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Sorry if this is being dim but where is the PWCA trail on the video? I cant see anything on their website either.
It’s less climbing that I’d do on a weekend ride, but it feels more.
Yes this x 100. Was knackered last night and v dissapointed in the climbing/distance stats - as you say about half of all my recent riding locally.
Sorry if this is being dim but where is the PWCA trail on the video? I cant see anything on their website either.
It’s about 1-2km into the start of the trails, about 2/3rds of the way to the ranger station. there’s a new sign that shows the way. There’s bound to be a way into it from the road that avoids the slightly technical bits to it.
I asked yesterday but I don’t see my post – does anyone have a GPX of the blue?
No GPX but from a parents point of view, it’s a bit much for my 6 year old.
The climb is pretty easy, long but rarely steep and completely smooth.
The vid, as ever, doesn’t do the descent justice, the rollers / whoops or whatever are fine for kids, in fact the shorter wheel base would make them a bit easier, it’s the tight / steep berms what would put my kids off. Certainly harder than Blue Scar.
Thanks, I plan to visit next weekend so will check it out.
@molgrips - I don't have a gpx, but it the same initial climb as the Twrch and Cafall trails - when you get to the bit where the footpaths and the end bit of Cafall all cross over, the blue is a new exit from that junction. Hope that makes sense!
I loved the old knife edge rocky descent, the new flow trail is good and was great cos I was knackered and could barely hold-on. Twrch and Cafall are great trails for testing your fitness on and beating yourself up on too.
That first climb on cafall after the rangers post is properly sadistic though.
No GPX but from a parents point of view, it’s a bit much for my 6 year old.
The climb is pretty easy, long but rarely steep and completely smooth.
My 11yo is strong but very lazy, 9yo has much more commitment but less strength. That starting climb from the car park would be to much for either of them tbh.
Have they got rid of that stupid 'ploughed field' bit a few hundred yards from the start?
What ploughed field bit?
I know what Trailseeker means, yes it has gone. Was the result of some botched repairs and they have smoothed it out as part of putting in the blue.
You mean the bit where you went straight down the hillside instead of around a load of trail? Wait no that was 2/3 of the way round.
I love the way that the trees on Twrch are almost exactly the negative of the first time I went. Dense forest is now open hillside. Open hillside, dense forest.
Yes that stupid furrowed bit near the start really made me wonder what the trail builders were thinking.
The weather forecast for South Wales looks decent tomorrow so I've booked a day off and will be heading to Cwmcarn.
Had a spare few hours this afternoon so went to try the new blue trail.
Wish I hadn't bothered. It starts with a steep climb for a blue after it peels off the main climb and then never seems to really head down. Just seems to be an endless climb interspersed with flat straights that you can't get any speed up on as they're covered in whoops that are so steeply ramped they force you to either pedal over them or try and double them, which you're not going to do! It didn't feel like I was going down until the last two corners, by which time you were about to rejoin the very end of the Twrch. Though it was just me not knowing the trail so went round again and it felt exactly the same. When I popped out back in the car park I asked the guy in the shop what people had been saying about the new blue and he said that most people thought it bad so it's no just me. He said a few people had complained about some bits sending you towards trees or the wrong way into a corner and I see what they mean, it's very hard to read the trail. I was really hoping that with Architrail building it and a decent amount of elevation to play with they would have created a great blue that suits everyone as Cwmcarn really needs something to help people progress towards the reds but it's completely missed the mark.
I also decided to nip round the road and do the new bits on the Twrch descents too as I was unsure about them first time through. Angel's Posts is very similar to the blue, sucks your speed and none of the turns seem to go the right way, it also has been built with near-wheel-sized holes that kill any rhythm you get into. Hopefully it'll weather back down to the original surface quickly! The Final Descent's flow is completely cut by the chicane over the tunnel for the blue. Used to be a proper lightspeed run but now it's two distinct parts that spoil it IMO.
It's a real shame as the place deserves to prosper and grow thanks to the recent funding it received but it looks like it's been mostly wasted on substandard trail building, poorly thought out repairs, electric charging posts in the car park and building seemingly endless drystone walls. I won't blame Architrail for it as I have a feeling it's a lot to do with Caerphilly County Council not knowing what they're doing and not consulting the users as usual.
Like I said earlier, a real shame.
Went to Cwmcarn for the first time since lockdown today.
Did the blue, then Cafell with Pedalhounds, then the Twrch, then finished with another lap of the blue. That last one was possibly a step to far as I was just about avoiding cramp.
The new blue is hilarious - it’s a proper berm / roller fest and loads of opportunities to double stuff up. Loved it for a bit of a play.
Can’t say I noticed many changes on the Twrch - the Rocky section has been resurfaced but it’s got weirdly spaced almost rollers. Actually ended up just as brutal on your legs the way it’s laid out. One change where it goes over the blue which meant a heavy bit of braking to get round the unexpected change.
Think Cwmcarn is my favourite trail centr still - although Brechfa is a very close 2nd