I did Ian's route last summer and I don't recall any hike a bike sections.

If you have the legs you could probably ride it all.

The route is designed to be as rideable as possible. One or two sections come to mind as being tricky, the first is the track just after crossing the A5, from The Ugly House over to Dolwyddelyn - a little bit rocky initially, but not hike-a-bike by any means. The climb out of Dolgellau was steep; nostoc rode it but the rest of us pushed.
I would say the route as a whole is more than 99% rideable.

cheers chew, ian - thats really encouraging

I was looking at that exact bit last night! (Ugly House to Dolwyddelan) I was wondering about taking the Sarn Helen route across instead (about 3km east), as it sets me up nicely to take a road up to Penmachno Trail... any experience of that? Ive heard bits of it are non-existant?!


1 last question. from Dolwyddelan, has anyone ever ridden SE up Afon Bwlch y Groes? is it as wet as it sounds? LOL

1 last question. from Dolwyddelan, has anyone ever ridden SE up Afon Bwlch y Groes? is it as wet as it sounds? LOL

Yep, it's not as bad as it sounds. You'll possibly push the first 1/4 mile (steep/loose) then it becomes quite a well defined/surfaced track. It's a long old climb before you hit the top mind

Ian wrote:
The Ugly House over to Dolwyddelyn - a little bit rocky initially, but not hike-a-bike by any means. The climb out of Dolgellau was steep; nostoc rode it but the rest of us pushed.

I pushed up from the Ugly House for my Feb bivi again - it's still pretty loose in parts (and steep!) but over quickly. Nostoc was definately nuclear powered the whole time I followed him (at a distance usually :) )

tea-face wrote:
about taking the Sarn Helen route across instead (about 3km east), as it sets me up nicely to take a road up to Penmachno Trail... any experience of that

I went up the start of this on the Feb bivi to camp on Rowen (the continuation of the track to the hill top). The ground over the old drove road to the east is very, very boggy on top of Bwlch y Groes and often cut up by illegeal trail bike use (I've pushed, carried and waded over this mid-summer!). There has been a fair amount of logging too around that section of the Penmachno Trail at present.
If you are trying to get up to the Penmachno Trail you can follow the river east on the south bank on a rideable trial from Dolwyddelan, then turn up the hill near the little station stop near Pont-y-Pant to eventually meet Loop 2 of the Penmachno Trail at it's most eastern extent. This is all rideable forest track and will eventully take you back (if you follow Loop 2) across the boggy brideway from Dolwydellan mentioned earlier. PM me and I can send you a GPX file to explain this a bit better.

boggy brideway from Dolwydellan

Am I in the wrong place?

I was up over the track from Dolwyddelan to Penmachno via Bwlch y Groes in Dec and I recall it being in good order. However, I only went as far as Bwlch y Groes before taking a detour, does it get worse after that point?

Stu wrote
Am I in the wrong place?
I was up over the track from Dolwyddelan to Penmachno via Bwlch y Groes in Dec and I recall it being in good order. However, I only went as far as Bwlch y Groes before taking a detour, does it get worse after that point?

Could well be same place Stu.
Your experience may be more recent than mine (we swore never to return at the time!) but you may have turned off before the head of the Afon Wybrnant which I recall being an unrideable push a few summers ago going east - west. Did you divert SW towards Rowen or NE into the forest at the Bwlch?
The bad bit at the time was around SH761511 but may have been maintained since. The entrance to the track at SH767511 (going east - west) looked cut up by trail bikes last time I rode Loop 2 where it crosses.
I reckon this is a fair representation of part of the route:

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/568716

the route we're doing next weekend drops down from Betws Y coed south west to Pont y Pant, then east along a track to Pont Gethin, then south along a road into Penmachno and Penmachno trails. We eventually come out in the quarries 5km East of Blaenau Ffestiniog.

I''l let you know whether that routes any good after I've washed the peat out of my ears :D

Steve, weather is looking good tomorrow so I'll be doing something similar - Conwy to Machynlleth with bits of your route (Sarn Helen from Betws to Dolwydellan) and Ian's C2C thrown in. Will keep you posted on trail conditions in the area although I'm planning on crossing to Blaenau via the Manod Quarries and down Cwm Teigl (a bit west of your route; mainly 'cos I've not done it before). Train back from Mach on Saturday. Sunshine and no wind forecast for the 24 hours :)

sounds good guys,
Slarge - that sounds like what im thinking of doing. defo the quaries bit. look forward to you sum up.

The bad bit at the time was around SH761511 but may have been maintained since.

Ahh, I cut off for some off piste action a short while before.

Tea-Face,
our route is a combination of the route Ian etc have described and the Dave Buchanan WC2C route, and afew other bits thrown in, and I can send you the GPX of our route, although it may be safer after we have actually ridden it!

Hey slarge I would be really interested in seeing that gpx. Just to see the options. The route im trying to stitch together is using this one and the mbuk one, hadnt considered daves also.
Cheers. I will pm u

Any chance of a gpx of the route you took Ian?

Sure thing. You can have the original, or if you fancy waiting a week or so, I'm updating the route to use on the 5 April weekend. I'll email later.

Ahhh OK well if the 5th April is on then I'm happy to wait for the update. I was planning a route as contingency (if case you weren't able to make it) to do myself and I wasn't sure/needed inspiration for a couple of bits.

We can surely make a great video this time.

Will drop you a line as planning something similar

Right then, v2 route plotted. One way train ticket booked. Roll out tomorrow

--

edit: I see that all the original photos on those thread have disappeared. Doing some housework on iPhoto the other week, I discovered that if you split the library files up, any folders connected to flickr get deleted. Therefore, most of the flickr photos I've posted on here are now gone from my flickr account

Ian wrote:Right then, v2 route plotted. One way train ticket booked. Roll out tomorrow

Are you doing a scouting mission of your new route this weekend then?

Yes. I'm in Ashbourne currently and was planning to ride home via the EWE route, but having spent yesterday evening looking over the route and thinking 5 April isn't far away and I'd like to have the route sussed by then, I'd take the opportunity to ride Llandudno to Brecon Friday to Sunday by getting the train over to N Wales Friday AM. The route doesn't appear to ride through much forestry, so I'm hoping that I won't have too many issues with fallen trees - especially as I've opted to bypass Coed-y-brenin in preference for Pont Scethin (yes, that bridge again )

Ian wrote:I've opted to bypass Coed-y-brenin in preference for Pont Scethin (yes, that bridge again )

That was one of the bits I was going to to ask you about as I have seen both ways used. I thought going Pont Scethin would be better than a trail center. I see this kind of route as an adventure after all!

Should start moving at about 13:00 Friday 28 Feb.
https://spotwalla.com/tripViewer.php?id ... fb94ba7994

Ian, any chance you can send me a GPx of your route? Just looking for alternatives to mine.

Thanks!

Ian it's going to be a big contrast from V1 ground conditions, and that amazing weather. Good memories.

Steve, I have a gpx route linking Coedy to Penmachno and betws that takes in the quarries and the old quarry incline which is quite a sight. All off road. If you want it.

Jack, thanks for the offer - I think I already have the route through there - I did a WC2C last year heavily based on yours, and found the quarry and incline - I seem to remember a fair amount of pushing! The Penmachno bit was good fun - and quite unexpected as we were thinking it would be fireroad.