£5m funding for mountain bike trails in South Wales

Trail centres in South Wales are to receive a £5 million boost following approval of a bid to establish a Centre of Excellence for Off-road Cycling in the area.

The European Regional Development Fund will provide a total of £4,978,020 to create a purpose-built mountain bike centre at Gethin, Merthyr Tydfil, improve and extend the trails at Brechfa, Cwmcarn and Afan Forest Park, and build beginner and skills areas.

Some of the money will also be used to fund a world-class mountain bike events centre at MargamPark, near Swansea.

Forestry Commission mountain bike ranger Carl Denham told us: “This is a fantastic opportunity for South Wales, not only for the mountain bikers but also for local businesses and local people. There are going to be new trails built as well as a refresh of the old favourites alongside much needed upgrades to facilities.”

The partners involved in the bid – including Neath Port Talbot County Borough Council, Forestry Commission Wales, Caerphilly County Borough Council and Visit Wales – hope to attract more visitors to the area and encourage them to stay longer, as well as providing more facilities for beginners, local families and school groups.

According to Carl Denham, projects are "ready to go" at Margam Park, Afan and Cwmcarn. We’ll bring you more details on this as soon as possible.