The English-Welsh border is normally bypassed by riders heading for more famous destinations to the north or west, but it’s home to ancient rights of way, remote villages and sweeping views. Claire Frecknall & Jo Burt pack up their gravel bikes and head west in search of grassroots gravelly goodness courtesy of the Wild Wales Gravel Festival.

In a world where competitive gravel racing and ultra-cycling are big business, I often feel that the grass-roots basics of being outdoors, connecting with nature and exploring by bike are being neglected. Remember the world before all the ex-pros and UCI rankings, when gravel rides were just about getting outside with your mates, exploring the countryside, stopping for coffee and cake and ending the day with a cold beer? Wild Cycles certainly do. 

Sure, riding fast and far is fun, pushing your limits and ending the day (or week) by arriving dirty and exhausted at a finish line is rewarding, but sometimes you need a little reset and time to relax… and a secluded valley in the sparsely populated county of Radnorshire is the perfect place for it. Nestled between the tourist hotspots of Bannau Brycheiniog to the South and Eryri to the North (that’s the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia if you’re not up to speed on the switch yet) it’s the home of the Wild Wales Gravel Festival and an area most of us had never visited before.

Now in its second year, Wild Wales is a non-competitive two-day gravel event. Live music, a DJ and relaxed fireside chats with some guest speakers give it a very chilled festival vibe, Numbers are limited to around 70 and there is a noticeable 50/50 gender split across the riders compared to other events I’ve been to, which is fantastic.

Wild Cycles are father and son team John and Jonathan and they’re keen to keep things relaxed and inclusive “We are passionate about providing people with memorable outdoor adventures. We love the fact that the bicycle provides the ideal means to explore our spectacular countryside. Our mission is to raise awareness of our beautiful natural surroundings and the freedom that riding a bike provides. We created Wild Wales as an inclusive event where everyone feels welcome. The focus is on community, the vibe is super chilled and friendly. Not at all competitive - the event is especially suited to those who want to come along with friends or family - it's a place to meet people and enjoy the stunning setting, spectacular routes, jaw-dropping views of the surrounding landscape, good food, music and just hang out in a warm and friendly environment.”

The riding is aimed at gravel or mountain bikes and Wild Cycles have bikes available to rent if you don’t have a suitable one yourself, which is a great way to make the event open to all. I opted to take my gravel bike but fitted 650b wheels with some chunky 2.1 tyres as I’d been warned by one of the route planners that some of the terrain was quite techy and rough, and they weren’t wrong…

After a long drive from the south coast, we parked the van in a barn, put on waterproofs (because it was Wales in the middle of summer) and headed down the hill to the event village. A pair of large geodomes greeted us as we looked down the steep hill, coming as a relief given the falling rain as we trudged our way to sign in. A warm welcome, a cold beer and a generously filled goodie bag (which itself was an incredibly handy and voluminous bag-for-life from Lowe Alpine made from material offcuts and great for smelly bike kit) from sponsors Rab, Stohk and komoot awaited us. One of the geodomes was set up as a communal kitchen and eating area with a gas hob, sink and cooking utensils and we quickly got chatting with fellow riders as we all prepared our dinners and joined them at a table to eat and enjoy a couple more beers fresh from the cold stream where they’d been chilling. All the time we were watching a steady stream of water drip from the doorway and feeling a little sorry for those arriving late to set up their tents in the rain. 

There was a selection of routes to choose from on the Saturday - all were self-guided and provided as GPX files, so you were free to take things at your own pace or join up with a group of other riders if you preferred. The joy of riding an organised event like this is that you will naturally find other people who are a similar pace to yourself. There were 30km, 45km and 70km options or a new 95km version for the hardcore amongst us. The routes were all planned by the Wild Cycles team, alongside the owner of the farm where the event is based. Hamish, the farm owner, and his sons Angus and Forbes, are experienced cyclists themselves and their encyclopaedic knowledge of the local area provided a fine mix of quiet roads, gravel tracks and rugged bridleways. 

We opted for the 70 km route that seemed to roll pretty fast at first, with a lot of quiet country lanes for the first kilometres. We shouldn’t have been lulled into a false sense of security though as it was heavily loaded with all the big climbs and more off-road sections towards the back half of the ride. At around the 20 km point, we hit the first big climb and a lane that deteriorated into a dirt track and then opened out onto a vast moorland. The incredible views put a huge smile on my face despite the gusty crosswinds and the lingering threat of rain - perhaps not what you should hope from a weekend away in June, but it was certainly the type of weather that made you feel alive (and cleared your sinuses).

By the time we reached the feed zone at about halfway, we’d formed a small group with some other riders whom we spent the rest of the day with. We covered both ends of the spectrum - one on a mountain bike who was able to fly down the descents and spin up the steep parts and one on a cyclocross bike with too big a gear, deep section wheels and a frame bag that acted as a sail in the blustery winds, constantly throwing its rider sideways in the wind that whistled up the hillside. Some 4x4 ruts and the greasy layer of mud from the previous evening's rain all added to the challenge. On one section a load of rocks had been dumped to provide a firm surface for a recent motorbike enduro event. I was very happy I took the advice of fitting my 650b wheels, but still had to focus and float just above my saddle trying to let the bike flow and keep momentum to reach the other side.

The route packed in around 1,600 metres of elevation and kept the highest point for the last climb of the day which started with a short hike for most of us up an ever-steepening bridleway and then turning onto a smooth gravel fire road up through forestry land before finally emerging onto a blowy hilltop with a trig point where we regrouped and took some photos before heading down the final descent. The route planners definitely saved the best views until last as from the top you could see the path skirting along a grassy hillside high above an army firing range before disappearing in the distance. There was the temptation to just whizz straight down, but we had to take a few stops to take it all in.

Back at base, we washed ourselves and our bikes thanks to the on-site showers and hose with scrubbing utensils, before heading back to the geodomes. While the Wild Cycles team prepared a hearty dinner in the kitchen tent, we gathered for fireside talks with Katherine Moore from komoot and Rupert Barry from Forestry England, Rab and Trash Free Trails. Rupert backed up the Wild Cycles ethos with an inspiring talk about the importance of connecting with the environment around us, which tied in with the next Wild Wales event planned for September that will focus more on conservation with activities and workshops added on to the incredible riding opportunities the area provides.

The farmer’s sons Angus and Forbes and their friend George kicked off entertainment for the evening with a performance from their folk band, Trig Music and it turns out they’re incredibly talented musicians as well as great riders. DJ Skank Spinatra took over for the late shift while the campfires burned and beers flowed, but tired from our ride we soon took ourselves off to bed ready for another day of riding. 

The planner of the Sunday “Bimble” to the delightfully named nearby 'Water Break Its Neck' waterfall could probably be done under the trade descriptions act as it was apparent from the first ride/push straight out of the campsite that this wasn’t quite the easy ride that you would expect from a bimble. Some rode the whole climb, some walked it and one rider even snapped a chain trying to get up! The pace was relaxed and the ride was non-drop so the faster riders opened the gate at the top and chatted until the whole group was through.  

You can’t use your normal measures of time and distance for riding in Wales and the 20km route took around 5 hours of pushing up hills, hopping between tussocky ridges and fighting our way through undergrowth. It was steady progress but totally worth it and the Wild Wales motto of ‘Smiles not Miles’ was a very accurate description of the day. Luckily, we were a fab group and despite the mixed abilities we all stuck together, shared sweets and laughs as various people tumbled into the soft heather after catching a wheel in one of the many hidden ruts. 

Epic views and a descent down the mountainside on what felt like a grassy pump track were the highlights of the day, each person reaching the bottom with a huge grin and a comment on the section. “Wooooo”, “That was amazing”, “Haha, so much fun”, “Can we go do it again?”. We carried on down to the ride highlight of a waterfall which was more of a rocky riverbed due to the dry spring, so we took the opportunity to stop for a snack before cracking on to the end. Top marks from me went to the older man on the 90’s MTB with skinny cyclo-cross tyres who had only purchased the bike the previous week after a lifetime of riding road bikes but still made his way around some very challenging terrain with a smile on his face.

Wild Wales was a beautiful way to escape the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life and I’d totally recommend the event to any rider of any ability. There’s challenging riding for the more experienced amongst us, while still providing a friendly and welcoming atmosphere for those just looking to dip their toes into the often-daunting world of off-road cycling events. There are no egos here, just like-minded people looking to get outside and explore this beautiful countryside by bike. 

You can find out more about Wild Cycles’ next event in Radnorshire by heading over to the event page on their website

Text by Claire Frecknall and mages by Jo Burt