About Mach 1,2,3 Mountain Biking Routes
Three great off-road cycling routes ranging from 10 to 20 miles, starting from Machynlleth and venturing into the Plynlimon mountains. These routes can be enjoyed on gravel or mountain bikes.
Mach 1 is a 10 mile (16 kilometre) route that is a good starting point for finding your bearings and getting a taste of what is on offer. Quiet roads, great tracks and some surprisingly steep ascents and descents.
Mach 2 is your middle Mach, covering some 14 miles (23 kilometres) route and taking you steeply upwards and wickedly fast downwards. It is not as tough as Mach 3, but is still a great test of your skills. Do not underestimate it.
Mach 3 - on the other hand, is the 19 mile Big Mach, which takes you way out into the wilderness with breathtaking forestry, mountain, valley and waterfall views. It follows open exposed trails for quite a bit, so offers superb views in almost every direction, a welcome relief from the endless woodland and forest trails we seem to ride these days. The particularly good thing about the trails is that they never really go far from the town, but give all the experience of wilderness and isolation.
The riding on all three routes is excellent however they all require a good degree of fitness and mountain-sense. There are no shops or cafes on the routes, and the rider must be self-reliant.
