NWMBA | Coed y Brenin Information

Coed y Brenin
Information Point

Coed y Brenin Trail maps

latest official Route news

NWMBA Approved Accomodation

Plas Isa, Dolgellau

South Snowdonia

Visitor Center

Download PDF trail maps for all routes

Latest Coed y Brenin trail news (external site)

Forest Enteprise's web site for Coed y Brenin

list of local accomodation (external site)

Dolgellau Town(External)

Red Bull UK

NWMBA has had a long working relationship with Forest Enterprise, The Dolgellau Forest District and the staff at Coed y Brenin. The site was identified as a potential race course in 1990 and the first races held there in 1991 on a course which was had to be chopped out of an unpassable rock strewn jungle. With the arrival of Dafydd and Sian Roberts to run the MTB hire centre and later taking on the visitor centre and cafe, the venue became one of the clubs favourites and much of our original course and many of the sections names has been taken into the present Red Bull route.

With many web sites and publications giving detailed info on the venue here we will provide the basic advice you need and where the best information is. We would in particular suggest you visit the excellent www.mtbbritain.co.uk site where there are also 'on rider' videos

The reconstruction of Pont Gilrhyd

The above photo was taken on one of the annual family days we used to hold the day before the summer Coed y Brenin race which was to thank the many helpers who enabled us to run the events , visitors would also come along on an easy group route and, before the Karrimor was developed, there would be a ride for harder riders around the many unknown trails that existed in the forest.
Sadly for NWMBA the popularity of the trails for visitors has meant the Forestry will no longer allow the Red Bull route to be closed for racing so we now run our events in other forests.

Those looking for a hard ride are able to follow excellent waymarked and maintained trails although we'd advise you to check the cyb page on www.mtbbritain.com (link in RH of page) for latest trail conditions.
If you are looking for something easy, or the family are coming along, there are easier rides and a visit to the Gwynfryn Gold mines is a worthwhile effort, Pystyll Cain and Mawddach waterfalls are nearby with great views of the Mawddwy river running through its deep rock channel.
A visit to nearby Dolgellau which is ideal for services gives access to the old rail track running to the spectacular Barmouth rail bridge. a couple of miles north of the Forest at BronAber is a wooden chalet holiday village with its own dry ski slope

official CYB K9..portrait of Llwyd as a young dog

With the weather of the UK climate becoming more erratic a torrential rain storm August 2001 caused flash floods so severe that much damage was done to the forest tracks and bridges running along side what are always fairly strong rivers but the heights the rivers rose to for those knowing the area well are well beyond anything in living memory. Much damage was done but slowly the lost roads and bridges are being rebuilt. It has disrupted some of the routes. Pont Gilrhyd was a significant loss and only recently has the work to rebuild this historic bridge commenced. We managed to get in a movie camera as the work was starting and a quicktime of the works and damage can be viewed here