The way points of this bicycle route:
Again starting from P-R-y-G you may have parking issues unless you go up the road towards Ysbyty Ystwyth. Like Route 1 this starts with a monster climb.
The bridleway has been diverted here from through the farmyard ahead to around the left of the property.
Turn right onto the forestry fireroad.
Take the right fork here. I didn't go this way but it has to better than the swampy nightmare route I took when I did it!!!
Fork right again.
The OS map suggests the bridleway goes straight on here though I suspect you need to do a left and right skirting the clear fell area.
Take a right away from the trees across the clear fell before the curve in the tree line starts to sharpen.
Take a right in the track T-junction.
You're leaving the forest here (albeit clear fell) follow the fence line toward the derelict farm in the trees. I suspect you'll find the next 1/3 of a mile a bit boggy, but trust me, it'll be nothing compared with the route I took up from your right!!
This is where you rejoin my route. Just follow your nose and pick the the best route on the ground.
Nice spot up on the rocks on the left to sit and watch the world go by (though you'll be lucky to see anything move up here!!)
Turn left when you hit the major track.
I'm afraid it all gets a little bit vague up here. Watch as the track turns left from between the two hill tops. You need to leave the main track up ahead and go downhill to the right.
Fork right off the main track. It may help to know where you're aiming: look for the gateway off the moorland, down the hill to the right which leads into the fields and to the farm; aim for the gateway, but don't go through the gate, you'll be skirting the fields on the moorland side of the fence.
Hairpin back right on yourself and aim for that gate.
Don't go through gate, veer right and skirt the fields the path is reasonably obvious - this becomes a smashing worthwhile track.
There's a new fence here blocking the natural route. By now the bridleway is totally lost to me and I'm following my nose. This track makes sense, but it may not be the official route. I climbed up the fence line (steep uphill) then down the other side where I found a gate.
Go through the gate and pick your way back down onto that track. It should be easy enough to see.
There's a great tump just ahead to the left here where you can sit on top of the world and survey it (had my lunch here - think it was that one sunny day we had this summer!)
You should soon be able to see a bridleway gate below you just ahead
Bridleway gate
Gate.
Again the bridleway is vague up here, but this is the most navigable route towards it. Climb the hill and follow the grassy track over it and down the other side towards the old reservoir.
Pick your way through the old mine workings. Believe it or not you're back on the bridleway. You see that ravine ahead of you? That's it!! If you're brave enough - down you go! Other wise there's a track along the top of the scree slope and there's another way down at the west end of the slope.
Still here? Turn right along the farm track.
Fork left through the gate onto the less well used track. As this goes downhill watch out for rocks and ruts hidden in long grass - this is where I cracked a rib.
Straight across the road onto another bridleway. Sorry this one's a bit boggy and over grown in places.
Left through the gate and follow the trees.
Right and through another gate, I think.
Stay in this field
Left and through another gate. Head down the field towards the old farm houses, the bridleway runs between them.
Straight on from the tarmac lane into the farm track. This is an easy route to follow. My only concern here is the paw prints I saw in the mud. I have a dog and they weren't a dog's!! If they were a cat's it's the size of a horse!!!! ;-)
Turn right at the crossroads into the forestry.
This bridleway is fairly well concealed just after the fireroad junction.
I haven't researched from this point. My original intention was a different bridleway just South West of here, but that was completely impassable. Head for the farmyard.
Take a left through the farmyard.
Not sure where the bridleway goes from here, can't see from Google. The OS map shows straight through the farm. You need to aim for the corner of the forest on the other side of the farm. My plot looks plausible but may not be correct.
I think you aim almost for the corner of the field.
I can see a faint line in the trees on the sat photos so I think this is the bridleway.
Again following a faint line in the trees cross the fireroad through the apex of the bend, bearing slightly to the right.
I suspect you cross the fireroad again.
You should reach a junction with another bridleway where you can hairpin back on yourself to the right.
Bear left onto the fireroad. Sorry if I got you lost in that last bit!!!
On the OS map the bridleway appears to go straight on from here. However I think you come around the hairpin slightly to find it.
Turn left onto the fireroad.
Take the right fork ahead.
Go straight on at the right hander in the fireroad onto a dirt track.
At the gateway you are usefully informed by an official sign that the bridleway has been diverted. However, not so usefully it doesn't tell how or whether the way marks are wrong. Aim to head down hill to your right below the rocky hilltops ahead. I turns into a nice little descent further on.
The track on the ground takes you into a right hand down hill swoop towards the trees at the bottom of the field.
Not sure where you need to be, but I think the old bridleway is the tree line and the new one runs through the field. Aim for convenient gates between fields. The bottom of the fields are very boggy.
I actually crossed between fields in the bottom right corner of this field, but it was very boggy. I think there's a more convenient gate further up (about here). In the next field aim for the rough patch about half way along the bottom fenceline.
Here ends the bridleway diversion (we are reliably informed by an indecipherable map pinned to a gatepost!)
Another of my untried suggestions! Follow the farm track to the farm.
Bear round to the right through the farm and into the field beyond
Head for the centre of the field then bear left to the corner where there looks to be an established route
In the next field aim for the T in the far fenceline with the fields beyond it (if you can see it).
Turn left then right to follow the established route to the road.
Yet more experimental routes, but this looks pretty clear. Straight on at the junction along a gravel/stone track.
You've been here before, but this time stay on the main track.
You need to take a left onto a much less well used track which winds its way downhill
Go straight on at the crossroads.
Go through the gate into the field and keep to the left edge.
Left into the old lane by the ruined building. It was very boggy in the lane itself and you may be better off in the field to the right.
Turn right for a bit of deja vue.
As before, left into the diverted bridleway
Right onto the fireroad.
This time, take the left fork.
Take the right fork which veers away from the farm. Though it starts off muddy this track improves into one of this route's highlights.
Take a left where the trees open out. This turns into a fast downhill - enjoy! Eventually you'll reach a junction where you hairpin back to the left on yourself, you'll follow the main track around the hairpin.
Hairpin left.
When the track emerges out of the trees onto a gravel track, hang a sharp left and follow the gravel track. I haven't researched the remainder of this route. It's dependent on it being OK to cycle through the Hafod Estate. As far as I can tell, it's OK to cycle on the "forest roads". So there's one section I think could be an issue (at worst you have to push 300-400m).
Right at the T-Junction.
Straight on at the hairpin junction
I think there's a T junction here - take a left.
It looks to me like you emerge from the forest here - so strictly speaking you may need to get off and push??? Follow the track round to the right ignoring the first track on the right.
I'd say you can start riding again from here. Bear left at the cross roads ahead onto the lesser used track or "forest road".
Bear left onto the road and you're back in the centre of Pont-Rhyd-y-Groes.
Welcome to Bikely, take a step by step tour of this path:
Press Start Tour - then use the navigation buttons below to move along the path.
Like route 1 this was not a particularly great route when I rode it. Again it has some gems and again navigation can be an issue. But, it was worth doing, even though it caused me a cracked rib!! However, as I plotted it out and put some basic annotations in I realised it could be improved with a few minor changes. I reckon it has the makings of a good ride. What's more it's just over 80% off-road.
Tagged with: Recreational, Onroad, MTB, Difficult, Offroad, Low traffic, Rough, Rural, Scenic
