Mountain bikers put a new trail in the Cambrian Mountains through its paces as it was officially opened at the weekend.

Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas, the deputy minister for culture, sport and tourism, officially opened a new mountain bike trail at Bwlch Nant yr Arian on Saturday.

He joined other dignitaries to mark the opening of the new Melindwr trail, which is classed as an intermediate path, full of fast berms and flowing descents making it fun for riders of varying skills.

To celebrate the opening of the trail, Nant yr Arian hosted an open day.

Lady Augusta, Small World Theatre giant puppet explorer, provided entertainment centred around the history of mountain biking. She led the way to the red kite feeding session by the lake in the afternoon.

Many groups who regularly make use of Bwlch Nant yr Arian came along to support the open day.

Adventure Hire Wales was on site offering free hire of mountain bikes to those wishing to try the trail.

And the canine charity, Hector’s Greyhound Rescue, who use the site for organised dog walks, brought along several well-behaved dogs.

Sarah Parry, visitor centre manager, Natural Resources Wales, said: “Although our advanced red and black trails are popular and have attracted lots of visitors over the years, we have expanded our mountain biking offer to a wider audience to help more people get active outdoors and to increase visitor numbers to boost the local economy.

“The first step was opening the skills park two years ago and now we’re pleased to open our first blue trail in mid Wales.”