Hit the Trail

Trail of the Month

e team at Get Jerky are always looking for the next adventure. Whether it be hiking in the heart of Wales to nd new trails, slaloming down misty mountains, or seeking serene paths through the countryside, from Wales, to the Lake District to Scotland, we also love discovering new trails, and we know you do too.

So, we’ve teamed up with Get Jerky, racked our brains, packed our bags, chomped down some protein and found our favourite Trails for you to read about. We’ll be looking at great trails for hiking, walking, cycling, climbing & more. As well as that, we’ll be talking to people who love them, and nding the historical or quizzical nooks to look out for – and the nearest of our lovely local stockists so you can get your ll of Get Jerky protein ahead of your trails!

First up, is the beautiful Elan Valley – the Welsh Lake District – right on our doorstep!

TRAIL: ELAN VALLEY

ACTIVITIES: ROAD CYCLING, WALKING & HIKING, CANOEING IN SEASON PROTEIN POINTS: GET JERKY IN THE CO-OP IN RHAYADER, PAUSE FOR GRUB AT ELAN VALLEY VISITORS CENTRE CAFE

From spectacular scenery upon six dams, biking along the snaking Cambrian way, challenging hikes to glorious stargazing, the Elan Valley has trails to behold. Made up of ve reservoirs built between 1883 & 1953 on the Elan & Claerwen rivers, they o er a variety of beautiful starting & end points for biking & hiking, with the Garreg-ddu & Caban Goch meeting at the stunning Pen-y-garreg dam, amongst others.

ere are dozens, or more, hikes and bike trails you could follow in the area – each of them revealing glorious, wooded peaks, babbling waters and stunning vistas, but it’s highly recommended that you aim to nish or break your journey at one of the visual centrepieces of the area – the dams themselves, each of them a stunning sight.

Craig Goch is the highest of the six dams, 317 metres above sea level, and its curved walls give stunning views either side, with the baroque, domed tower one of three similar built on these dams. It also has the advantage of holding a small road above it, meaning you can enjoy the view from atop the dam itself. Using this as a starting, or mid-point for a bike ride o ers wonderful views.

Across the furthest end of the west of the lake, a sharp road downwards leads to a crossing over the River Elan and sharp s-turns and more serious biking upward. Alternatively, follow the Elan Valley Trail between here & the Penygarreg reservoir, which cascades spectacularly over the edge of its dam on one side, and from behind it, the domed tower sits at the edge of the quiet deep of the reservoir, with the mountains framed beautifully behind.

For those on bikes or hikes, there are a variety of paths to take for di erent abilities. e Elan Valley trail is a short ride of 9 miles or a moderate walk of ~3 hours, depending on which direction you decide to take. is takes you along sustrans route 81, but for the more ambitious, the trails mentioned above can be found as part of a large ride of 64 miles, a ride that takes on all the lakes and the outskirts of Rhayader, before returning.

Make sure you pack some protein to take on the longer rides. e town of Rhayader is your best place to stock up, where you can nd Get Jerky at the co-op, but you can also stop at the cafe at the Elan Valley visitor centre, which has exhibitions about the Victorian history of the dams & reservoirs, which were built to get clean water to Birmingham.

Some canoeing trails have re-opened again for summer and are a wonderful way to explore some of the lakes & Elan river. You can nd limited sessions to kayak the Caban Goch via Elan Valley Leisure from Elan Valley lodge, with guidance given.

TRAILS:

ELAN VALLEY TRAIL: – 9 MILES ELAN VALLEY, RHAYADER – 64 MILES ROUND, 1662M CLIMB CABAN GOCH KAYAKING: 2.5 HOURS FROM ELAN VALLEY LODGE

Centre Stage

As you’ll see in our main feature on p18, there are some great foodie visitor centres around Wales. Leading the way by virtue of its ambition, pioneering use of technology and support of other great food and drink businesses, is Aber Falls brand new visitor centre in Snowdonia.

In 2017 Aber Falls set out to create the first malt whisky in North Wales for over a century. The malt whisky making process takes years, so running parallel they’ve launched a range of award-winning gins and liqueurs from their distillery based in Abergwyngregyn, close to the glorious beauty of Aber Falls.

Visitors have always been welcome to visit the distillery. Until recently the tours included the opportunity to see how malt whisky and gin is made, amble in the ageing warehouse taking in its intoxicating aromas, tastings and a shop in a temporary visitor experience. But this was only ever a short-term and limited solution.

Aber Falls realised that their visitor centre is an amazing opportunity to not only build their brand, but to promote tourism to North Wales, and build a deeper understanding of Welsh history and culture. Having searched far and wide for ideas, and coming up with a few of their own too, Aber Falls have built a dedicated Visitor Centre that encompasses all aspects of what a modern visitor centre should be. It’s a stunning contemporary building that sits beautifully in its picturesque surroundings thanks to generous use of slate, this is Snowdonia after all, large expanses of glass and plenty of outside areas.

The shop and reception area are spacious and well designed for a pleasant visitor experience, containing, as you’d expect, Aber Falls’ and parent company Halewood’s drinks and merchandise, but also products from some of the 200 Welsh food and drink companies that are also represented in the centre. Perhaps most impressive though are the interactive digital displays with accompanying QR codes to link to info on products, experiences and tours from other Welsh companies and attractions, which can be easily viewed and saved on your phone, to be accessed again – how often have you lost that leaflet on an attraction you wanted to visit?

Adjacent is the airy, high-ceiling café. Not only do you get to eat dishes prepared using great local produce, but the area has been designed to host cookery classes, drink and food matching classes and tasting courses. Off the main reception and shop you will also find an exhibition area, which includes a floor to ceiling digital display, and a dedicated cinema room for presentations on Aber Falls, Welsh culture and history, the area and its attractions and other Welsh food and drink companies.

Upstairs, there’s a function room which is also available for use by local businesses, clubs and societies, with a bar and access to a lovely, spacious, sun-terrace. Also upstairs is what many will undoubtedly see as the main attraction – the Gin Lab. Here, you can be a master distiller for the day by creating and bottling a one-off custom gin – with baby stills crafted especially for the experience. You’ll be guided by expert staff through the process. Choosing your own botanicals, accurately weighing them, diluting your spirit and finally distilling and labelling your very own bottle. The building has sufficient space for small gatherings but outside, the site has the scope for much larger events with street food stalls and food festivals planned.

Whilst the scale might be ambitious for smaller concerns there are valuable lessons that can be learnt from what Aber Falls have achieved. The most obvious being to support and work with other Welsh food and drink businesses and attractions; to use digital information and technology to improve the overall experience; and to have a ‘hands-on’ element. These, together with the more traditional parts of the tour, are what makes Aber Falls’ new centre a fine example, guaranteed to give guests a much more enjoyable and varied day.