Forum menu
I fancy riding my mountain bike for the first time in a couple of years (hangs head in shame) and Cwmcarn has been mentioned. Is it worth a 3 hour drive or should I head to North Wales instead?
I (personally) wouldn't drive 3 hours to get to Cwmcarn if there was other stuff closer. We've only done the trail centre loops (and one of the DH tracks I think) and they're fine, but not *that* good.
Its a great place to ride. Well worth a day out. Whether its worth a three hour drive debatable. Where are you starting from? North Wales is great too. If that is nearer then I'd go there. Coed y Brenin is very good. Enough to make a weekend of it.
It's a great venue, worth 6 hours in the car, I don't know - that's about what a trip to Llandelga takes me and I go once or twice a year for a change. Can you make a weekend of it? It's really close to BPW and FOD and Afan aren't too far away.
I'm in Northampton so Coed y Brenin is a shade over 3 hours. I've been there plenty and know exactly what I'll get from a trip there.
Surely this depends on how long you're going for and how long it takes to drive to the alternatives.
Guessing you're not especially fit if you've not ridden for a while. A ride round the two loops at CwmCarn is going to take 5 hours plus with a bit of faffing so is probably as much as you'd want to do in a day. It's fun, all weather, riding.
I'd want something different the next day if I was away for a weekend.
"Guessing you’re not especially fit if you’ve not ridden for a while"
550 miles on my road bike this month says I should be ok 😉
😉 I think you'll manage the climbs then. Can knock down the time for the loops as well by at least an hour as well.
It's a trail centre. Less total trail distance than some of the others. busier than most as it's easy to get to.
A ride round the two loops at CwmCarn is going to take 5 hours plus with a bit of faffing
I'm really fat and old and I can ride them both in a big loop in 2.5 - 3 hours. 2hrs dead last time with the diversion in place.
I’m in Northampton
Forest of Dean a bit closer then no?
Surely this depends on how long you’re going for and how long it takes to drive to the alternatives.
...A ride round the two loops at CwmCarn is going to take 4 hours plus with a bit of faffing so is probably as much as you’d want to do in a day. It’s fun, all weather, riding.
I’d want something different the next day if I was away for a weekend.
Yeah, this. Afan/BPW is another hour and a bit up the M4, but that's obviously going the wrong way for you to get home. I'd be tempted to go to Coed-y as there's other riding in the area too, should you be staying a weekend.
I like Cwmcarn a lot, but to me it's a day trip venue. There is work there at the moment too: http://your.caerphilly.gov.uk/cwmcarnforest/visitor-information/visitor-information
Otherwise go to the Peaks?
Cwmcarn is great - I happily drive about an hour from Bristol to do a lap or two. Whether I’d drive 3 hours to get there - not sure.
If I was going to drive that far I think I’d go a touch further and go to BPW or Black Mountain Cycle Centre and do an uplift day.
From what I’ve read about Coed Y Brendon that’s got a lot more in the way of mileage on tricky trails.
Cwmcarn has the 2 xc red routes which I love both of them - if you’re fit and mtb competent you’ll probably get Cafell done in an hour and a half (maybe less with the current trail diversion) and the Twrch in day an hour ish. You’ve then got the downhill runs - pedalhounds is well do-able on a normal trail bike and hasn’t got anything scary on it at all. I haven’t done the other downhill run yet, but I think it has harder and easier options.
The top section of the twrch has 2 sections call airstream / airstream 2 (I think tats the name anyway) and you can session those sections quite easily and they are a lot of fun.
A similar distance for you to Cwmcarn is the Forest of Dean. They’ve got much less of a hill to work with than Cwmcarn, but there are a lot more trails.
If you go on a weekend I find FOD much busier and more congested though - Cwmcarn is spread about more and I haven’t ever really got stuck behind anyone slower / had many people want to overtake.
Afan is about another hour on from Cwmcarn - for a day out there’s a lot more there in terms of trails - I’ve only been once so only scratched the surface.
I’m really fat and old and I can ride them both in a big loop in 2.5 – 3 hours. 2hrs dead last time with the diversion in place.
really? I'm pretty fit but my best time on Cafell is just under 90 minutes. 2.5 for both seems really quick
really? I’m pretty fit but my best time on Cafell is just under 90 minutes. 2.5 for both seems really quick
Maybe I'm falling into the 'auto pause' on Strava trap, but my worst time for both in the last couple of months seemed to be 2Hrs 43m
But now I think of it I don't ride the very last section of Cafal in favour of heading back up the Forest Road to start Trwch so I'm missing that plus another grind from the carpark back to the Ranger Station which probably explains a lot. I tend not to stop mid-ride much.
Maybe I’m falling into the ‘auto pause’ on Strava trap, but my worst time for both in the last couple of months seemed to be 2Hrs 43
ok - Strava "moving time" 2hrs 19mins for both for me riding with Katie.
Drove up from Devon on Tuesday, first visit. Well worth the 1hr 45minutes trip each way.
The climb for the trails were, er... fun. Plenty of chat as I averaged 3mph up those.
Superb trails I thought, the logging makes the place seem really odd though, must be strange for the locals (PJay!)
Afan is about another hour on from Cwmcarn
See also the much overlooked Blaengarw - not much there, but what there is is very good.
See also the much overlooked Blaengarw
That's one I want to visit.
Been a few times and love it. Only been during the week (and winter / spring time) and hardly seen a soul up there so enjoyed the quiet.
Hard climbs but made up for it afterwards, and I like earning descents!