H- Around Merthyr

H1- Llangattock escarpment.

Grade- Moderate- a short ride, but hard work on grassy climbs off road. NB AVOID AFTER WET WEATHER,- GETS VERY BOGGY.

Distance-16.1kms

Highlights-stunning scenery, and some great features- such as swallow holes and mountain lakes.

Start point- lay-by opposite entrance to Brynmawr Foundation School

Route- Turn up the drive into the school, then take the footpath on the Left in front of the school. This path drops back down onto a small lane called Clydach Dingle. Continue along this for a few hundred yards, where another small lane turns Right up the hill. Climb the hill past a few houses, then come to a gate leading onto the old coal tips. Follow this track Left alongside the base of the escarpment to the reservoir at Blaen Clydach. Just before the Reservoir turn right on footpaths and join another track which ends up at a gate onto the B4560 known as Llangynydir Road.

Follow the B4560 North for about a mile. It climbs a hill goes back down into a long dip, then climbs another hill. At the top of this second hill is a lay-by on the Right. From here you will see a grassy track heading East. Follow this to the brow where you come to a group of 3 strange brick huts. Here the path turns to the right up the hill to the Cairn at the top. From here facing East, you can see a large Swallow Hole down the hill, then further on a small mountain lake. Follow tracks to the Swallow Hole, then onto the lake. Both are fascinating places for a quick stop.

At the lake the path turns right up another hill with another cairn at the top. This is Mynydd LLangatock. From here there are tracks heading along the escarpment to the East, which skirts to the Left around the next cairns at Hen Dy Aderyn. It is well worth the short climb up to see these very impressive Cairns, The main track continues downhill towards Waun Watcyn, where you come to another track on the Right leading back up over the ridge, and dropping down to the dry reservoir at Pant Mawr.

From here turn Left down the hill on a good track which takes you back to the road where the car is parked.

H2-Taff and Trevithick Trails, Merthyr, Mynydd Cilfach yr E

Grade- moderate- one long climb on road , otherwise mainly bike trails and mountain roads.

Distance-44.5kms

Highlights- Good views over the Merthyr valley.

Start point- Taff Trail in Pontypridd. For a shorter ride this can be started in Cilfynydd, Abercynon, or Quaker's Yard.

Route- Follow the Taff Trail north from Pontypridd, through Cilfynydd, Abercynon, then Quaker's yard. 2 miles after Quaker's yard (at the hump back bridge) take the track straight ahead along the Trevithick Trail. This crosses over the A477 road and continues above Troedyrhiw, then crosses a footbridge over the dual carriageway (A4060) arround Merthyr. You can either follow the pavement up the hill alongside the dual carriageway, or find some paths through the trees on the Left side. Continue to the roundabout at the top of the hill and take the mountain road in the direction of Fochriw. Yet another hill climb to test your legs!

At the top of the climb, you will see a track on the Right. Sadly, along this track is the worst case of fly tipping we have ever come across. forestry sign. Follow this track to the top of Merthyr Common, where it turns into a good quality mountain road along the Cilfach yr Encil ridge. At the point that the road bears right and goes down a hill into the forestry, find a steep stony track up onto the top of the next ridge of Mynydd Y Capel.

Stay on tracks to the Right side of this hill and pass through a gate leading onto another mountain road at Tir Cook. You can either follow this road down a steep hill into Treharris, or take the tracks down through the forestry on the Right side of this road. Rejoin the Taff Trail in Quaker's yard.

gentle climb over Cilfach-yr-encil. .

H3 Merthyr to Aberdare and back.

Grade- short but hard! Two long climbs off road , Distance- 26.7kms

Highlights- Hard climbs- if you enjoy that sort of thing Good views over the Merthyr and Aberdare valleys.

Start point- Dynevor Arms in Troedyrhiw

ROUTE- From the Dynevor Arms, take the Taff Trail North to Merthyr. After a few hundred yards you cross under the road bridge high above here. By the side of this take the dirt track on the Left and climb up to a path that runs alongside the A470. After a few hundred yards you come to a tunnel under the A470 on your Left. Take this then just after the tunnel turn right and climb a path up to a large pond. Turn Right at the pond and follow the path up to the car parking area of Bike Park Wales. Here just one level below the café you will find a farm track heading North. Follow this for about a mile until you come across a bridge over an old railway line. Looking Left up the railway line you will see the old Merthyr / Aberdare rail tunnel (which is blocked off but we hope will open for bikes in the future).

Just over the bride follow the track left up a steep muddy bank. At the top you will see on your right a fascinating very old iron furnace, still in excellent condition. Turn Right at the Furnace down the old canal to a T junction, then follow the forest track Left uphill to another T junction blocked by large boulders. Turn Left uphill here up a long hard gravely climb to near the top of the ridge. Come to another T junction turn Left then after 20 yards take the muddy track on your right until you come to a filed with the large pylon. To get into the field you need to cross a muddy ditch, but head for the pylon from where there is a good grassy track heading down hill. When you come to the gravel lane, turn Left and continue downhill until you come to the first houses and a pub named the Rhoswenallt Inn.

here there is a lovely bike trail on the Left, following an old rail line along the mountain. At the cross roads, if you bear left there is a short dead end track that leads you to the Aberdare entrance of the rail tunnel (worth taking a look just to see the stone work!). Go back to the Junction and bear right to continue along the old railway tracks until it turns into a foot path and comes out on a tarmac road . Turn right down this road until you come to Cwmbach, Left at the T junction for 50 yards, then second Left up Cefn Pennar Road leading back up hill, Follow this about half a mile to a large house at the top of the road, then take the path on the Left up hill to the gate at the top, Follow this path Right around the mast on the top of the hill (at Ffynon Y Gog) and keep going past Cefn Pennar farm until you meet the road coming up from Cefn Pennar. Turn Left up this hill, and where the road ends continue along the stony track until you come to a gate leading into the forestry.

Keep climbing another few hundred yards, then take the first Right, and keep taking Right turns up hill until you come to a small quarry on your left. This is full of fossils of old trees, horsetails and club mosses. Every other stone seems to be a fossil!! Just past the quarry turn Left to the top of the hill. At the T junction you come to the top od Bike Park Wales. Avoid the temptation to use the single tracks to get down the hill (unless you want to pay for a days riding there!) but follow the forest tracks downhill and to the right until you get to the tarmac hill, which is the entrance drive into Bike Park Wales. Follow this down to the entrance by the A470 roundabout, but do not enter the roundabout, but go through the farm gate up the hill facing you. At the top of the climb is a footpath leading to a bridge over the A470 and then back to the Dynevor arms. ...

H4- Dowlais Trefil and Llangynydir Escarpment.

Grade- moderate- no big hills, but some tricky rutted tracks across moorland.

Distance- 41 kms

Highlights- Wonderful views across Ponsticill Reservoir over the Brecon Beacons. Some interesting old quarries and industrial workings.

Start point- Dowlais Top Roundabout (A4060) in the lane behind Asda store where there is a Mattress/ furniture store.

By the side of the mattress/ carpet shop is a gate leading down a short path to a small lake. Turn Left and go over a bridge over the road, then follow alongside the heads of the valley road until it joins a minor road leading to Fochriw. Go past the turning on the Right down to Fochriw and a few hundred yards later take a turning under the main dual carriageway onto a cycle track. Follow this to Bryn Bach country Park. As you come into the park, there is a great pump track on your left to have a spin.

Continue down to the lake and go around it clockwise. On the North side of the lake are some fun single tracks to explore. The café is a great place to stop for a coffee/ snack. Exit the Park at the main entrance and turn Left on the bridge over the dual carriageway. Just after this bridge turn right on the road until it becomes a bike trail again. Follow this across the road (which leads to Trefil) and up the other side, across a Viaduct, then on past the Commonwealth Graves cemetery. Just past this take the stony lane on the Left leading onto the open Mountain. .

Take the track on the Left until you come to a T junction, then turn right up the hill a few hundred yards to a cross roads. Go straight across here and keep on the tracks heading upwards to the Right until you get to the top of the hill. There are some very muddy tracks which continue to Llangynydir reservoir. Go around this to the Left, and continue on the track until it joins the B4560. Take this Left (in the direction of Llangynydir) for half a mile, and at the brow of the hill take a footpath on the Left (just before the track into the quarries).

This wonderful path goes on and on over the moorland for a few miles until you get to Chartist cave. Just after the cave come to a T junction and take a track Left, which drops down steeply to the road leading to Trefil quarry. Take the road Right, which then bears Left into the old quarry workings at Cwar Yr Ystrad. Follow the road uphill until you get to a single street light. From here there is a grassy track which takes you to other quarries at Twynau Gwynion. From here is a lovely old train track back to Dowlais.

H5- Dowlais to Ponsticill Reservoir.

Grade- moderate- no big hills, but some tricky rutted tracks across moorland.

Distance-22.6kms

Highlights- Wonderful views across Ponsticill Reservoir over the Brecon Beacons. Some interesting old quarries and industrial workings.

Start point- Dowlais Top Roundabout (A4060) behind Asda store.

Route-in the lanes behind Asda, by the side of a mattress/ furniture store , there is a small reservoir/ fishing lake. Follow the track from here heading North, and it turns into a minor mountain road, then a track which leads to some scenic old quarry workings called Twynau Gwynion. Take the rutted tracks from here North and keep going across moorland through Cwm Criban until you get to more old Quarries at Cwar Yr Hendre. Take care exploring these- there are dangerous drop offs. There is a trail heading North over Gwaun Danydarren .

At Bryn Cefnog take the tracks Left over Bryniau Gleision, and find a track leading through the forestry into Cwm Callan. Take the track on the Left around the small cwm, and it then gradually drops down through the forestry to join the road leading from Pontsticill reservoir back to Pant where you can rejoin the path leading back to the start point.

Quarry make great places to visit and explore, but be very careful..

old mining relics to explore.

Great views over Ponsticill reservoir.

H6- Trefil to Llangynydir via Crawnon valley

Grade- hard- One long off road climb, some lovely tracks over moorland and some quiet country lanes.

Distance-38km

Highlights- Some great trails. Wonderful views across Talybont Reservoir.

Start point-- Take the turn off the heads of the valley road signposted to Trefil. About 50 yards after the roundabout is a tarmac cycle track on your Right heading East. Park on the street near this.

Route-take the cycle trail up a slight incline and over a lovely viaduct. Shortly you pass a commonwealth war graves cemetery on the Left. Take the road Left just after this which turns into a rough gravel track up onto the moorland. At the T junction on the moorland turn right- up the hill, then come to another T junction and turn Left along an old tramway. This brings you out on the topmost street in Trefil. As soon as you come to this street take another track up the hill on your right, then keep climbing upwards and to the Left until it turns into a grassy track following the Left edge of the escarpment of Mynydd Llangynydir. Keep on this grassy track until you come to a track on your Left leading directly to a huge cairn at the very top on the escarpment.

There are great views from the top of this mound/ About 100 metres North there is a small hill with a single standing stone on the top. From this stone drop down into the small valley on your right, and find a 4wheel drive grass track which leads you down Blaen Cwmclaisfer towards Carreg Wen Fawr y Rugos. Here you drop down the escarpment to a good track running South West, just above the fileds. Continue on this to Darren Ddu, then follow the steep forest track on your right down into Cwm Pyrgad. This leads down into Duffryn Crawnon, where you follow a delightful country road down the length of the valley, to Pwll Court farm.

Here there is a lane on the Left signposted to Talybont. At the T junction turn Left and drop down into Cwmcrawnon where you will find the canal. Take the canal path in the direction of Talybont. After a few hundred metres you come to a bridge with a road over it. Climb up onto the road and take this road uphill for about a mile to Pen Y Bailey. Here the road starts to drop down hill again back into the Crawnon valley. About 200 metres down this hill you see a gate on your right signposted “beacons way” Go through this and climb up a long muddy farm track for about a mile, through Bwlch Y Waun and up to the top of the escarpment overlooking Talybont reservoir.

Enjoy the views!! Take the road Left along the escarpment until you come to a gate on your left leading down onto a forest road which follows a semicircle right around the top end of Duffryn Crawnon. This comes to an end at a gorge. Just before this is a bridle way on the right leading up a zig zag path. Over a new wooden bridge, up to the tramway. Take the tramway Left, which brings you out onto the quarry road from Trefil. Take this back through Trefil, and back to the start point.

Great views over Ponsticill reservoir.

H7- Trefil to Chartists Cave.

Grade-easy -No big climbs, but some tricky rocky tracks, also muddy in wet weather.

Distance-28km

Highlights- Some great single track trails. Wonderful views across the Beacons and Black mountains.

Start point-- Take the turn off the A465 heads of the valley road signposted to Tredegar. Take the exit leading to Trefil and park in this street (Llwyn Helyg) . About 50 yards after the roundabout is a tarmac cycle track on your Right heading East.

Turn Left up the dual carriageway past the windmill, then at the top turn right for about half a mile until you come to a mini-roundabout. Turn Left up hill then continue straight ahead up a steep footpath between gorse bushes and come out on an old rail track. Turn Right and keep going until you come to Carno Reservoir. Follow the road Left skirting the reservoir, go over a bridge at the top end, then look for a very steep rocky track on your Right. At the top of this cross a ditch on your right and follow a poorly defined footpath up and down the East ridge of the reservoir until you come to the pylon.

Here there is a gravel track leading up into the woods, which bears right and runs parallel to the road until you come to a gate which allows you to exit onto the B4560 LLangynydir road. Follow this uphill, down into a valley , then up another hill. At the very top of this second hill is a seemingly insignificant footpath on your Left. Follow this into the moorland along a maze of paths, heading up towards the highest point, where you eventually come to the Trig point. From here is a good (but rocky) path to Chartist Cave

Take time to climb down into the cave and read the history plaque on the side. Then take a short climb above the cave and enjoy the stunning views!!

Continue on the main track in the direction of Trefil, but instead of dropping down the slope on the Right into Trefil, take the tracks to the Left and a wonderful long descent on sheep tracks through the couch grass down the valley until you get back to the tramway. Follow this back to the car, or take a short cut down a steep valley on your right as we did.

Great views over the Beacons in the snow!