TRAIL RUNNING AT COED Y BRENIN

Coed Y Brenin is known for its mountain bike trails, but the running trails are equally as great and a bit of a hidden gem….. if you’re into trail running, this is simply a must and if you have not tried it, then trail running at Coed Y Brenin is the perfect place to give it a go.

There is no charge to partake in what there is on offer at Coed Y Brenin unless you don’t have your own equipment in which case you can rent or buy from the running (or bike) shop when you get there.

On arrival, head down to the running shop where you can get a map of the trails and the staff there are really helpful explaining where the trails are and how to cut short if you get injured etc. There are 5 trails which range from 3 miles upto a full marathon. Finding the trails is easy and everything is way marked so you don’t have the worry of getting lost; the routes are really well mapped out.

As you start at the foot of the valley, the inclines for the first 3/4 mile are pretty heavy going, but once on top, the runs are incredible. Not only are you steeped in nature at its very best, but there are other factors that would encourange me to make the trip to Coed Y Brenin as opposed to going from my front door:

• The trails are all marked so you can totally switch off, not having to think about where you are going next.
• With planned routes, there is no need to carry anything with you – I normally have my phone on me to measure the distance I have done.
• There are suggested times it takes to do the route and therefore sub-consciously you are motivated to keep going when you are lagging.
• You do not need music to keep you going; the beauty of the area, the sound of the trees, the river, the views are all you need – take advantage of this.
• It was really wet and cold, but the shelter of the trees meant that I didn’t get that wet.
• Even though its a busy place, you don’t feel it – I only came across one set of cyclists.

There is a cafe on site with a good selection of healthy food as you would expect along with homemade cakes! If you don’t want to eat at the cafe, there are lots of picnic benches around for you to sit at and bring a picnic, weather permitting that is.