Mountain Bike Holidays in Wales are booming at current and for very good reason. Wales is epic for riding bikes! Not only are the locals crazy for mountain bikes but It seems every professional rider spends their training time shredding the mountainsides of North and South Wales. Wales is made for mountain bike holidays, with vast open hillsides in the Brecon Beacons, steep, techy, descents in the Valleys and endless bike parks such as Bike Park Wales.
Wales is also home to the second-highest peak in the United Kingdom, Snowdon, dominating the wild and rugged Snowdonia National Park in the North. Wales truly is the UK’s most popular mountain biking destination right now.
MTB DESTINATIONS IN WALES
With a buzzing local race scene hosting the Welsh Enduro Series and UK National Downhill Races at venues like Rheola, Caersws and Dyfi Forest as well as endless trail centres and bike parks spread across the whole of the country, there is no short supply of amazing marked out trails to tackle, from big jump lines like 50:01 at Revolution Bike Park to the flowiest, high speed, techy trails at Dyfi Bike Park, the closest thing you can get to riding Red Bull’s Hardline, which takes place just around the corner in Machynlleth.
Mountain Bike Holidays in Wales are growing in popularity for many reasons, not least because of the great and varied riding on offer, as well as the natural beauty of both the Brecon Beacons National Park and the Snowdonia National Park, both with far-reaching views and a vastness that is tough to find in the UK. Wales is home to the second-highest mountain in the UK, Snowdon, which is climbable by bike, making a mountain bike trip to Wales a bucket list experience for many passionate riders!
SNOWDON IS THE SECOND HIGHEST PEAK IN THE UK
WALES IS A GREAT FAMILY HOLIDAY DESTINATION
Wales also has many quaint seaside resorts, opening up options of family holidays with the mountain bike in tow. Choose from the Gower Peninsula, close to Afan Valley and the awesome riding in the Welsh valleys, as well as Aberdyfi, Abersoch, Aberdaron and Barmouth all in North Wales and on the border of Snowdonia National Park. A bit further from Mountain Biking destinations in Wales, but still full of charm and beauty are the towns of Tenby and Cardigan if you want to explore Wales without focusing solely on mountain bikes.
Benefiting from being central to the UK (albeit on the west coast), sharing a border with the South West, the West Midlands and the North West of England, reducing travel times to the amazing mountain biking destinations of Wales to within a couple of hours of a large part of England.
TRAIL CENTRES TO VISIT ON YOUR WALES MOUNTAIN BIKE HOLIDAY
Wales is considered to be the home of Mountain biking in the UK with Coed Y Brenin in Snowdonia, North Wales, being one of the very first man-made trail centres to be created in the UK. This was over 30 years ago now with its first trials being fire roads named the Red and Yellow Trail, until Red Bull arrived several years later to create their own 11km Red Bull trail which really stamped Coed Y Brenin’s name on the map.
Obviously, there have been people riding mountain bikes in Wales in the Mountains for many years before Coed Y Brenin was established with destinations such as the Brecon Beacons, Elan Valley, Snowdonia and so on but this really was the start of the trail centre revolution!
FROM AFAN TO COED Y BRENIN WALES HAS THE FINEST TRAIL CENTRES
WALES IS NOW FAMOUS ACROSS THE GLOBE FOR ITS MTB TRAILS
Wales is now littered with trail centres and bike parks which draw in riders from across the globe, not just the UK. Wales has created some of the world's best Downhill and Enduro riders and you can see why, born from the trail centres and natural terrain this small country possesses.
Mountain Bike Trail Centres in Wales (Not all of them by any means)
- Cwmcarn
- Afan
- Bike Park Wales
- Nany yr Aran
- Revolution
- Dyfi Bike Park
- Antur Stiniog
- Coed y Brenin
This is just scratching the surface of the trail centres and bike parks in Wales, for much more info please see MBWALES here
Mountain Bike Holidays in Wales are growing in popularity for many reasons, not least because of the great and varied riding on offer, as well as the natural beauty of both the Brecon Beacons National Park and the Snowdonia National Park, both with far-reaching views and a vastness that is tough to find in the UK.
Descending Snowdon is bucket list mountain biking
WHAT MAKES WALES SUCH A GREAT MOUNTAIN BIKE HOLIDAY DESTINATION
Wales is home to the second-highest mountain in the UK, Snowdon, which is climbable by mountain bike, making a mountain bike trip to Wales a bucket list experience for many mountain bikers. Wales also has many quaint seaside resorts, opening up options of family holidays with the mountain bike in tow.
Choose from the Gower Peninsula, close to Afan Valley and the awesome riding in the Welsh valleys, as well as Aberdyfi, Abersoch, Aberdaron and Barmouth all in North Wales and on the border of Snowdonia National Park. A bit further from Mountain Biking destinations in Wales, but still full of charm and beauty are the towns of Tenby and Cardigan if you want to explore Wales without focusing solely on mountain bikes.
Wales also benefits from being central to the UK (albeit on the west coast), sharing a border with the South West, the West Midlands and the North West of England, reducing travel times to the amazing mountain biking destinations of Wales to within a couple of hours of a large part of England.
standing atop of snowdon before a big descent
mountain biking in SNOWDONIA AND NORTH WALES
The Snowdonia National Park and Snowdon offer epic, natural riding. Free to climb on a mountain bike from September to May, and restricted to before 10 am and after 5 pm from May to September, summiting Snowdon with a bike is truly a bucket list adventure for many. Think crisp dawn air and close to 1000m of flowing singletrack descent, this place is epic. Snowdonia also has Coed Y Brenin Trail Centre, the oldest trail centre in the UK offering epic man-made trails, including Y Slab, a massive, steep granite slab with flowy singletrack on either side.
A bit further north is Antur Stiniog, with 14 gravity trails serviced by an uplift. Having played host to UK National Downhill Championship rounds, Antur Stiniog has everything from gnarly, rocky, steep black trails to beginner-friendly greens. For those that like big days out, taking in the scenery and a quick stop at the pub afterwards, there’s the Pont Scethin loop, 25km of undulating terrain which throws everything at you from cross-country style trail riding and short, steep enduro descents.
SOUTH WALES, BRECON BEACONS AND THE VALLEYS
The likes of Cwmcarn, Afan and Bike Park Wales are all easily accessible from the M4 motorway and all are home to classic trails set on the south Wales hills, as well as offering uplift and amenities. If you’re after a more natural feel, you can head out on trails across the Brecon Beacons and enjoy flat-out 5-minute descents across shale, rocks and natural grassy hillside.
Many local Downhill & Enduro races are held across the region, as well as buzzing bike communities like Risca Riders, who look after a vast network of ‘unofficial-official’ trails that have support from National Resources Wales and also put on regular social rides.
So what are you waiting for? Book that Mountain bike holiday in Wales now and let us show you the very best trails in this stunning corner of the world
