TRAIL COLLECTIVE NORTH WALES

Realising the power of a united front when negotiating with landowners and countryside management bodies, Kath Goodey brought fellow local riders and trail groups together and TCNW was born

- Sim Mainey

TRAIL BLAZERS

A little less conversation, a little more action, please. So sang the King, Elvis Presley.

A common theme among those who have appeared in the Trailblazers series is that they are do-ers. People who have made things happen. In North Wales a group of riders are heeding the King’s words and turning conversation into action.

The small town of Betws-y-Coed is a focal point for outdoor enthusiasts of all stripes in Snowdonia. Mountain bikers probably know it best for the nearby Gwydir Trail – previously known as the Marin Trail – a 25km loop that harks back to when trail centres were the next big thing. Despite a few upgrades over the years to keep it relevant, the trails that riders are looking for today lie elsewhere in the woods that surround Betws.

There’s been much talk about wild trails in Wales in the past year or so. As we’ve previously reported, there are signs that Natural Resources Wales, who manage much of the land the trails are built on, is open to working with riders to find a way for those trails to exist in a more formal, managed state. It’s an exciting idea that has the potential to safeguard hundreds of trails and expand Wales’s trail network massively.

But it’s not a done deal. Trail Collective North Wales is one of a few newly formed trail associations who is taking the initiative to make sure that mountain bikers in North Wales are represented and show its willingness to have conversations and take action.

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