Cycle trails

Whether you are looking for somewhere to take a cycling holiday or just to spend a Sunday afternoon, Caerphilly County Borough has something to offer you, from picturesque off-road routes to those through our towns and villages.

For up-to-date information on the National Cycle Network and the Celtic Trail visit www.sustrans.co.uk where you can view routes and purchase guides.

The Celtic Trail

The Celtic Trail forms part of the National Cycle Network (NCN), which is a national strategy to construct 6500 miles of signed, safe and cyclist friendly routes throughout the United Kingdom. The Celtic Trail cycle route takes you across 220 miles of the most beautiful and diverse scenery in south and west Wales, from Chepstow to the Pembrokeshire National Park. Cycling along the trail is largely traffic free and has been designed to be safe and accessible.

Twrch Trail

Named after the fearsome wild boar in the Mabinogion legends the Twrch Trail has it all, testing climbs, swooping descents and demanding technical sections. The 15.5km of almost pure single track has been awarded a grade 'B' by the International Mountain Biking Association - putting it on par with Colorado and California, and second to Utah, British Columbia's North Shore and parts of the Alps!

The trail is open all year and free to ride. There are evening rides, volunteer trail building sessions, a bike wash and refreshments at the visitor centre's coffee shop. The 3 star camping and caravan site at the foot of Cwmcarn Forest Drive provide good quality, comfortable facilities.

Aber Valley Cycle Route

This multi user route runs for some 4 kilometres between two Station Terraces, one in Caerphilly and the other in Senghenydd. The route from Caerphilly has a number of interesting wildlife sites in the adjacent fields and woods before entering Abertridwr Heritage Park. From here the path crosses the site of the former Windsor Colliery and on into Senghenydd.

The Universal Colliery in Senghenydd was the site of Britain's worst mining disaster when in 1913, 439 men were killed in an explosion. In Senghenydd stands the memorial and museum commemorating this and other disasters in the Aber Valley.

Darran Valley Cycle Route

This route runs from Bristol Terrace in Bargoed towards Fochriw. The path runs for over 7 kilometres through Parc Cwm Darran, terminating near the Country Park's visitor centre and café. Within the Country Park are a number of mountain bike routes. The cycle track runs along the line of a disused railway and passes under a number of historic bridges.

From the path a range of landscapes and habitats can be seen, the former Groesfaen coal tips being particularly dominant. Beyond the village of Deri, the cycle track enters the main area of the Country Park with its large man made lake as a central feature.

Aberbargoed to New Tredegar Cycle Route

Running for nearly 2 kilometres from Aberbargoed north towards New Tredegar this route forms part of the developing network running the length of the Rhymney Valley. Immediately to the South of the route is Parc Coetir Bargoed, which has a range of access paths within it. The route runs along a disused railway in the narrowest part of the Rhymney Valley and is mainly wooded. Breaks in the woodland allow superb views of the surrounding landscapes and river below.

A number of historically interesting features are visible amongst the trees along this route which will eventually tie into the existing route which currently extends between Powells Terrace, through the reclaimed Mclaren Colliery site and into Abertysswg. The route also links to the Winding House Museum, which has a fully operational winding engine.

Related Pages

Mountain biking