Pontypool sickness
Pontypool host some sick trails, step natural, jumps, drops features galore. The trails are cut into the hillsides to the West of Pontypool, all provide a differing level of challenge, especially in the prevailing Welsh weather. The valleys are steep sided meaning that there is a lot of climbing to get to the descents. The descents are real descents reaching gradients of 40% in places. One trail even has two or three cars buried deep in the woods some distance from the road, no idea how they came to be there.
The first time I got to ride these trail in early 2018 it was a wet and wild night. Taking on these trails for the first time in the dark, wind and rain was a true challenge pushing me to my limits. That time the ride took longer than expected, the wind and rain took its toll on the group and towards the end there were some very quiet chaps myself included. However once we'd made the final climb spirits sawed and the descent made up for the miserable climb. What was expected despite that we had be told about it was the cars deep in the forest quite some way form the nearest road, truly a bizarre sight in the dark and mist!
So if you're into steep trails and having a good time on a bike then head over to South Wales and check outage trails around Pontypool.
Pontypool Mountain Bike Route
| Distance | 15km |
| Time | 1.5-2.5hrs |
| Climbing | 520m |
| Starting location | Bridgend Inn, Pontypool |
| Pubs, cafes | Bridgend Inn |
| Parking | Car park |
| Route | View route on Strava Download GPX |
| Photos | View Photos on Flickr |
| Videos | View Videos on YouTube |
Wales Mountain Biking: Beicio Mynydd Cymru, is a collection of 20 classic Welsh mountain bike rides, between 12 and 50 kilometres. Grab a copy on Amazon now.
Don't forget to check out my favourite Welsh routes!
Did you try this out? Comment here!