This mountain bike route of 10.9 miles takes you to the top of Cadair Idris, an 893m mountain near Dolgellau on the southern edge of the Snowdonia National Park. It is a big mountain climb with variety of trails starting with rocky double track, which then gives way to grass. The further you climb the more the rocks poke through, until a final 1.5 miles of boulder strewn track to the top. While there is some pushing the mountain is mostly ridable, if you have the legs for it.
1. Start from the car park opposite the chapel in Llanfihangel-y-pennant (GR672088). Leave the car park from the exit by the chapel and turn right and follow the lane through the valley towards the mountains. Bear left across the bridge to go over Afon Cadair, then immediately right on the other side. Continue along the lane as it bears left to a gate (GR676099).
2. Go through the gate and climb the steep gravel double track to the next gate at a junction with a track on the left (GR675105). Go straight on through the gate then take the grassy singletrack on the right immediately after that drops to a fence. Follow the line of the fence and descend into the trees to a stream crossing. Cross the stream using either the ford or the small stone bridge. On the opposite side push up the loose, rocky singletrack. After a while follow the track right to exit the trees and climb a grassy trail in the bottom of a ditch. This steep climb ends at a drystone wall. Remount your bike and turn left to climb the grassy singletrack along the line of the wall on the right. Follow this track to a crest. From here the track becomes very vague for a short distance and doesn't exactly follow the bridleway on the OS map. The rest of this paragraph describes the only ridable route I found, which didn't involve going straight on through the high marsh grass. Descend from the crest still keeping by the wall. Turn 90deg left at a vague junction by a small tree on the left, 30-40m before the reaching the bottom corner of the field. Climb this vague track between the tussocks of grass to a large rounded boulder protruding from the ground. At the boulder turn right and follow the arrow on the marker post to meet a wide gravel track on a bend (GR678114).
3. Go straight ahead and climb the track to a gate a short distance later. After the gate climb the track, which eventually starts bearing to the left. Go past a track on the right to a gated three way junction on a small plateau (GR677122). Go through the gate on the right and climb the track that can be seen winding up the mountain side. After climbing through a few bends the track comes to a junction. Take the right hand track for a grassy climb to a gate a short distance later. Follow the bridleway arrows through a small gate to the left of the main gate, then climb the steep grassy trail off to the right. The track climbs through a few corners before coming to a junction with a ditch across a track straight on, that heads into the moorland. Turn right and climb the grassy track just to the right of the ditch. Follow the trail, and ditch, as it bears left around the hill and comes to a gate with a style on the left (GR682126).
4. Go through the gate and climb the singletrack straight ahead that goes up the left hand side of the valley. This is the Pony Path, which is an interesting climb of grass, ruts and rocks. It becomes more tricky as you climb, though as the gradient never becomes too steep it's possible to ride it all the way to the top. That’s not to say some won’t have to push. At the top the track bears left over a crest then descends right to a gated junction (GR691135).
5. Go through the gate ahead, past the footpath on the left, and bear right on the wide gravel track that marks the start of 1.5 miles of rocky riding to the top. The track soon comes to a steep set of rocky steps. This is the first of quite a few bits of hike’a’biking. In between the steps are ridable sections, some of which are very difficult. After about 1/2 mile the sections of steep steps are replaced by loose, bouldery scree. This goes on for another 1/2 mile before reaching the ridge above Llyn y Gadair. This part of the trail is flatter and ridable but still challenging with large boulder fields to negotiate. The last 100m or so kicks up for a precarious, rocky scramble to the summit (GR711130).
6. Once you have taken in the views, or stared at the inside of a cloud, drop your saddle and return the same way you came up. Although the rocky scramble from the top is not ridable the rest of it is. It makes a challenging and enjoyable descent, well worth the energy expended in reaching the summit.
Please remember this is a big exposed mountain. Make sure you are up to the challenge and pack accordingly.
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