Well, I never thought I’d cook up such a storm with my little question about the trails at Penmachno last week.
My verdict: great. Five minutes from a cheap cottage in the village (with wood burning stove for us Ray Mears types) sound way marking and some descent riding – a) because it’s all done by volunteers…much respect and thanks to you all and b) cus it’s a darned site closer to ‘real’ mountain terrain than my rural Nottinghamshire – and all a chance comment in the cottage blurb, I wasn’t even going to take my bike!
Made it out by eight AM and was buzzing along whoops and twists barely a quarter of an hour later. Lack of sleep and full English were my only enemies, while the necessity of riding my trusty twelve year old Kona on such terrain due to mechanicals on the ‘trail’ (skill killer) bike left me lamenting that all my machismo about how hardtails are up to it if you know how to ride fell flat on their face – as did I.
It was in the open moorland ‘I’m living in a Howies advert’ section that my perennial mantra that ‘if you put your weight back and let it go, the bike will roll over anything’ let me down and I went over the bars hard onto a large slab of rock. Still, the twenty minutes sat cleaning up and plastering my elbows, contemplating how if I’d reach the cottage before my wife phoned to get me a ride in the big yellow helicopter, allowed me a chance to recover from the late night/early morning exhaustion. I was soon buzzing along again (more gingerly) glad that the mere five miles of undulating forest between me and home was going to take me the estimated half hour of riding rather than three of limping.
Wow, for a limey like me, there were some good rocky descents and primeval pine forest moments. Switchbacks! I wish I could slide the rear end around like my bike shop mate…as it was I needed an HGV lisence!
Did the shorter bit in two hours with injury stop – met family in village to play pooh sticks on the bridge – got my Full English then did Snowdon.
And as for any comparison with the Marin Trail, I couldn’t possibly comment…oh yes, and try some real riding you whipper-snappers – nature aint no theme park – buy an OS Map and come ride some terror in the Dark Peak. chin, chin!
