Blaenau Ffestiniog, Eryri
Antur Stiniog is a downhill day on the slate landscape above Blaenau Ffestiniog. Its fourteen named trails run from green to expert options, reached by a booked uplift rather than a pedal-up route. The format lets you repeat a descent and learn its corners, but it also makes arrival, equipment and booking part of the riding plan. This is private park access, not a forest network you can enter for an unplanned evening loop.
The range is useful for a group whose riders have different downhill ambitions. You can choose the green introductory line while others move towards rocky red and black options, then regroup at the pickup point. Do not assume the park’s blue grade feels like a blue cross-country trail: Antur specifically warns that its blues are more technical. Choose your first descent conservatively and let familiarity, rather than the speed of the uplift queue, determine when you move on.
Green · 2 km
The beginner line provides flowing singletrack and a straightforward place to start learning the park. Use the first descent to establish control on the local surface and identify how the uplift day works. Repeat the line until its local surface feels familiar.
Official route information →Blue
Two sections lead to a choice of joining green or red at the midpoint. That junction gives you a useful decision during a progression day: choose the continuation you intended before dropping in. The operator’s blue-park warning applies here, so arrive with off-road braking and cornering experience rather than treating the colour as a guarantee of an easy first bicycle ride.
Official route information →Blue
A sequence of berms leads back towards the pickup. This is a good route to revisit when your aim is to improve how smoothly you link corners. Look farther ahead on each repeat while keeping entry speed controlled.
Official route information →Red
The operator describes a rocky technical red line. Choose it for that change in riding character after you are comfortable with the introductory options. Choose it for your confidence on rocks, rather than your morning’s run count.
Official route information →Black
Rocky, technical riding with opportunities for airtime. This belongs in the experienced rider’s part of the day, with a full-face helmet required on black runs. Assess the features on your first run instead of carrying the pace of a previously ridden blue straight onto the harder line.
Official route information →Double black
This branch from Black Powder introduces a more committing rock drop. The park’s illustrated trail guide marks it as an expert option. Make the decision before the branch, and use the briefing to ask about the feature if you have not ridden it. It is a specific technical commitment, rather than simply a longer version of Black Powder.
Official route information →Fourteen downhill lines descend from the uplift drop-off. Match the trail colours to the operator’s current descriptions, including the separate double-black options.
Begin on Plug and Feathers, then consider Jumper or Shaft after a controlled first descent. The sign-on briefing explains grading and park etiquette, so use it to clarify the junctions you intend to take. A booked day is enough opportunity to build confidence through repetition; there is no advantage in exhausting yourself by chasing the maximum number of runs.
Experienced downhill riders can explore Wildcart and Black Powder before choosing expert branches. Bring the protection appropriate to your planned riding: a helmet is compulsory throughout the park and full-face protection is mandatory on black trails. Keep breaks between runs long enough to judge whether fatigue is changing your braking or body position before returning to a committing feature.
Antur Stiniog is reached from Blaenau Ffestiniog. Use LL41 3NB alongside the official entrance directions. Official directions →
The centre is at Llechwedd Slate Caverns, on the A470 towards Betws-y-Coed from Blaenau Ffestiniog, postcode LL41 3NB. Free parking is available for riders, but overnight parking and onsite camping are not permitted. The published 2026 full-day uplift prices are £42 on Thursday and £44 Friday to Sunday, with half-day tickets sold on the day. Arrange the date and session before booking accommodation.
Blaenau Ffestiniog has a mainline railway station, but arriving in the town is not the same as reaching the centre ready for sign-on. If travelling without a car, plan the final transfer and bike carriage beforehand. A hire booking can simplify equipment transport, but confirm that its collection fits your booked uplift session rather than relying on an unreserved bike being available.
Find the planning area on a map →The centre lists a bike shop, bike wash, showers and a pumptrack. Burritos Blasus cafe serves food on uplift days, including burritos, loaded fries, burgers and breakfast options; outdoor seating and a roof terrace overlook the riding. A proper lunch break at the base makes more sense than treating every shuttle as compulsory, especially if riders in your group are choosing different grades.
Saracen Myst downhill bikes cost £75 per day to hire, with a full-face helmet included and photo identification required on collection. An optional damage waiver is listed separately. Book a suitable bike ahead, and check what equipment your booking includes before travelling. The hire page currently says enduro bikes are unavailable, so do not plan around that category being supplied.
Saracen Myst downhill hire costs £75 per day and includes a full-face helmet. Bring photo identification; the operator currently says enduro bikes are unavailable.
This is an uplift-only park. Published 2026 full-day tickets are £42 Thursday and £44 Friday–Sunday, with runs starting at 9.30am. Rider parking is free; camping and overnight parking are prohibited.
Dry conditions can leave loose dust while rain makes surfaces slippery, so the same line may call for a different approach between visits. Wind particularly affects jumping: the park’s terms advise keeping wheels down when it is windy. Winter snow or ice can prevent safe uplift-road operation. Leave contact details you will monitor when booking, as a weather cancellation can change the riding day even if your accommodation remains available.
Blaenau Ffestiniog keeps the park central to the trip and gives you a town to return to after riding. Burritos Blasus covers the trail-day meal; for a separate pub dinner, The Grapes in Maentwrog has a restaurant menu and requires table bookings. Choose a reservation after you have allowed time for changing and bike cleaning, rather than cutting the final runs short to make an optimistic dinner slot.
The Ffestiniog Railway is a fitting non-riding outing through the slate country. The Quarryman service starts at Blaenau Ffestiniog, travels to Porthmadog and allows time by the harbour before returning. Check the current service calendar before shaping a weekend around it: the heritage train is an excursion to book separately, not a guaranteed everyday transfer between your accommodation and the bike park.
Some links are affiliate links — if you book, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Displayed distances are straight-line estimates using OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), not road journeys. Ask the property about secure bike storage and wet-kit arrangements before booking.
RIDE PREPARATION
Consider what suits the route, forecast and your own experience.
No. The park is uplift-only and does not permit riding or pushing up. It is not open for public riding on non-uplift days.
Compliant e-bikes are welcome, but they must use the uplift. There is no e-bike pedal-up option.
Antur recommends the green Plug and Feathers warm-up, followed by Jumper and Shaft as appropriate to your ability. Listen to the arrival briefing before moving grades.
It is mandatory on black trails. The park recommends full-face protection and body armour across its trails, and all hire bikes include a full-face helmet.
Riders aged sixteen and under must have a parent or legal guardian riding with them. The adult remains responsible for choosing a route the child can manage.
Eryri, near Dolgellau
Clwydian Range, North Wales
Eryri, North Wales
Eryri, near Betws-y-Coed
Ynys Môn, Anglesey
Near Mold, North Wales
Book the right uplift, riding pass, hire bike and coaching session, check equipment and carriage rules, and plan a controlled first bike-park day.
Set up mountain-bike fit, pedals, gearing, suspension and dropper controls using the right manuals, then test changes safely on familiar terrain.
Trail conditions change — check the official page before you travel.
Open official site →