Downhill mountain biking doesn’t immediately jump out as your average ‘fun for all the family’ activity. It’s fast and aggressive. It requires skill and practice, pro equipment, and some would say, a disregard for fear that only the most hardened thrill seekers obtain. However, BikePark Wales are aiming to change that perception with their new Ticket to Ride programme aimed at anyone who just wants to give it a go – so I did.
Upon arrival and after signing in at reception, our day hosts, Seth and Colin, gathered the whole Ticket to Ride group into the conference room for the first of our safety briefings. There were about 15 of us altogether including families on Easter holidays and a few others just seeking new challenges and experiences. After watching a short health and safety video augmented by additional guidance from our hosts, they then kitted us out with the compulsory safety gear including helmets, elbow and knee pads, and gloves. A lot of care was taken to ensure everyone had the right sizes and everyone was wearing the kit correctly – safety was paramount. We then moved on to collect our bikes which are hired as part of the package. All of the bikes were high spec and well maintained. Seth and Colin then tweaked the bike set ups for the individual making sure they were comfortable to ride.
The first lesson of the day was how to brake and how to change gear. On a piece of flat land, Seth and Colin ran us through a few exercises to get used to the bikes and to observe our abilities. After a short while when everyone was feeling a little more confident we moved on to the first ‘trail’. This was called ‘The Badger Run’ and although not really a hill, it had curves and bumps to navigate, again steadily improving everyone’s confidence one step at a time. Seth and Colin were with us all the way, watching and supporting. After a couple of runs, it was time to hit the hills so we made our way to the minibus pickup point.
With the bikes loaded onto the trailer, we started the drive up the mountain which took about 10 minutes.
The park has 48 tracks in total (soon to be 50) and they range from complete beginner to seasoned pro. There’s a colour coded guide to inform riders of the difficulty level but their names tend to give it away – Enter the Dragon and Vicious Valley, for example. The Ticket to Ride trail which we were doing is a 5km run and was called Kermit, which is a nice and friendly name, much to the relief of some of the group!
After another health and safety pep talk we made our way down the trail. Colin leading the way, setting the pace for the group, and Seth following up behind making sure everyone was ok. The trail steadily picked up pace and curved and bumped along in beautiful scenery on a glorious spring morning.
The views were stunning and everyone was enjoying themselves. After what seemed like just 5 minutes (although it was longer) we were at the bottom of the hill, safe and all accounted for in the cafe picnic area. We were rewarded with a drink from the cafe and a 20 minute breather to let the adrenaline dissipate.
It was time to go again for the second and final run of the morning so we headed for the minibus and made our way to the top. Everyone was feeling a lot more confident this time around. Colin picked up the pace and it was visible that everyone stepped up and pushed themselves. There was a debrief and a quick chat at the bottom before we handed our bikes and safety kit in.
The best way to describe BikePark Wales is a ski resort for bikes. I’m a reasonably experienced trail and hill rider but I wanted to get the full beginner experience for this review and my verdict was it was worth it. Each member of the group had their reasons for being there, their own level of experiences, but all of them had a great time and their confidence visibly improved. It’s an enjoyable family day out, or just something for someone looking for new experiences and thrills.
Ticket to Ride provides everything you need to get started including equipment and bike hire. BikePark Wales is nestled between Merthryr and Brecon at the Gethin Woodland Center in Abercanaid and is easily accessible by car and the nearest train station, Pentre Bach, is about a mile away. There’s a bike shop on site along with a good size cafe, amenities, and food stalls to help keep the energy levels up!
More info: BikePark Wales