See Trail Notes for a possible itinerary. Rhayader takes a couple of hours to reach by car from Bristol/Bath and there’s a train station in Machynlleth, for those coming from Birmingham. Being a loop, the Bear Bones Bash can be started in a number of locations, according to your choice of transportation and your provenance. Expect conditions to range from forest tracks, drovers’ roads, and barely trafficked back lanes, to tufty singletrack, wholesome hike-a-bikes, tussock trampling, and extended bog trots (even in the summer, bring a spare set of socks!).ĭepending on the time of year and how you want to split up the ride (3-4 days works well), you can unroll your bivy bag and camp out, or spend a night in a candle-lit bothy, or stay in the odd bunkhouse if the weather caves in.

To the backdrop of the beautiful Elan and Dyfi Valleys and their steep-sided cwms and watery llyns, the Bear Bones Bash takes in some classic Mid Wales mountain biking. However, it’s chopped up into more digestible portions and there’s a detour worked into Machynlleth too, to resupply and learn about sustainable living at the excellent Centre of Alternative Technology. This route – which we’ve renamed the Bear Bones Bash – is based on one of the 2017 edition of this event, because according to Stu, “a lot of people seemed to actually enjoy that one”. Riders hurry around as fast as they can, earning a fabled black badge if they can do so in less than 24 hours, along with the promise of bacon butties and a mug of tea. Each year, organiser Stuart Wight knits together a challenging 200km route that pits a collection of riders against the vagaries of the Cambrian Mountains and the Welsh weather.

Within British bikepacking circles, the Bear Bones 200 series claims a certain notoriety.

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