Whites Level in the rain
Yesterday I went up with Gavin to Afan with the idea of riding W2. We had a later than planned start due to me not wanting to get out of bed and the motorway being down to 50mph due to the awful weather. It’s hard to think about getting your shorts on and heading out went visibility is down to a a few metres.
We ended up getting on with it and getting out after the usual faff. The climb up Whites has been completely changed by the removal of the trees. It used to be dark and enclosed and now is open and barren. This is presumably due to the problems with Ash trees the area has had over recent years. It’s a real shame for many reasons but mainly due to familiar trails not being so familiar any more. It also meant that the trails get a lot more exposure and washed out again completely changing the feel of it all.
The climb seemed easier than usual and I felt far fitter than I had ever felt riding around here. We kept on to the top and found some sections almost completely beneath water. The single track was a stream in places which was entertaining.
As usual the weather opened up a little and we were treated to a lovely view back down the valley with the river in full flow.
Gav wasn’t up for the full W2 so we headed down Whites Level without the extra loop. I enjoyed the Energy section, especially the section in the woods but really wasn’t blown away by the rest of it. Normally I love this trail but it seemed to have lost something to me.
The final descent had a new option which we gave a go. It was nice enough but very wide and open and lacked a lot of the tightness of the original. That feeling of twisting through the trees on a tiny little path was lost and just seemed like a big open downwards path which was pretty sanitised.
So whilst it was good to be out I really didn’t think it was that good. Added to that I checked my GPS and we’d only ridden 16.6k which is kind of pathetic really. This then made me think back to all those years I’d ridden this and felt like we’d done a decent ride! Things have changed now but that’s kind of ridiculous. W2 is a more respectable 44k.
Anyway it was good to get out again but I was left disappointed by the shorter ride.