Wales is no mini Scotland, the riding really is some of the best and most varied in the UK. The blend of wild, natural terrain and superb man-made trails makes it a hit. What it misses in pure altitude it makes up for in sick riding, plus there are no midges to content with (well, not many anyway).

North Wales is dominated by Snowdonia National Park, it’s here you’ll find classic big mountain riding in the shape of Snowdon and Cadar Idris. Both bucket list rides all mountain bikers should tick off. Brutally fast, rocky, and challenging.

Head south and you’ll find more mellow classics like the Doethie Valley and Cwm Rhaeadr. If you’re wanting to escape from it all Mid-Wales is a must. Ride here and you’ll probably have the whole hillside to yourself, save a few sheep.

South Wales is different again, with big mountains and urban riding mixing things up. The Black Mountains and Brecon Beacons host some old school classic rides, while riders wanting something spicer can follow our off-piste route at Cwm Carn.

Then there are the bike parks and trail centres, which dot the country. BikePark Wales is the UK’s biggest, bursting at the seams to suit riders of all abilities, while Revolution Bike Park and Dyfi Bike Park in the north offer advanced trails.

Traditional trail centres abound too. The old classics like Coed-y-Brenin and Afan still thrill thousands of riders a year.

This Crug Mawr route is all about the super-flowy, sandy, singletrack descent. Proof that you don’t need to go far over the Welsh border for…

This Cadair Idris route is a great mountain-top outing which for the majority of the ascent/descent isn’t too technical but does require some proper effort.…

Sarn Helen is not a mountain. It's not a forest. It's not a trail centre. Sarn Helen is a piece of ancient history. It's a…

Cardiff GPS route download

Looking for a great Cardiff mountain bike route with the best riding in and around Cardiff — here's the GPS download of one of our

Is it Hawaii or the Gower?

Download the GPS route from our City Limits feature in the May 2012 issue

With barely any climbing and just 11km long, this Clwydian Hills route looks a pushover. But the reality is a bite-size chunk of genuinely great…

Big mountains don't get better than this

One of our favourite trails of any year. A true mountain epic. Here is the downloadable GPS file of the Snowdon Ranger route.

bikepark wales

Whatever your level of ability or daring, BikePark Wales has trails that’ll leave you begging for more. Here's our run-down of the best trails there.…

The trail may only be 6.7 kilometres long but it boasts enough wow-factor to make it well worth the trip into deepest Wales.