit of exposure on some of the descents – you definitely don’t want to veer … Read more
Taking its name from the valley’s industrial heritage, the Blue Scar trail offers up plenty of flowing singletrack and a few technical features, making it ideal for anyone that’s happy on the green trails but wants to sample something a little harder.It’s a good way to progress to the harder trails at Afan, but also … Read more
The Penhydd trail is a good way to sample one of the red-graded trails at Afan without committing to the much longer routes on offer, making it ideal for anyone that’s happy on the blue trails but wants to push their riding a bit more.It shares the same climb from the Afan Forest Visitor Centre as … Read more
This is a short, slightly more challenging extension to the Rookie Green loop, dropping down to the Afan river on flowing singletrack, before re-joining the green trail back to the centre.
Perfect for novice riders or kids, this mellow green trail meanders from Afan Visitor Centre down towards the river.If you fancy a bit more riding time and technical challenge, it links into the Rookie Blue trail.
The Lifeline Adventure frame bag fits 2.1 litres of storage beneath the top tube. It’s a simple design with a single zip and one large storage area, while its 300D ripstop nylon fabric and welded seams mean it’s both light and impressively waterproof. It might not be a looker, but it’s cheap, simple and effective. … Read more
