Wales is different. It's a country with a rich cultural heritage and a distinct national identity. The Welsh language is spoken by almost a third of its population, they have their own cakes (Welsh cakes - they’re delicious) and perhaps most importantly of all, it is a country home to some of the finest bike parks in the UK. With this in mind, the whole Contour Collective team made the trip down south to check out what is arguably the crown jewel of British bike parks - Bike Park Wales. The team there have put in a huge amount of work over the last year, making the best use of lockdown, and building some incredible new trails for riders of all abilities. With over 40 to choose from, we wanted to give some insight into what to expect if you’re planning a trip to this mountain biking heaven.

Stand Outs

It’s common for bike parks and trail centres to make a claim of ‘catering to all abilities’. For advanced or elite riders though, it’s easy to get into the habit of ignoring the trail grading systems. Like the neighbours of that boy who cried wolf, it’s become normal for riders to ignore warnings from trails centres of ‘elite’ level features, only suitable for the most ‘advanced’ riders. When these features amount to little more than the possibility of airtime or a small drop, it’s easy to just stop listening. When Bike Park Wales gives you the inside scoop on what to expect from a trail however - you listen. When they say a line is suitable for beginners, it is. And when they say a trail should only be ridden by elite riders - they mean it.

Unique among the trail centres visited by the Contour Collective, Bike Park Wales is a place truly catering to all abilities. The beginner trails are wonderfully flowy and fun, the intermediates are perfect for those looking to push there riding to that next level, the expert trails make a perfect training ground for more experienced riders to test their skills and we’ve found that the ‘pro lines’ provide an unparalleled arena for the Contour Collective team to truly soil themselves.

The Trails

As mentioned, there’s a huge variety of trails to choose from here for riders of all abilities. Since there is already quite a lot of information to be found in the older trails, we spent our visit riding the new trails built over the last year; the revamp of ‘A470’, ‘Martha Rocks’ and ‘Groot’.

A470

This is a very fun trail and one we pushed up to hit over and over again. The jumps have been in the gym all winter, they’ve dabbled in some supplements recommended by Jared Graves and they’ve taken great care to ensure their gains have been smooth and delightfully aesthetic. Niche metaphors aside, A470 has enjoyed some serious TLC over the winter and the results are incredible. You get to the trail by following ‘Vicious Valley’ from the top of the bike park. It starts with some lovely mellow table tops, getting gradually bigger as you descend. Half way down, the trail takes a 180 degree turn to the right and things get a little bigger but no less smooth or floaty. Apart from another Welsh bike park (Revolution) A470 is the closest we have come to the famous jump lines in the Whistler bike park - perhaps the greatest compliment you can give to anyone building jump lines.

Merthyr Rocks

Rocks by name, rocks by nature. This trail is very rocky and some places are pretty darn fast too. Martha’s rated as a Blue Plus, which in Bike Park Wales means intermediate. It’s another very fun trail, though we would say that it’s probably better suited for the upper end of the intermediate rider class. The trail starts with a long, rolling straight with lots of (you guessed it!) rocks and a number of small drops. After turning left, the trail winds its way down the hill with some flowy sections punctuated by the odd rock garden. These are fairly rough and we would recommend taking it easy on your first run down (a lapse in concentration almost ended Morgan's weekend). All in all, Merthyr Rocks is a great trail that is uniquely flowy for one so rocky and rough in places.

Groot

One of the things we learned to love about Bike Park Wales was the trail names. At first, you take them as they are, assuming they were decided at the last minute and don’t necessarily have a lot to do with the trail. Within a few turns though, you realise that the name provides the most precise and effective summary of the trail available. From the top, we were discussing the ‘Guardian of the Galaxy’ film series. I’m not sure how much the character ‘Grot’ had to do with the naming of the trail, but as you descend (and especially in the wet), ‘grotty’ becomes the most appropriate and obvious adjective. Grot doesn't feel much like the rest of the bike park. It’s littered with roots and you have to earn your flow. It’s a fun trail though and one that’s perfect for anyone looking to better their root handling skills.

The Martian

What bike Should I Ride?

Bike Park Wales has such a variety of trails, you can have a great day out on any bike there if you ride the right trails. We took our Giant Reign’s to the bike park, and a long travel enduro bike (150-170mm travel) or mid travel trail (130-150mm travel) bike are probably the best style of bike to enjoy the trails here.

Whilst some of the trails are smooth as butter, there are plenty of rocks around, so you might want to bring some spare tubes or try some tyres with a thicker casing. Our tyre of choice for the weekend was the WTB Vigilante in the Tough casing, which worked out great!

Facilities

On site, you’ll find all the facilities you need for the day. There is a bike shop and workshop in case you break something, bike hire and a cafe that serves up some delicious burgers and pasties. Plus the Bike Park Wales beer is a good end to the day.

Accommodation

There is no accommodation on site at Bike Park Wales, but the local town of Merthyr Tydfil has plenty of options that you can find on the likes of Airbnb or booking.com or you can check out the accommodation page on the Bike Park Wales website here.

It’s not uncommon for bikes to be stolen around here with the bike park being so close by, so make sure to keep your bikes inside your accommodation and not your car/van if you can.

Getting there

Getting to Bike Park Wales might be a little tricky as using postcodes in sat navs doesn’t get you directly to the trailhead. Postcode CF48 4TT gets you to the correct roundabout (but after leaving the roundabout turn right not left) or alternatively if you have an internet connection just search Bike Park Wales in your favourite navigation software.

Grid Ref: SO050035

GPS Coordinates: 51.718074, -3.361611

Nearest Station: Pentre-Bach (1.0 miles), CF48 4BD, 10-15minute cycle.

Useful Links

https://www.bikeparkwales.com

Summary

Bike Park Wales is an excellent trail centre that’s distinct for its variety of trails and spectrum of difficulty. It truly is a great place for riders of all abilities and there’s something to suit all tastes. With an uplift that runs like a well oiled machine and a cafe serving up some delicious food, we think you’ll be as impressed as we were with the facilities.

Bike Park Wales