A short trail which packs a mighty punch, the Gellideg black trail is full of gravity defying madness! As with most great Welsh mountain bike trails though, you have to earn your turns.

As you peel off from the top section of the blue trail you are immediately faced with a steep and quite gruelling climb which takes you up to the first of several rock gardens. Pick your way through here without footing and you sure do have some good bike handling skills. From there its another steep climb to the top and time to point back down the hill.

This is where the grin factor really kicks in! The descent here is a trail building delight with an array of gnarly features to test your skill and nerve in equal measure. Particularly interesting is the quarry section; jam-packed with huge rocks and boulders creating a technical and suspension-flexing descent. From that point down its simply fast and furious all the way back to the lake.

Don't miss this little gem of a trail next time you're heading to the South Wales valleys!