New Trails Open at Coed-y-Brenin Forest Park

Coed-y-Brenin Forest Park reinforced its status as a world-leading mountain bike centre today when Minister for Culture and Sport, John Griffiths, opened the new state-of-the art skills area and visitor centre extension.

The £1.7 million development sets new standards for outdoor recreation at the iconic EU-backed Welsh Government centre, near Dolgellau, which attracts thousands of people every year to ride its seven mountain bike trails.

The popularity of the forest park, which is managed by Natural Resources Wales, meant the existing visitor centre could no longer cope with soaring visitor numbers as the destination’s reputation grew.

The extension – which is linked to the visitor centre by an overhead walkway – has been built entirely from home-grown timber and almost doubles the size of the existing building.

It includes a new bike shop and hire facility on the ground floor, with a multi-functional conference/meeting room and cafe overflow area on the first floor, along with toilets offering 24-hour public access.

Outside, a new mountain bike skills area called Y Ffowndri has been created to give beginners the chance to learn basic techniques before setting off on one of the trails, or to enable experienced riders to practise for the more extreme challenges.

Tim Jones of Natural Resources Wales said, “This impressive extension, coupled with the innovative skills area, represents the start of the next chapter in the unrivalled success story that is Coed-y-Brenin Forest Park.

“We are committed to providing people with opportunities to access our countryside and to lead more active lifestyles and Coed-y-Brenin delivers on a grand scale, as the visitor numbers demonstrate.

“In addition to nurturing the well-being of people drawn to this wonderful location in the heart of Snowdonia, we must not overlook the important support that Coed-y-Brenin provides for the local economy as many of these visitors take advantage of the warm hospitality on offer in the area.”

Minister for Culture and Sport, John Griffiths, said, “These world-class facilities in the heart of Snowdonia help showcase the fantastic landscape we have in Wales for responsible outdoor recreation.

"Visitors to Wales cite the natural environment as the primary reason for their visit, and the contribution to the Welsh economy of outdoor recreation, particularly in rural areas, mustn’t be underestimated. Improving access to the outdoors clearly has the potential to benefit Wales greatly.”

As well as opening the visitor centre extension and skills area, The Minister opened the recently completed MinorTaur, a blue grade intermediate mountain bike trail which also caters for riders with disabilities.

The MinorTaur, with its three loops offering rides of varying lengths, has established itself as a popular addition to Coed-y-Brenin’s array of trails, which provide more than 140 kilometres of mountain biking to suit all abilities.

Coed-y-Brenin Forest Park is one of four sites known together as the Snowdonia Centre of Excellence, which is part of the sustainable tourism E4G project.

The £4 million project includes Antur Stiniog, Prysor Angling and Gwersyll yr Urdd Glan Llyn and offers outdoor adventure activities throughout the year in this area of spectacular scenery and rugged countryside.

It is part-funded by the EU’s Convergence European Regional Development Fund through Visit Wales and the Welsh Government. Additional funding comes from Natural Resources Wales, Gwynedd Council, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and Tourism Partnership Mid Wales.