Parts of the singeltrack have been left un-constructed to give the trail a natural feel and the Forestry Commission is waiting for them to bed in, hence the six week wait before open day. There, and you thought they were just using the time to get first dibs, shame on you.

“There are parts of the route that have been left natural, so the trail has roots in these parts and the demarcation is to give it a natural feel,” Brian Rumble, who built the Raven, explained to mbr.

The constructed parts were designed by Rowan Sorrell and include berms, table-tops and rock gardens, says Rumble. The trail took around three months to build after construction started in late January, he added.

“It will be all-weather, but the un-constructed parts, three in total over the route, mean that we may have to change the direction of the trail as weather permits,” Rumble said.

The new trail joins the easy Derwen Trail, the moderate Derwen extension trail, and the difficult Gorlech Trail, graded blue and red respectively. The new route can easily be incorporated into the existing trails, says Rumble.

And what does Sorrell think of the trail after riding the finished black route? Rumble said: “I don’t like to blow my own trumpet, but we’d give it a nine out of ten, we’re very pleased with the results.”

The Raven Trail has cost £80,000, part of the £500,000 granted to the Brechfa Bike Project by European Objective 1.