Penhydd Red loop from Afan Forest Centre — The Afan Valley

Mountain biking trails

Penhydd Red loop from Afan Forest Centre — The Afan Valley

Easy

4.6

(17)

422

riders

Penhydd Red loop from Afan Forest Centre — The Afan Valley

01:13

13.4km

280m

Mountain biking

Get ready for a challenging mountain biking adventure on the Penhydd Red loop, starting from the Afan Forest Centre. This route covers 8.3 miles (13.4 km) with a significant 927 feet (283 metres) of elevation gain, taking around 1 hour and 12 minutes to complete. You will encounter varied and…

Last updated: April 23, 2026

Waypoints

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

294 m

Afan Forest Park Trailhead Archway

Highlight • Trail

The wooden archway at the edge of the Afan Forest Park car park marks the start of four trails from the Afan Forest Park trail centre; Blue Scar, Y Wal, W2 and Penhydd.

Tip by

1.68 km

Gravel Road Climb on Coed Morgannwg Way

Highlight (Segment) • Forest

It might seem like a lot of uphill, but this climb is well worth it when you see what comes next on 'widow maker'! Enjoy the scenery and spin up …

Tip by

5.58 km

Big Dipper – Penhydd Trail

Highlight • Trail

Part of the red-rated Penhydd trail from Afan Forest Centre, Big Dipper is a great reward for the big fireroad climb.

This section of the singletrack takes its name from …

Tip by

7.31 km

Sidewinder and Dead Sheep Gully, Penhydd Trail

Highlight (Segment) • MTB Park

These two red singletrack descents are part of the larger Penhydd trail from Afan Forest Centre.

First up, Sidewinder takes you through the woodland on a rocky, narrow trail with …

Tip by

13.3 km

Afan Forest Park Visitor Centre

Highlight • Rest Area

Afan Forest is very well known for its mountain biking and well, there is a lot of it! There are trails for all abilities, but the main focus here is …

Tip by

13.4 km

End point

Parking

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

6.52 km

4.90 km

1.54 km

369 m

< 100 m

Surfaces

7.86 km

4.90 km

628 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (340 m)

Lowest point (140 m)

Weather

Tuesday 6 October

14°C

8°C

84 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 25.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

October 6, 2024,Penhydd Trail 🚲 With the creators crew 🙏🏼

Really nice red route. Enjoyed the descents, a really nice balance of tech and fun!

August 25, 2023,Penhydd - red route @ Afan Forest Park. Day #3 Welsh MTB Adventure.

Managed to sneak in a ride at Afan in the morning before the downpours began by midday. Happy to have ridden this in the dry. Sidewinder was my highlight - had so much fun!