Elan Valley, Mid Wales (Hard Route) 33KM (20 Miles)
Tuesday 20th May 2008
Buy the OS Route Map and instructions for this route
It might be short, but don't underestimate the severity of this complex little loop over the mountains to the west of Rhayader; it has more ups and downs than the Welsh national rugby team and provides plenty of technical interest too.
The warm up's quite simple: a gently rising mountain road that gets deep into the heart of the action in no time at all. But things turn tougher when you hit the dirt, first on a tough rocky track onto Banc Treheslog, followed by a steep and grassy affair that leads past the trig on Crugyn Ci — the day's highpoint. The next section is pure Mid Wales — and pure quality too — as the trail traverses the remote hillside, eventually dropping easily to the shores of Pen-y-Carreg Reservoir.
More up follows — probably the only totally non-rideable section of the whole route. Stick with it; the descent from Bwlch Croesnewydd is one of the finest in the area, if not in all of Wales, with some wonderful rocky sections as you approach the bottom of it.
It's straight up again, though, this time on a rough and rock-strewn track that sneaks alongside the Nant Madog. The plateau at the top offers some scintillating singletrack, but this doesn't last long and you'll soon find yourself faced with one of the steepest and most technical descents ever described on these pages. If you ride it all, you should head straight for the North Shore without passing Go.
The next climb is thankfully the last one. And the steep grassy doubletrack soon gives way to a full-fun singletrack, that delivers you safely back to the top of the mountain road you started on. You've nearly 300m in the bag now. Spend them wisely on a mixed track that offers everything from steep and stony to big-time boggy. Watch out for the puddles — they can be deep!
