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Ridden & Reviewed by Cycle1st
Intermediate Route ( Red ) 18 km/11 miles
Intermediate Route ( Black ) 21 km/13 miles
Cycle1st Review update 21st October 2007
We rode the Red and New Black runs again….. to keep you updated.
New Pictures also added.,
Review Sponsored by CoverYourCar - Tailored & Fitted Car Covers
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We
returned again ( October 2007 ) to the Forest to ride the much
talked about Black Run.
The Black run is accessable from the red run, and is clearly sign posted and well worth doing, especially if you are a regular rider. Some great new sections and a few extra surprises await first timers on the trail. |
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Enough
about the updates, now on with the trail review....
Llandegla
is located in North Eastern Wales, close to Wrexham and fairly near
to conurbations like Chester, Liverpool, Manchester and not a vast distance
from the Midlands.
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At
the trail head is a new, purpose-built, visitor’s centre, with toilets
and includes a good sized café. This café is spacious,
even providing an area with comfortable couches and serves a variety
of good food. We were astonished at the generous size of the food portions
and the good value for money and can recommend a visit after your ride!
Next to the café and sharing the same building is the Oneplanet
Adventure Mountain Bike shop, stocked with quality bikes, frames, accessories
and components and providing a good MTB Hire service (Kona Hardtails).
Both the café and shop are run by Ian Owen and Jim Gaffney.
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For this review we are concentrating
on the Intermediate & Advanced Route
(red and
black route).
There are tricky rocky/muddy areas as well as fast jumps, tight switchbacks and banked curves. Initially, we started from the Trailhead opposite the Visitors centre, and climbed a section of hairpin which takes the rider into the forest, mainly on fire road.
There is a progressive length of climbing deep into the forest which is deceptive because it doesn’t seem as if you are on a hard climb due to the way the trail is carved through thick wooded flanks.
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| Llandegla Forest is one of the best MTB trails in our opinion and offers something for everyone depending on your ability on the bike. |
The Trails are as follows...
1) Family Route (blue) 4 km/2.5 miles long
2) Beginner Route (green) 12 Km/7.5 miles
3) Intermediate Route (red)
18 km/11 miles
4) Serious MTBer Route (black) 21km/13 miles
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available from the Visitor’s
Centre shop is £15 half day and £19 all day.
£3.00 per helmet ( must be worn at all times)
To reserve a
bike call 01978 751656
and ask to be put through to the shop.
The Welsh Countryside at its best awaits you.
( Photo taken from bridge at top of old black run kicker
)
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The fire road is not boring like some
as it is quite rough in places and meanders around heavily wooded
areas.
From this we reached an elevated section
and into an open area of felled wood (remember this is a working
forest) and onto some good fast single track finishing with a fast
left-to-right berm. Be careful at this first berm because
at the bottom is a wooden chicane which we came upon at speed. This
sets the pattern for when the trail crosses a fire road as there
are chicanes to slow you down for safety reasons. Onward and the
trail provides some excellent and quick single track with wide and
narrow banked curves and sections passing through wooded areas.
Twice the trail crosses Offa’s Dyke
Path before it reaches the Black run.
There are several area of raised “North
Shore” type track, that is where you ride on a narrow man-made platform
of wood. The first of these wooden sections consists of flat plank
wood and although it is level and smooth it affords a reasonable
level of grip even when wet.
This section is proper North Shore
trail. It consists of half logs set close together but deliberately
in an undulating way. It has small drop-offs too as it meanders
up and then down and is laced with chicken wire for better grip.
All told a fast and flowing trail that
will bring a smile to the face of all but the dedicated downhiller.
The new black run section improves an already great trail.
The final decent back to the visitors centre is great fun but take care not to overcook the last banked berm! |
 Post 42 ( Red Run ) is where you can turn right, then right again off the official Llandegla Trail to Offa's Dyke and beyond!  Sweeping bankings are a feature of this trail |
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 1st section gives a taster of what's to come.  Chris tackles the Black Run.   Neil on the Northshore and Rob in the Trees  Kev on the Final Logs Section Not for the faint hearted and can be slippy.  Greg climbs the final scenic bit.  |
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Map
of surrounding area.
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How to get
there: Coed Llandegla Forest is located on the A525, 7 miles west of Wrexham. From Chester take the A483 south from Chester towards Wrexham then take the A525 west, signed Ruthin. Coed Llandegla Forest is signed from the road. Open every day
except Christmas Day |
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