[Closed] cwmcarn opinions

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

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.

I really like the xc at cwmcarn, I've never cleared the climb so find that a challenge and love some of the flowy stuff near the top.

I also heard rumors that there may be plans for a 2nd xc trail at cwmcarn in the making. May well be a long time before work gets started on it though, it really does need the 2nd course in my opinion.

or go too fast for comfort.

Then your comfort levels are the problem, not the trail. WUSS!

I love that last bit. WOOOHOOOO!

Cwncarn is really good IMO, bit short but well worth the trip. I work in Bristol so often take a trip there after work.
For me I was always disapointed with Penhydd, the rest inc Skyline is great at Afan.:)

Afan is great, can't wait for the Monster there later this year (hoping the closed trails don't mess that up), but living 45mins from Cwmcarn it's my local trail centre and I really love the XC route.

If I was heading this way, I'd do Afan first then fit in Cwmcarn on the way back, if you're feeling fit then 2 laps is definitely better than one.

Bit of video for you here (sorry about the music!)

Cmwcarn and Afan both good in their own ways. Do the black loop at the top of Cmwcarn and loop back up on the fire road. I think the climb is the hardest but great downhill after that, get in the big ring and get the speed up and its a great run.

Both Afan and Cmwcarn need a fair bit of repair. Cwmcarn could be a mecca for MTB'ers from Bristol I never understood why they haven't developed it more. Loads of us travel across for a quick spin. Loads of potential.

"Then your comfort levels are the problem, not the trail. WUSS!"

😀

You're not wrong! I was just expressing my preffs for something more intricate.

Cwmcarn is good BECAUSE it's so eroded. There's gnarly rock just under the soil, so the erosion on my makes it rocky and interesting.

That video's good, shame it's in slow motion tho 😉

Fair point buzz, but when are trail centres intricate? Everything has to be rollable so people don't die too much.

oh agree about the erosion but some places and gates need sorting to improve the flow. I enjoy the more rocky ride especially in the winter as its not a mud fest. Just think nothing much has happened in terms of development. Got an up lift 🙂

There's so much riding around Cwmcarn it is beyond me why anyone would just come up to do the Twch Trail (okay if it's on your doorstep but it's really not that good). You could do half the climb then head over to Abercarn then swing over to meet the free ride section before dropping down to the Darren; or head over to Sirhowy. There's plenty of local knowledge; i thought that was what this sort of site was for?

There's so much riding around Cwmcarn it is beyond me why anyone would just come up to do the Twch Trail

Well now. Firstly, the Twrch trail is excellent, and a real blast. Secondly, the local riding that's easily discoverable is standard forest track stuff. I've not found many trails that are particularly interesting and I've been up a few times with maps and GPS. I'm sure they are there, but where I do not know.

Perhaps the fact that there's a top quality blast signposted with a massive sign in the carpark is the reason people go to do the Twrch trail? 🙄

Cwmcarn is more fun going up than down IMO (can't speak about the DH though). It's ok but a little boring after a couple of times.

You could always ride bridleways in the Brecons rather than mincing round trailcentres following the herd

You miss my point. You're probably right though; mountain biking for the moderately adventurous.

You could always ride bridleways in the Brecons rather than mincing round trailcentres following the herd

Hah. Jump to conclusions much?

I've ridden plenty in the Beacons thanks. I happen to really like a blast around Cwmcarn and it's near my house. Riding the mountains is nice, Cwmcarn is nice too. Things can both be good in different ways you know.

Why do you feel the need to disparage people for doing something they enjoy? You have decided up on the worst possible interpretation of people.

Has anyone ever said on here 'Oh well, I wish I could explore the hills more but everyone else is going to Cwmcarn so I feel like I should too'..? No, they haven't.

Perhaps there are a lot of people riding Cwmcarn because it's good?

Oh yeah and I don't mince, I ride it fast.

Maybe I do jump to conclusions but to me the point of mtb is to explore the hills and not be spoon fed .I prefer to get away from thecrowd if possible and head for the hills(when the missus lets me!)

Surely the 'point' is to do whatever pleases you, be that explore, be spoon fed or whatever and not to look down on people who enjoy different things to yourself....

Surely the 'point' is to do whatever pleases you, be that explore, be spoon fed or whatever and not to look down on people who enjoy different things to yourself...

You are misconstruing my comments. When time is tight, and it usually is when I’m away, I ideally like to cut straight to the best bits of trail; the kind of ones that I’m familiar with at home. But I know that it’s taken years for me to formulate my local trail knowledge (with a fair bit of shovel work too) so it’s unlikely that I’ll stumble on a similar standard in a non-familiar area. I recently attended a wedding in Whitby and I appealed, on here, for local knowledge as time was tight but with the moors on the doorstep it seemed utterly mental not to take the mtb. With no response I ended up taking my road bike as I know how futile it can be looking for sweet single-track only to find countless miles of fire road.
My first post hinted towards local knowledge; if you want to ride the stuff you saw Katy Curd riding down in that video last week then it’s only local knowledge that’s going to show it to you (it’s only a short ride from Cwmcarn and it’s not the best single track in the area).
Sure the Twch Trail is fun, I love it and regularly do it after/before work as it’s a superb sub 1 hour workout. But it’s tired, all the smalls have washed away leaving a ragged, jaggedy trail that is brutal (but fun) in a hard tail. The climb is fantastic, the traverse is amazing but the decent is disappointing. Is it worth doing if you're passing? Definitely, but I’d want to ride something else in the afternoon.

Agree with (most) of the above posters. It's definitely worth it, but the XC loop is an hour. Maybe less if your fitter. I tend to do it on the way up to the olds, I can leave the missus in the cafe whilst I get a decent hour in.

The climb is very difficult to clean. I have yet to do it without dabbing. It's getting quite annoying!

Just like The North Face at Grizedale, it is ok but you need to do it twice to make it worthwhile.

If you fancy more laps at Cwmcarn and are limited for time, you can always just climb on the road. I used to do evening rides there and did it to get more laps in.

I prefer to get away from thecrowd if possible

I usually go there in the evenings when there's hardly anyone around 🙂

But it's not being spoon fed. I choose to go there because I like testing myself to see how fast I can do it. Because I know it very well, I can go pretty quickly on it and this is a big adrenaline rush.

I get a far far greater speed buzz on trail centres than I do on natural trails. Natural trails are a quite different high.

Don't look down on me for it!

I recently attended a wedding in Whitby and I appealed, on here, for local knowledge

I have appealed several times on here asking for some of this great riding at Cwmcarn, but no-one replied... I dunno if people want to keep the riding for locals only but I should still qualify for that since I live in Cardiff...

Cwmcarn xc routeis great fun, and definately worth an hour blast, but IMHO, ride up the xc route until you get to the steep concrete slope, then take the road to the top of the dh. Perfectly ridable on a ht (take the right hand track at the top).

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

Aah, happy times. The XC race was dry though! Shame it was such a crap course to race on!

I like it, used to go over when I lived in Brizzle and do 3-4 laps every couple of weeks. It's not long, but it's a decent trail. It is a shame they've not done more with it, as it's substantially closer than Afan. I suspect any new signs they put up would get nicked by the 'locals' mind!

On the 24th I'm heading to either here or Afan for a days riding sounds like my best bet is Afan is that fair comment or are a couple of loops of Cwncarn going to be as good?

There is more riding at Afan, but they are close enough that you can (and should 🙂 ) do both.

It it right that some of the choice bits of Afan are now OOB while the forestry guys do their thing? We should arrive around 10am so were thinking of riding the two main trails at Afan and taking things from there.

Do W2 (start from Afan rather than glyncorrwg if you want lunch in the drop off cafe).

Parts of the fireroad that get you to the wall climb are diverted but you're not missing much (in fact the diversion is shorter!)

Penhydd is closed for a year which is a shame, don't think any parts of whites level are closed.

Yeah potter, it's worth the stop as it's a decent XC trail not far from the motorway so splits the drive to Afan. Plenty of time left on Saturday to set up camp and do W2 starting at Afan and stopping for a bite half way round at the Drop Off. Then spank round Skyline on Sunday and drive home listening to the grand prix and get back to watch the world cup final. That's what I'd do anyway 😉

Don't forget disposable BBQ, sausages, lager and firewood for Saturday night. I'm looking forward to it

Molegrips mail me, you about tomorrow am? as am out and about on so of the other trails local to Cwmcarn.

If anyone wants to explore further in around Cwmcarn and the south Wales area have a look at this chap for quality guiding:

http://www.cwmride.co.uk/index.htm

Could be Loco - although I'm meant to be doing something slow and easy - and Cwmcarn is not the kind of place where you can ride easy 🙂

When you thinking? I could be up for 2-3 hours.

I can do slow, as a bit unfit. Leaving from Cwmcarn anytime between 9.30 and 11.00 whenevers best, give me call at the workshop if your interested 01443 838336.

Just remembered - have to take the car into town at 8.30, so I was thinking of maybe riding from there..

no probs. give me a mail/bell to sort it out.

Will have to be another weekend I think. Got to be back to pick it up too..

no . give me a shout when your next up in the Valley's 😉

lrd
sounds like a plan my friend may catch up with you at some point 😉