I'm planning on visiting Cwmcarn at the weekend to try out the downhill course. I plan to pedal to the top, but I don't know how to get to the top short of following the uplift service. Can someone describe the route, or even better, show the route on Google Maps?

Secondly, since I'll be going pretty slow, is there any rules of etiquette I should follow, beyond letting faster people through?

Cheers,

Dave

If your riding to the top, easiest way is up the first climb of the XC trail go through the gate after the flat section,
along a bit then take first turn right up the path to the road,
ride up the road till the crossroads (this is against the flow of traffic so bear that in mind!)
At the crossroads go straight over up the hill (again against flow of traffic) and follow up and round to turning on the right up a scalping track with sculpture of man holding a bike/frame (possibly nothing depending on if it's been nicked again 😕 )
As regards etiquette yes let quicker riders past, or wait for the uplift crowd to go and then go to pottle down at own speed, Enjoy!

Ride the xc course until you get to the bit with the 90 degree left up short steep concrete slope. At the top of the slope you join the road and ride UP the hill for a mile or so. Turn right onto fireroad (first one) and follow to start of the course.

Just go for it and pull over if you hear anyone behind. You probably won't hold anyone up unless you start right in front of a bus load.

take first turn right up the path to the road

This is the entrance to the Forest Drive, right?

short steep concrete slope

Next to the statue (with a woolly hat last time I saw)?

the directions start from the car park, the right turn just after the flat bumpy bit and the gate at the top of the first climb and about 20 or 30 meters along the trail. it saves riding along to the pay hut and then having to come back again. Does that make sense? 😕

you could ride the xc trail round to the statue too but depends how energetic your feeling 😀

Does that make sense?

I think so. So ride the Twrch up to where it joins with the numeracy trail, go right (the usual Twrch trail) and then go right after the first motorcycle gate?

depends how energetic your feeling

Sounds like the road for me. 🙂

So how long to the top from the car park? Roughly?

kind of ! cross the numeracy trail through that gateway and take next right before the newish woopy bit that goes down through the S berm thing and gate before the rooty climb. Clear as mud 😕

20 mins maybe 😕

I get you now – where the trail crosses with another trail going down from right to left?

yep that's the one saves a bit of time, is the uplift full? you can get individual lifts up I think, maybe give him a bell?

is the uplift full

I haven't called, but I only plan on doing a couple of runs, and I figured it'd be a good workout too. 🙂

Thanks for the route both.

remember to overtake as many downhillers as possible.

Uplift is at half capacity at the moments as some delivery truck hit one of the minibuses. So there are only 16 places rather than 32. Me and 4 of my mates got bumped off the list for Saturday 🙁

Bazzer

😀 careful now 😀

you can push up as well

this link

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Unknown+road&daddr=51.630285,-3.099625&hl=en&geocode=FfLLEwMd55HQ_w%3B&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=16&sll=51.630832,-3.105226&sspn=0.009004,0.019376&ie=UTF8&ll=51.629659,-3.105075&spn=0.009004,0.019376&t=h&z=16

A is the downhill start

B is the top of a footpath

on this link

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=d&source=s_d&saddr=Cwmcarn+Forest+Dr&daddr=51.633229,-3.1019&hl=en&geocode=FRfmEwMdlH7Q_w%3B&mra=dme&mrcr=0&mrsp=1&sz=16&sll=51.632097,-3.107908&sspn=0.009004,0.019376&ie=UTF8&t=h&z=16

A is the carpark, B is the bottom of a footpath

Ride from the carpark to 'B', then hang a right, you push up for about 20 mins, and will get to the road again. At the top you'll be quite near the steep uphill concrete bit, take the road that runs round the hill from there (it goes down a bit as well as up, about 1.5 miles), then take the right on the fireroad past the broken bike up to the top of the trail

If you take a left there, there's a local track running down the hill tucked behind some bushes

the 'local track's' bottom section has been blocked by the forestry and signs up to say you maybe stopped and details taken, just a warning and best to keep them sweet for any possible future developments.
not judging whether anyone rides it just giving you the facts 🙂

Etiquette? If you're a decent rider on a reasonably big full sus, then it's quite easy to start in front of the DH boys and get down quickly in front of them – they spend a lot of time faffing and fannying before they actually start riding.

If you want to stop part way down, get your bike clear of the trail. When you get going again, make sure you have a good look behind to make sure you're not going to pull out in front of somebody going flat out.

Enjoy – it's a fun trail – nothing too intimidating so long as you miss the quarry gap. After the road tunnel and a short climb, keep an eye out for a "black run" singletrack on the right. Best bit of the course imo.

It's not a race. Just uplift. Etiquette wise in that situation, if a fast rider sets off after you it's their call if they want to deal with overtaking you. So don't worry about folk behind you.

Having said that, if you know you'll be slower, don't set off right infront of faster folk! And it's fair enough to say to anyone waiting "i'm a bit slow, mind giving me a bit of a gap? Just yell if you want past". If you've had a friendly word, no one can get upset if you hold them up!

let the faster guys go first, pull over when you feel a 2.5 minion buzzing your back wheel.

the trail is too short to be held up by someone giving it the "pull over when its safe" "on your left squire" bollocks. (especially if you have paid for an uplift at the best part of £30 a day – or at least £3 per run)

other than that, feel free to catch the slower folks

easy really.

Did the downhill (albeit very slowly) on the weekend. Directions were spot on. Fortunately I got to the top between uplifts, so I didn't get in anyone's way. Thanks everyone!