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Coed Y Brenin

Posted: 30 Aug 2014, 11:51pm
by AaronR
As per the title - should have just put a full stop after it!

Just got back from a weeks family holiday in North Wales, made even better by my youngest (5yo) shedding her stabilisers three weeks ago

We all did the Yr Afon trail (nearly 8 miles of traffic free forestry track), then later in the week I did the Minotaur trail with my lad (5.5 miles of whoop and holler, loads of berms, jumps and switchback climbs/descents) and to finish the week off I hired my lad a 24" wheeled bike as an upgrade to his 20" and this morning we did the Fox trail - 8 miles of mean, mean mixed terrain narrow single track

Even the practice/skills section and free ride area is worth going for

Can't recommend the place enough - can now happily take the knobblies off my my bike and put commuter tyres on it ready for my JOGLE trip next year having given it the chance to see what an MTB is capable of it it now being modified into a tourer (did get a few funny looks going round with pannier frames on and bags on the back, the guy in the hire shop was eyeing it up as a classic, and looked thoroughly disgusted when I told him what I'd paid for it!)

Anyhoo - might be my first and last post in the MTB section, but if anyone is planning a trip to Coed Y Brenin and wants to save themselves the £5 a day parking I'll happily point out on a road map where you can park for free and get straight on to the trails :)

Re: Coed Y Brenin

Posted: 16 Sep 2014, 11:47pm
by Regurgatron
To summarise, you had an amazing day's fun for you and all the family but couldn't bring yourself pay for parking.

That's £5 less for Natural Resources Wales to reinvest in the facilities.

Cheers. Well done you.

Re: Coed Y Brenin

Posted: 17 Sep 2014, 12:09am
by meic
Aaron,

Ignore him, he obviously doesnt get Wales. this isnt the sort of place where we are after your money.
Or why these cycle tracks are there.

You can come and ride on the Brechfa Forest tracks around here (better than the Coed-Y-Brenin :mrgreen: ) any day, any time and because we dont have as many cars to deal with we dont even charge for car parking. It was considered but it will only happen if the number of cars requires us to build car parking space.

Turn up on your bike to the other sites and enjoy yourselves, no need to dig into your pockets.

Croeso i Gymru (am ddim)

PS: Could you post where the car parking is, for anybody who is interested.

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/recr ... PicnicSite

There is also a FREE children's playground if they dont want to ride with you as well as the special Child/beginners bike trail at Byrgwm. Did I mention that you are NOT expected to pay to come here or to park, it isnt that kind of money obsessed place. For that sort of holiday try London.

Re: Coed Y Brenin

Posted: 18 Sep 2014, 12:07am
by Regurgatron
Dwi'n dod Cearfyrddin, gwiboi - felly dwi'n 'get' Cymru.

You are defending antisocial tightwads who are happy to enjoy a facility but can't be bothered to make a reasonable and nominal contribution to that facility's upkeep.

Re: Coed Y Brenin

Posted: 22 Sep 2014, 1:20am
by Bicycler
It seems to me that it is a car parking fee not a site usage fee. If the OP hasn't used the car park I don't see what the objection is.

Provided of course that it was a safe place to park and wasn't in fact a passing space*, field gate, grass verge (etc.) or obstructing road traffic.

*The ability of some folk to mistake passing spaces for parking places conveniently provided at regular intervals along single track roads beggars belief :roll:

Re: Coed Y Brenin

Posted: 24 Sep 2014, 11:17pm
by AaronR
Lordy.

Having sunk the best part of £800 all in including accommodation, transport, equipment and food (sourced locally) on a family activity holiday in the UK instead of joining the hordes abroad someone gets their panties in a bunch because I offer information that anyone with access to a map could have found out for themselves - without a shadow of a doubt the money saved on parking by myself (did it once on the last day there) and others would no doubt find its way into the local economy somehow

Regurgawhateveryournameis get a grip, some of us don't have fortunes to squander, and if my saving £5 on parking so I can enjoy it elsewhere offends you do me favour and hold your breath while I look for two damns to give

Re: Coed Y Brenin

Posted: 24 Sep 2014, 11:31pm
by SteveHunter
I haven't been to Coed Y Brenin for about 15 years I reckon. I remember it being great fun. I bet it's expanded a bit.

I did just get back from a week in Wales with my disabled wife though. You have to pay to park everywhere, even to stop in a car park to use the loo. The car park police were hovering like vultures.
I spent a lot of money in Wales, it did at times feel as though they didn't want tourists there though with their parking police everywhere.

Re: Coed Y Brenin

Posted: 14 Jan 2015, 6:38pm
by rmurphy195
I used to take my son and his various cousins/friends here maybe about 15-ish years ago, with a trailer full of bikes.

I'm sure I used to travel north up the A470 then turn left into the biking centre (excellent beans on toast/giant bowls of rice pudding!).

But when I went there a few weeks ago with my other half I found myself driving into a craft centre - the bike centre was on the other side of the road, a bit further up. And it looked a tad bigger and less rustic than I rememberd.

My other half thinks I'm going doolally in my old age - but I think the bike centre has moved.

Has it?

NB I was clearing out some junk the other day and found a leaflet for the Karrimor trail - which appears to show the bike centre on the left-hand side as you go north!