Coed y brenin is well known for its mountain biking, but less so for trail running. Ten of the best mountain bike trails in the brecon beacons. Heres something i wrote back in may about the sarn helen trail in wales. Sarn helen is the name of this roman route through west wales, connecting various roman remains.
The route, also known as the sennybridge red, sets off along farm tracks and country lanes before picking up the sarn helen roman road, a classic route well known. The 270 mi 430 km trail, which was devised in 1996, runs between conwy on the north wales coast and worms head on the gower peninsula fell running. The sarn helen trail the sarn helen trail is a longdistance mountain bike route. Contours cycling holidays organise selfguided cycling tours across the uk. We also run our own cycling and running championships as well as regular social events.
A book, detailing the route, was first published by mbruk mountain bike routes uk in 1998. It might be worth tracing the route on something like streetmap to confirm. Were talking about exploration, freedom and adventure. And to add even more interest to these events the format will be a. The trail passes through some of the most beautiful and breathtaking scenery in wales. As the clocks go back and the days warmup hopefully. Sarn elen sometimes partanglicised to sarn helen is an old roman road which runs for 160 miles north to south through wales. Following sarn helen, an ancient roman network of roads. Sarn helen is the name for a network of nearly 2,000yearold and some much older roads that linked roman fortifications across wales. Sarn helen a walk in the wake of the roman legionnaires by david hammondwilliams, tourist information centre at aberdulais falls theres something special about walking along a track where you know thousands of walked before over thousands of years. The events are a completely free to enter time trial on the sarn helen hir blue route 5 mile 8km trail.
Whilst the guide book adequately sets the scene, there is no way you can purely rely on the content. Devised by tim woodcock in 1996, it runs for 270 miles from conwy on the north wales coast to worms head in the south. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Its certainly not well marked and you will need your map reading skills. A longdistance mountain bike route named the sarn helen trail follows parts of the roads course. Not to be confused with some other welsh c2c routes, i just kinda made this one up as training for the tour divide. Follow this track, crossing a stile onto moorland and later another stile into forest. Instead i filled in the gaps in my ordnance survey collection you need 10 in total. The sarn helen trail mountain bike route companion packs. This trail system is popular with all vehicle types, including jeeps.
Go through a gate and continue down the track past ruins. Sarn helen is a misnomer meaning helens causeway or road and refers to elen, a romanobritish princess and the wife of the emperor of britain, maximus. Media in category sarn helen the following 84 files are in this category, out of 84 total. We take care of all the details, leaving you free to enjoy your holiday. A new year and time to plan an mtb, summer staycation.
Caeiago horse riding centre horse riding holidays from. Penmachno is a traditional quiet village with a pub and cycle trail centre, and is close to sarn helen. Its an informative email which may be of interest to some members of your respective clubs. This lovely cottage is ideally situated for exploring snowdonia national park, home to wales largest peak, mount snowdon. The roads were built after the conquest of the welsh tribes to create a network of allweather routes linking the romans forts. South wales neath, porttalbot county borough byway 39 i hope youll excuse this random contact. In places the old road is clearly visible, but in others it is a matter of conjecture. The sarn helen trail mountain bike route companion packs on.
Its a basis for some inspiring and demanding epic backcountry riding. The brecon beacons, have many trails including the famous sarn helen. Hundred house some fantastic lanes to the northeast of us around builth wells and hundred house. Listen to sarn helen from super furry animalss mwng for free, and see the artwork, lyrics and similar artists. Buy the sarn helen trail mountain bike route companion packs new edition by isbn. We meet regularly to train and organise a number of running races throughout the year. Six of the best wild trail runs in the uk travel the. A set thursday of each month of the summer may, june, july and august will see a. Sarn helen is the name given to a number of wales roman roads. Continue ahead at a crossroads of forest tracks, passing open areas and young plantations. This book attempts to discover the line of the lost road. The sarn helen is the most ambitious offroad ride in britain with an everests worth of climbing. Comprehensive route directions, historical notes and points of interest, and.
I kept this story back as i had sent it to a magazine, but after a bit of a runaround, its safe to say they. The sarn helen, or wales coast 2 coast, is a 430km epic trail that ebbs and flows its way from conwy in north wales, to worms head on the gower, south wales. The sarn helen mountain bike trail near sennybridge in the brecon beacons is 21 miles, 33km long. If you want to push yourself, this is a good one to try. Along with an enviable wealth of experience, we are proud to offer a selection of trails to choose from. Image courtesy of the author a network of roman roads sarn helen is the name of the network of ancient roman roads that linked imperial settlements across wales. Im also fairly old fashioned and had no desire to entrust a gps to map out my route. The route has some quite unique features including, the roman road itself which runs along the ridgeway of hirfynnydd, translates as long mountain, near glynneath.
An adventure for 2012, mountain bike route from conwy castle to swansea castle 185. A final section of forestry walking brings you uphill again with magnificent views towards siabod and yr wyddfa to finish the day off. As for the sarn helen route most of the route to dolgellau is on road. Choose from a number of waymarked routes, from the 2. This is thought to be sarn helen, a roman road that linked their fort at caerhun with their camp at trawsfynydd. Sarn helen the mysterious way through wales part 1. Mountain bike routes uk is dedicated to bringing you the best mountain bike tour guide books in the uk. The road gives its name to the annual sarn helen hill race that starts and finishes in lampeter in mid wales. Popping up to brecon this weekend hoping to drive sarn helen over bryn melyn, does any one know if this is open or the conditions, open to pointers for other routes in the area. In places the old road is clearly visible, but in others it is a. Sarn helen route, motorcycle, off road, trail riding,green laning. Sarn helen is the name given to a network of roman roads in wales, linking aberconwy in the north to carmarthen in the south west and the brecon beacons in midwales with neath to the south mountain bike routes uk, seeking to devise a northsouth cross country route across wales, chose to adopt parts of this ancient highway to create a mountain bike trail of epic proportions. We all set off on a lovely welsh summer day well actually, grudgingly get levered out of our warm, dry cars to ride the sarn helen roman road in. It crosses high moors and forgotten valleys, much of the line of the route lost for years.
Sarn helen the mysterious way through wales part 1 aslan hub april 23, 2017 the ordnance survey maps of west wales show a dashed line running from south to north, sometimes on the course of modern roads, sometimes over hills and moorland, sometimes raised on a causeway, sometimes disappearing from view. The wales coast 2 coast sarn helen, is a 430km epic trail that ebbs and flows its way from conwy in north wales, to worms head on the gower, south wales. Wales coast to coast sarn helen wales c2c mtb wales. There are many fantastic walks and cycle trails right from the door. Looking for striaght forward routes for a keen novice. This 3rd edition has been redesigned with new route directions, detailed mapping plus a new trafficfree route through swansea. Brecon beacons sarn helen mountain bike trail, mountain. To add a bit of spice to the successful thursday night runs the sarn helen summer series will kickoff in may the events will be a completely free to enter time trial on the sarn helen hir blue route 5 miler. Brechfa forest, with famous routes including dunlop hill one of the steepest most challenging off road trails in the area. Seriously tough multiterrain race with lots of hills. After an memorable series of four timetrial themed events in the summer of 2015 the sarn helen summer series returns this summer to keep the trail runners of coed y brenin focussed on a thursday evening. In doing so note is taken of old manuscripts, legends, ancient placenames and topography. This is a challenging route and incorporates sarn helen, the roman road which runs the length of wales.
Helen motorsport area michigan motorcycle and atv trails. Route sarn helen route, motorcycle, off road, trail. The original the coasttocoast is in its 5th edition and with gpx available, sold nearly 4000 copies, is the most popular offroad route guide of its genre and was rated as no1 in ten top uk adventure holidays in the guardian. Through this valley, the romans chose to build the famous sarn helen, which can still be followed over the moors towards ffestiniog. The welsh word sarn means causeway paved road and helen probably refers to elen luyddog, the welsh wife of magnus maximus, a reallife, fourthcentury roman emperor who moved to wales to. Rhedfa sarn helen snowdonia and coed y brenin trail running. We took 7 days including the train trip and that saw us doing. Short stretches of these roads can still be seen and traveled upon, although most have been obliterated over the millennia. From the roman fort at caerhun the route heads along the edge of snowdonia to the swallow falls, dolwyddelan, skirts ffestiniog to trawsfynydd, and continues to.
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