Barry Sidings Mountain Bike Trails

Barry Sidings Mountain Bike Trails are a network of unofficial, rider-built descents on the wooded hillside above Barry Sidings Countryside Park in Trehafod, near Pontypridd. The trails are not waymarked, and riders grade them across blue, red and black: around eight popular descents, from steep, slippery black tech to longer, flowing blue lines. At the foot of the hill, the Barry Sidings Cafe, the Bike Doctor bike shop and a pump track built by OnTrack make a handy meeting point.

The Trails

• The network is a web of natural descents rather than a single loop, with berms, rock gardens, rock slabs, jumps and a few drops. Riders grade the popular lines as follows.
• Black: Coal Dump (about 570 m), steep, slippery and technical, very narrow through the trees with a rocky drop on a corner near the end; Welsh Gold (about 660 m); and Black Gold (about 130 m), short, with berms, a jump and a rock garden.
• Red: Fern Turns to Pond (about 180 m).
• Blue: Charlie Horse (about 820 m), the switchbacks, race ridge and lower ridge line (about 680 m), Hand Built (about 250 m) and White Widow (about 210 m). Some lines are faint in places.
• Pump track: a pump track built by OnTrack sits next to the cafe at the foot of the trails. It is a good place to warm up, and a handy spot for younger riders to build skills.
• The trails are unofficial, rider-built and not waymarked, so download a route or use GPS navigation before you set off, or ride with someone who knows the hill.

Facilities

• The Barry Sidings Cafe is the hub for riders. It serves speciality coffee, cakes, burgers and vegan options, is open seven days a week, is dog friendly and welcomes muddy bikes and boots. It also hosts community events, including trail cleans with Trash Free Trails.
• Bike hire is available through the cafe.
• Bike Doctor is a bike shop at the park for repairs, servicing, parts and advice.
• Toilets, including a Changing Places facility, and free parking.

Beyond the Trails

The trails sit inside a council-run country park with lakes, an adventure playground, open green space for a picnic and flat paths that suit beginners and scooters. The Dr Richard Griffiths Tramroad Walk links the park to Pontypridd, and the Rhondda Heritage Park museum is nearby. Rhondda Cynon Taf publishes more on its Barry Sidings Countryside Park page.

Getting Here

• Barry Sidings Car Park, Gyfeillon Road, Trehafod, Pontypridd, CF37 2PP. Parking is free. The car park has set opening hours that are longer from April to September, so check the park page above if you plan to ride late. The cafe, bike shop and pump track are a short walk from the car park.
• By rail: Trehafod station is about a ten-minute walk away, on the Treherbert line from Cardiff via Pontypridd.
• By bike: National Cycle Network Route 881 runs traffic-free into the park from Porth and Pontypridd, and links to the Taff Trail.

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