SWEAT AND SLATE

We ride 140 miles through Snowdonia on Cycling UK's newest and gnarliest long-distance trail

- Claire Frecknall

 North Wales is the birthplace of UK trail centres. It's where Coed y Brenin first introduced us all to a purpose-built and waymarked mountain bike route back in 1996, and since then the area has seen an ever-growing collection of centres and trails, all well maintained, signposted and graded to suit every skill and fitness level. Those trails offer a wide range of riding, with technical climbs; flowing tree-lined singletrack; steep rock slabs; drop-offs and perfectly formed berms and jumps; rideable in all but the most horrendous conditions. And with no route planning required, it's an easy option for an adrenaline fix: just park up, kit up and ride, often with a conveniently placed cafe to return to for a warming cuppa and a hunk of cake once you're done.

This is all very well, but Wales is surely bigger than manmade trail centres? What about the in-between, the parts you only see from a car window as you're heading to your curated laps of fun? Those brief glimpses of trail that catch your eye only to instantly disappear out of view as trees flash by in a blur of greens and browns? The rocky byways that weave upwards towards misty summits? The snippets of dreamy riverside path that whizz below you as you try to focus on the tarmac ahead? Where do those lead? There's always a part of me that yearns to be out there, exploring, travelling and moving within a changing landscape; it's a feeling of freedom, escape and adventure that you just don't get riding around a well-signposted loop, no matter how much fun it is.