J1- Bwlch-cwmpark CIRCUIT

Route- Take the B4223from Ton Pentre to Treorchy, then take the Left turn up the A 4061. A few hundred yards up this road there are two forestry roads with barriers across. Park at the second barrier and take the forestry road winding up the mountain. At the top of the climb is a gate into a field with a TV mast. It is worth a short detour around the mast to enjoy the glorious views. Back on the forest road continue upwards to a gate. Just after the gate take a right turn along a grassy track leading up to the top of the mountain. 

Follow this until it turns into a footpath, then follow this footpath  to an incredible viewpoint over Treherbert. You can follow the ridge down a little way to another amazing viewpoint looking over Blaencwm to your Left. retrace your path back to the first viewpoint and continue along the footpath which skirts Cwm Saerbren until you get back to the main forest road. Take this Left over Mynydd Tyle-Coch and enjoy a wonderful down hill ride until you come to Cwmparc. The workmen's Hall here has been turned into a wonderful community café. From the lane behind this Café is a footpath down into the valley, where you find a bike trail taking you back to the road leading back to the car.  

ROUTE- Just past the layby there is a barrier on the Left with a gate by the side. Take this stony road which winds up the hill, and continue until you come to the edge of the forestry on Mynydd Ton. There is a good track along the edge of the forestry to Mynydd William Meyrick. When you come to Carn Fawr stone Beacon, head into the forestry past Mynydd Pwllyrhebog and emerge again at Twyn Dysgwylfa.. From here you need to head across the open moorland of Mynydd Pen Y Graig, , picking up sheep tracks if possible. 

There is a lovely cafe overlooking the lake. From here you can follow the bike trail alongside the lake up the valley to the second lake. There is an optional  dead end with a pretty waterfall straight ahead, then head around the lake and follow the road back into Clydach Vale. Look for Oak street which is a steep hill, heading up into a forest road, which takes you up to the top of Mynydd Bwllfa. From here find your way through a maze of forest roads back to Mtynydd Tom, then follow the road out of the forestry back down to the Bwlch (and the ice cream van!!). 

ROUTE- from the lay-by take the A4061 straight ahead. After about 100 yards, where it takes a turn to the Right and begins to descend, there is a gate on the Left. Go through this and walk down the very steep section for the first 30 yards, then continue down to another gate. follow the path onto the forest road, then turn Right and then Left following the forest road zig zagging down hill until you meet the A4061 again. Turn Right up this main road for about a mile until you come to the corner of the hair-pin bend. 

About a 100 yards up this hill is a gate on the right  which leads to arou8nd a few bends then onto a lovely climb to the top of the mountain on the wind-mill road up Cwm Y Ffosp and onto Mynydd Yr Aber. This is one of the best climbs in the valleys, with terrific views all around. Keep going through the first few windmills to a cross roads. Here you either can cut the journey short by heading towards the edge of the forest at Mynydd William Meyrick, and follow this back to the car, or you can extend the ride by turning Right, dropping down into The Ogmore Forest and doing a circuit back up Daren Y Dimbath before heading back to the windmill roads on Mynydd Maesteg.  

Route-a hundred yards up the road from the lay-by is a gate. Cross this onto a track leading to the TV masts on top of Werfa. Here you will find some lovely tracks heading South along the ridge to Mynydd Llangeinwr  then onto Pen Y Foel. 

In Llangeinor cross the river and pick up a delightful family bike trail on the Right going back up the valley through Pontycymmer. When you get to the small lake at Blaengarw, there is the option of doing a small loop of fun single track. Keep going to the end of the bike trail, then follow the very last street in Blaengarw until it turns into a gravel track and starts the long climb up into the forestry.

ROUTE- Follow the wind turbine road straight for 2 or 3 miles past Bwlchgarw and over Llyndwr Fawr. At the last wind turbine there is a gate leading onto forest trails. We have included a couple of loops here across Caurau forest on onto Mynydd Pwll Yr Lwrch.  The main route however skirts the open area on the Left, then heads into the forestry overlooking Blaengarw. Stay high on the ridge through Foel Gwilym Hywel and through the Garw Forest. Continue to Cwm Du, then take the forest road on the Left down into Cwm Garw Fechan. This is one of the prettiest small wooded valleys we have ever found. 

ROUTE-turn Right following the A4107  gently uphill for about 400 yards. On the right is a gate (which you can pass by going through the posts to the Left of it. Follow this road uphill a few hundred yards and take the second track on the Left. This winds around to the Left of the TV masts at Werfa, then turns Left along the ridge for about 5 miles. It is a lovely grassy track but gets muddy in places in wet weather. Follow it over the top of Mynydd Llangeinwyr, then branch Left around PenYFoel until you come to the fields. 

On the Left there is a gate leading up a wonderful long straight grassy climb  (or perhaps a push??) for about half a mile until another gate leading onto a gravel track. Take this as it winds uphill to the TV mast on Craig Yr Hudol.. Just past this Mast is a gate onto forest roads. Follow these roads for about 4 miles keeping to the ridge.  There are a maze of forest roads here, but if you keep heading for the wind turbines you eventually come to  a junction heading back up the final hill to the furthest wind turbine on Mynydd Caerau. From here you can follow the wind turbine road back to the start point. 

Route - From the car park take the A4061 in the direction of Treherbert. After about 600 yards there is a forest road on the Right. Go up this and keep going straight until you come to a T junction.  From here there are numerous roads to explore, going in all directions. If you follow the main road  Left, past Garn Goch, Bryn Bach, Carn Bryn Du, you come to the A4107 at Twyn Y Ffald.  

Cross the valley and find the bike trail heading right, past the lakes, past the cycle centre (where they do great hot meals) and on to Glyncorrwg.  Cross the village and find the forest road leading up the valley named Cwm Gorrwg Fechan. There is a long hard climb back up past Bryn Llydan  and  Coetgaer Derlwyn. Here follow the road around the top of the valley back onto Cefntyle brych, then pick up the tracks back to the Rhigos road. 

ROUTE- From the car park follow the road in the direction of Treorchy around a couple of bends. Then look for a major forestry road turning off on the Right. Go up the hill, then continue straight ahead, until you come to a T junction. Turn Left for about a mile and then take the second forest road on the Left, and follow it around to the very last wind turbine . To the Left of this is a track which goes along the ridge line overlooking Blaencwm. This turns into a single track. Soon you will pick up the signs for the stages of the old skyline route. 

The route we chose back follows the Blade Trail (map can be downloaded from the Afon Argoed site). This is a huge climb back up to the ridge, mostly on uphill single track. The stages you follow are- Y Trwyn, Dastardly and Mutley, two tombstones, The Twister, we then miss out Ghost train and heart burn, and take the short cut to Granada. There is a further climb up a forest road to short,n sweet, Riding High and finally "on the edge", which brings you out at the top of the new zip wire, where you can follow the path along the edge back to the car park (and a welcome ice cream from the van!).