afternoon fellas
heading to afan on saturday for the weekend
is it worth stopping off at cwmcarn on the way down?will only be riding hardtails an xc bikes so no dh rigs and obviously only interested in the xc loop
is it worth the stop off?
cheers

Yes it's worth a look if you haven't been

The XC is a great loop. Well worth it. That said if you've only got a couple of days then there is plenty at Afan

It's good fun and not far from the motorway, so as long as you have time, do it. I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

yes, the xc loop izzer good one.

the Dh track is also very good, but they need more than 1 trail to tempt me back.

I'd suggest sticking around Afan way, White's, Y Wall and Skyline are all still in action – albeit a slighty diverted Skyline.

Bear in mind that Glyncorrwyg is gonna be busier now as Afan side is closed off (Penhydd). Also, bear in mind there is a road diversion, just follow the yellow signs when you get into Port Talbot and you'll be fine.

Cwmcarn is good fun, but i'd probably leave it til the last day if you had time to fit in a quick blast. It's good fun, but IMO Afan has more to offer.

Worth stopping by if passing but it's not all that IMO.

As ahwiles said, it needs another trail as i'm bored of the current one especially since they messed around with the freeride area. The same drive time gets me to far nicer trails.

Cwmcarn is a great track. My only critique would be there isn't a great deal of 'pure time' flowing single track. If you know what i mean. Sometimes it's nice to get away from the bumps and just flow for a while.

great for a few hours

being doing afan for the last 5 years constantly (I do love it & work had a factory in Neath), went to Cwm Carn last month as we had a couple of days down there, and I wasn't about to waste an afternoon cycling fire-roads round the Skyline.
I forget just how great Cwm Carn is, go with some-one as fast as you, and blast down it, yeah the climbs a *unt but the XC track is ace (ignore the black runs), no idea why mtb_r didn't find the flow.
Definitely take the time to drop in, especially if you've not been before IMO.

Always worth it.

Nice semi-techy bit along the river and up to the top, bouncy corners across the open (don't even think about doing the 'freeride' cr&p or you'll miss the best bit of trail there!). A couple of corkscrewy descents, a twiddly bit through the woods (and a nasty sting-in-the-t(r)ail climb) and then the final rocket down to the car park.

My favourite trail centre, no doubt in my mind. I always stop off if I'm passing, even if there is more to do at Afan.

That was my first ever proper off road ride so it has a 'special' place in my mind – I'd also say don't bother with the freeride bit at the top – the other bit of trail is better imo.

cheers for the reply guys much appreciated
have done afan before for a week but i understand that the penrhyd(spelling?) trail is closed??
also how does this w2 trail work?is it signposted or do you just link it yourself
thanks again

why not try both sections at cwmcarn you can loop back up to fire road from the carpark at the bottom of that section, both are good fun 😀

W2 is signposted, easy to follow. Cwm carn is definitely worth a go.

why not try both sections at cwmcarn you can loop back up to fire road from the carpark at the bottom of that section, both are good fun

only taking my hardtail 😯

totally rideable on a hardtail everything is rollable if you don't fancy jumping stuff.

I don't like it much. The climb is interesting, but they've completely los the plot on the descents IMO. There is one section of nice flowy singletrack thats good if you pump it (Dragon's Tongue? Dragon's Teeth?), the one after that which bridges the saddle between hills.

The original 'descent' on the top that paralells the new freeride thing has lost something it had years back, and the main descernt back to the carpark isn't techy or flowy enough. I don't mind flat out blasts, provided there are some corners to rail. One wall ride doth not a trail make.

I would not bother with CwmCarn if you're off to Afan, W2 knocks it into a cocked hat, even with the travesty of the Energy Trail blighting the middle.

Not a fan of the Energy Trail ADH? I must admit that I find it frustrating – unless you're really quite fit, there are too many inclines that rob your speed and ruin the flow which if worse because it looks prime to be a great bit of trail otherwise.

That and the fact that I crashed there and hurt my knee 😉

I think Cwmcarn is stacks better than Afan. I'd rather do 3 laps of Cwmcarn (possibly one finishing on the dh course) than one of Skyline!

It's rocky, technical in places, and a right blast. The climb's a great one with some stuff you have to attack, rather than a smooth plod up.

The old descent into the car park was good but a straight traverse down the hillside, but now it's right weavy and windy. If you are going fast enough, the ups in the trails become great fades and you can get mahoosive amounts of air from them. In fact, be careful, because if you hop at the wrong time you'll sail off down the mountain and land in the car park in a crater with car alarms going off all around you.

As for the slalom section by the new(ish) freeride bit, that's still great I think. Cwmcarn has to be ridden flat out mind to get the best out of it. Like pretty much all trail centres 🙂

I've not been to another trail centre with a technical climb in it. It's not particularly easy to do it all without a dab. And don't sneer at me if you did it 5 years ago – it's eroding and getting harder and harder all the time.

Yeah but skyline is for miserable roadies 😉

Cwmcarn isn't a patch on Afan IMO.

cheers guys definately gonna give it a go

I'd rather do 3 laps of Cwmcarn … than one of Skyline!

Oh lets all compare apples with pears eh?

I've not done the CwmDown DH, but there is no real 'tech' on the XC loop, at all.

The descent down to the carpark has no 'weavy and windy' bits, there are no turns, is just wiggles a bit, you can straight line the lot, if you forced yourself up and down the wiggle to try and make turns that are not there, is still not much more fun. Just full speed, flick a bit of air off the rises and then jam the brakes on for the hairpin at the bottom. zzz. After all the climb (which I quite like) you loose all your height, very quickly, for seemingly no reason. I'd rather do the whole loop in reverse.

I used to quite like CwmCarn, years ago when first built, when it was very green. I went back for the first time in ages a few months ago for a couple of laps, and was completely underwhelmed. The erosion makes it like a motorway in places, has blown most of the corners to smithereeens, lost any sharp turns, has lost those awesome off camber sphincter puckering turns just as the final descent starts and while I'm no air mrechant, airtime is predicatble and boring.

Clubber, no I don't rate it. Even if you're moderatly fit, Energy seems to require an awful lot of energy to get anywhere. I quite like the boardwalk, but most of the trail is a pootle, not a rad-fest.

I'd rather do the whole loop in reverse

Please do that, especially on a busy Saturday. Remember to wear a bright orange jumpsuit and a full face helmet while you at it 😉

Yeah but skyline is for miserable roadies

I love the Skyline, but you know that don't you.. 😉

Heh, I hear MBUK do it backwards for photoshoots, and get utterly mystified when other riders object.

I like the Energy trail, real test of how good an allround MTBer you – if you're technically good but unfit you'll be slow. If you're fit but technically poor you'll be slow. Gotta be able to nail both – really satisfying if you've got to the end really going for it and not blown up.

Most of the time I cross the river after the broadwalk and start to blow up on the little climb up – reminds me I could be a little bit fitter each time 🙂

I've heard it is good in reverse especially the bit from bridge to the toll booth

But it _is_ a trail centre so of course bits of it are predictable. No more so than afan though.

Lol @ adh.

I have to steer plenty on the final descent. It's one of the best bits of trail I know. I can't imagine what kind of riding style would make this boring. Perhaps a very slow one? I don't know.

As for losing all your height in one go – I can do the climb in 30 mins and the rest of it (which is descent-ish if not continuous descent) in 26 mins. that seems a fair balance to me.

In South Wales, Brechfa and Cwmcarn are equal faves I'd say, with Afan a poorer third. Brechfa has more trails and is an absolute hoot, but Cwmcarn is a better challenge, more grunt, attack and grit required and more clinging on at speed. Afan is just meh.

It's worth doing for the last couple of descents alone. We went up the other weekend and did W2 on the sat and cwm carn on the way home. It's all good 🙂

Cwmcarn in reverse is a bit weird. Partly because the trail was designed to be ridden the other way, and partly because everyone's braking and cornering lines have been worn in the other way. So it is quite rideable but feels slightly off.. 🙂

'Rider does not enjoy trail, therefore must be a slow and shit rider'.

Meh, the OP asked for opinions, that is my opinion. I don't find any challenge at CwmCarn.

Gap road descent – there is a wild mix of tech and flat out crazyness, even if there are no real turns. As wide as a trail centere motorway, yet still fun and a challenge.

For some reason I dont really like Cwmcarn either. I think it was mainly from doing a BUCs there a few years ago and it rainly solidly for 36hrs

I didn't say you must be sh*t.. I said you MIGHT be sh*t 🙂

The Gap descent I don't like at all. Thrutchy awkward bit at the top which is ok for about 20 yards, then a load of boring waste of altitude nothingness…

I love a bit of thrutch. Do you do the BW off to the right just after the start of the tarmac? Thrutch-tastic.

Not sure I can remember the bottom of it very well.

Is that your fave Welsh descent then?

i have been told that where whites and skyline split i can just jump off and do the final skyline descent is this true?

After finishing the Whites Level climb, turn right onto the fire road and follow that until you see another fire road dropping down the hill to your right. Take this and look out for the right hand turn (should be marked with marker post 66). This leads to the start of Deadwood and then the rest of Skyline descent.

I like the singletrack climb at Cwmcarn because it's hard – I've never cleaned it all. I like the bermy new descent section at the very top. The rest it OK.

I also think the final descent section is too straight, steep and smooth, which means you either brake (boo!) or go too fast for comfort. I would have preferred a shallower, slower descent with some fast switchbacks and rock-tech thrown in.

I'd miss skyline (and the zzzzz forest roads) for just 2 laps of cwmcarn any day. Cwmcarns a great rip. You won't regret it. Since penhydds gone, there's only whites and the wall worth riding at afan IMO.