Araf. Slow in Welsh. The word is inscribed on almost every corner of the road that winds up the Afan valley from Port Talbot to Glyncorrwg, a tiny town hanging on to a steep hillside deep in old coal mining country. Such caution could lead the unsuspecting visitor to think people in this part of south Wales are hung up on personal safety. This would be an error. Because Afan Forest Park is famous for its mountain bike trails - purpose-built singletrack - which compel you to plummet down the hillside. Seriously, would you move slowly on routes called Graveyard, Desolation or Dead Sheep Gulley?
No. Slow is how we moved later as we inched our way back up the driveway to Afan Lodge. A mere 10 minutes from Glyncorrwg in the village of Duffryn, the Lodge was opened three weeks ago by keen riders Louise and Richard Davis specifically for mountain bikers, and it makes a nice change from the bunkhouse or traditional B&B options usually on offer.
Huge and spacious, it was originally a Miners' Institute housing a large dance hall, skittles alley and library. Today, it feels more like an Alpine ski chalet, its wooden floors capable of dealing with mud and grubby riders and its power hose more than adept at blowing chunks of dirt off derailleurs and chainrings. Probably even more importantly for the mountain bike community, or indeed anyone who enjoys an ale at the end of a day in the fresh air, it has a bar and restaurant on site, both of which look out on to The Wall, one of Afan's five trails. In fact, positioned as it is between both the Glyncorrwg and Afan mountain bike centres, the Lodge is in a great spot to let you hit The Wall within minutes. Which, I suspect, is a much more pleasant experience than the one endured by marathon runners.
We decided to tackle White's Level, graded as a red run – and if you're familiar with ski resorts, the coding of trail centres tends to be in the same vein with green as easy, blue as medium, red as difficult and black as severe. Taken at an easy pace, a red run isn't beyond the skills of a relatively competent off-roader. Having said that, the climb is not for the fainthearted or weak of lung and the large drop that appears at times on one side – the consequence of riding in a valley - can play havoc with the nerves. But after 6km of rocky ascent, you get 10km of pretty much downhill riding beginning in a wide expanse under the spinning rotors of a huge wind farm at Windy Point before descending rapidly through forest and wood, bringing you back to the start at Glyncorrwg. The views alone are worth it.
A new addition to the upper part of Afan is W2, a route linking White's Level with The Wall and it's safe to say it's aimed at the more confident biker with some pretty demanding riding on the downhill.
After a hot bath, we relaxed by the Lodge's open fire and tucked into proper riding food - bangers and mash. Louise and Richard ran a bakery before opening the Lodge and pride themselves on using local produce in their restaurant; they still bake their own bread, two doorsteps of which covered in beans and eggs make for a sterling breakfast.
Louise and Richard are keen to share their knowledge of the area and point out the best bits – picking their brains is expected and Richard's dad Wynn, who still rides Afan, is nicknamed Tom-Tom for his orienteering skills. "We are all riders and we had in our heads a vision for this place," says Louise. "It was always going to be a lodge, not a B&B, not a hotel. Just somewhere mountain bikers could relax."
• Twin rooms at Afan Lodge start at £57.50 a night. Self-contained suites sleeping up to five people and equipped with a small kitchen are £125 a night. Afan Lodge, Afan Road, Duffryn Rhondda, Port Talbot.
afanlodge.com, +44 (0)1639 852500
