The Raven is on the flight path of more and more adrenaline junkies – lured by more than 18km of challenging mountain bike trails through Brechfa forest . . . and an old red London bus!
Visitor numbers to the Forestry Commission Wales venue near Carmarthen are up by 8% over the second quarter of this year with the most technical route, the black-graded Raven trail, up a whopping 12% over the past three months.
Built between 2006 and 2008, the Brechfa forest trails are relatively new when compared with the more established centres such as Coed-y-Brenin forest park and Afan forest park, but they are fast gaining an impressive reputation of their own.
As the numbers have grown Forestry Commission Wales, which manages the Assembly Government-owned forest, found a unique solution to the challenge of providing refreshments for riders.
For the new café set up in the Byrgwm car park to revive their energy levels is an old red Routemaster London bus!
The famous double-decker bus, a familiar feature on the streets of London for almost 50 years before they were withdrawn in 2005, belongs to local businessman Ian Luff, who also runs the Drop Off Café at the mountain bike centre in Glyncorrwg.
Ian has named his unique café the Drop Off Bus, which he parks in Brechfa every weekend offering hot meals and snacks between 10am and 5pm.
The upstairs has been converted into an eating area for about 25 people by turning around every other bench and adding a table, while the kitchen and serving area is downstairs.
Dominic O’Connor Robinson, FC Wales local area manager for Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, said, “The new café is very eye-catching and the bikers seem to love it.
“We had over 20,000 visitors last year and it looks like we’ll be getting even more this year – that’s a lot of hungry bikers to feed.”
With over 50km of trails – which were funded jointly by FC Wales, Carmarthenshire County Council and the Welsh European Funding Office – Brechfa forest now offers exciting opportunities to experience mountain biking for all abilities.
As well as the black-graded Raven – 18.5km of singletrack and white-knuckle descents through some of the more remote parts of the forest – there is also an easy green graded trail, as well as a blue and red trail to help riders to improve their skills.
Dominic said, “We’re delighted with the latest visitor figures which show that people are flocking to Brechfa from all over the UK.
“We’ve been doing a lot of work to the trails over the past 12 months and we’d love people to come and try them out – and, of course, our new café bus should help to make their visit even more enjoyable.”
Ian Luff said, “It’s fantastic to see visitor numbers growing in Brechfa. Following one of the worst winters on record and with the economic downturn, it’s bucking the trend and the future looks really bright.”
