Brecon Beacons Mountain Bike Trails

The Brecon Beacons - officially known since April 2023 as Bannau Brycheiniog National Park - is one of the great natural mountain bike destinations in Wales. Covering 520 square miles of grassy, heather-clad mountains, moorland, forest and river valleys, the park offers a vast range of natural riding across all abilities, from rolling green gravel routes to demanding big-mountain epics. There are no built trail centres within the park itself, but the surrounding area is home to BikePark Wales, Cwmcarn, Afan Forest, and the Black Mountains Cycle Centre.

The Trails

• The riding in Bannau Brycheiniog is organised around five main hubs: Brecon, Crickhowell, Sennybridge, Talgarth, and Talybont-on-Usk. Each offers a distinct character, from the classic high-mountain routes of the central Beacons to the remote valleys of the Black Mountains in the east.
• Classic routes include the Gap Road loop from Talybont-on-Usk (up the Brinore Tram Road to Pentwyn Reservoir, through the Gap between Cribyn and Fan y Big, and back down a boulder-strewn descent), and the 45km Grwyne Fechan Valley loop in the Black Mountains from Crickhowell.
• The terrain ranges from open moorland and grassy ridgelines to steep valley descents and forest singletrack. Navigation skills and a detailed map or downloaded GPX are essential for most routes. Many paths are shared with walkers and horse riders.
• The official cycling and mountain biking page for the national park is at bannaubrycheiniog.org.

Route Resources

• Mountain Bike Wales covers guided riding and route information across the Bannau Brycheiniog area, including the Black Mountains and the central Beacons.
• Wye MTB organises guided rides in the Bannau Brycheiniog and across Wales.
• Cambrian Escapes has a useful overview of around 10 trails across the park with GPS routes graded green to black.

Getting Here

• Brecon town is the natural gateway for the central Beacons, around 1 hour from Cardiff via the A470. The main car park is at the Brecon Beacons Mountain Centre, Libanus, Brecon, LD3 8ER, which has a visitor centre, toilets and cafe.
• Crickhowell is the gateway to the Black Mountains, around 20 miles from Abergavenny on the A40.
• Talybont-on-Usk is the starting point for the Gap Road classic, around 7 miles south-east of Brecon on the B4558.
• By rail: the park is not directly served by rail. The nearest stations are Abergavenny (for the Black Mountains) and Merthyr Tydfil (for the southern edge). Regular buses run from Cardiff and Swansea to Brecon.

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• If you have ridden the mountain bike trails in the Brecon Beacons, please share your reviews, photos, and videos to this listing.