mattjg – Member

The final descent on the Marin is one of my faves, and I enjoy Dragon’s Back too.

I agree.

It’s a great trail, has some excellent singletrack, an exciting rocky section in the middle and a some superb descents.

And it’s a very important part of our short history as British mountain bikers.
Ride it, enjoy it & say a big ‘Thank You!’ to Dafydd Davis when you’ve finished.

Marin is fun imo, its not a ‘trail centre trail’, I enjoyed myself most on a short travel hardtail, only saw one other rider the last time.

It’s great at the Marin, if you have a look round t’interweb you can find loops that add to it, I’ve got a cracking 42km one that includes all of the trail plus more natural stuff.

Penmach is more remote feeling and probably better, but as Tazzy sez. Do both loops

They’re not ‘trail centres’, but trails, and they’re all the better for it IMHO

The Marin was my local trail for nearly 4 years and its only now that I really appreciate it as my nearest trail centre is Sherwood pines which is abysmal. Give the Marin a try, but you need to put some pace into the climbs and don’t coast on the descents.

I’ve not ridden it for years but I always loved the final descent, and as for fireroads, I can only echo the comments about it being old school. You know….the times when one went out and rode along roads or fireroads to get to the singletrack. I’m sure if you ride an Orange 5 and wear a Giro Switchblade you’d find it boring, but ripping down the final descent in the dark on a hardtail, V’s and a Z2 with a pathetic 10w light was always pretty rad.

What’s not to like? Sections to chat, trail to blat down, a decent length and a great ending. Definitely one for the more sociable rides though.

I’ve always enjoyed it on my own. The one time I rode with others it was a chore

Ive heard it described thus…Instead of technical bits linked by fireroad as most trail centres are ,the Marin trail is fireroad linked by technical bits….ridden it and tend to agree with this.Sorry.

You’re probably right on this one, but that’s partly why I love it – it’s a little different, and why does everything have to be technical all of the time anyway?

As a teenager I spent a lot of time riding round the Gwydir Forest on a fully rigid MTB a couple of years before the Marin Trail was even in existence. Back then it was almost all fireroad with the odd cheeky footpath here and there.

But it was still a great ride even then, more about the joy of being out on the bike, thinking about navigation, in a great location with great views than pure technical skill.

Hell sometimes I go out on my MTB for a mostly country lane based ride, linked with a couple of muddy sections and I still love it.

I guess at the end of the day, if you’ve been brought up on a diet of newer more Gnarr trail centres with cafes, bike shops and perfectly manicured trails then you probably won’t get the Marin Trail.

I’m getting to the stage however when I tend to ride natural stuff more of the time. Trail centres are fine occasionally but these days I find them all a bit ‘samey’. I much prefer the challenge of exploring natural terrain with an OS map. Finding a new ‘off piste’ line down a mountain, or some cheeky singletrack that no one else has ridden. Usually involves a bit of ‘hike a bike’ or road/fireroad climbing/descending though – Heaven forbid 😉

fireroad descents But I don’t understand, what’s not to like about these?

It’s a criminal waste of trail, I can get fireroad descending anywhere. Singletrack is what I travel 2.5 hours to ride.

Singletrack is what I travel 2.5 hours to ride

fireroad descents But I don’t understand, what’s not to like about these?

It’s a criminal waste of trail, I can get fireroad descending anywhere. Singletrack is what I travel 2.5 hours to ride.

Best get yourself up to the woods above Betws y Coed with a spade then 😉

rebel12 – Member
fireroad descents But I don’t understand, what’s not to like about these?
It’s a criminal waste of trail, I can get fireroad descending anywhere. Singletrack is what I travel 2.5 hours to ride.

Best get yourself up to the woods above Betws y Coed with a spade then

Nah, would much rather let others do it , ta. 😆

Lots of trail centre snobbery here. The Marin was one of the 1st trail centres -remember the pressure washers -but it could do with a bit of a refresh. That half mile fireroad decent about 2/3 of the way round could be turned into something better surely. Do Marin still throw money at it?

I don’t ever remember pressure washers at the Marin Trail? Then again I normally start not from the main carpark but from further up the hill. Maybe I’ve missed something?

Do Marin still throw money at it?

I doubt it, maybe you should give them a nudge.

There was a couple in the smaller carpark. Took them out about 7-8 years ago I think

On the Facebook page there has been talk of renaming it as I don’t think there has been any funding from Marin for quite a while. Sometimes referred to as Coed Gwyder (Gwyder forest/woods).

I think it will always be the Marin trail to many folks, like the RAC Rally.

saxabar – Member
What’s not to like? Sections to chat, trail to blat down, a decent length and a great ending. Definitely one for the more sociable rides though.

Spot on.