Is it worth travelling from Warwickshire.
I have heard conflicting stories. All say the final descent is brill, but the rest of the trail is average.
Also is it only 9k long?
Ta
that about sums it up. ok if your in the area but not worth the drive on its own.
It has a name that doesn't describe it well. It's ok but as jam bo says, definitely not worth a drive from far away. If your heading over there, nant y arian is more worthwhile.
Maybe not by itself but take in Mach 2 or 3 as well and you've got a decent ride out. Coming from Warwickshire you'll probably go past NyA on the way there and that is definitely worth a trip. Come to think of it, just getting out of Warwickshire is worth the trip! 😀
Easy to repeat the frankly ace final DH if you ride back up to the aerial as well.
I likes it.
I've only done the short cut - big bust of a fire road climb with nice views then turn left and find the top of the final descent. Manic blast back down to the car park and repeat… It is a very long run and excellent though. When I went it was late autumn and there was quite bit of water running over the slabby rock, which I found made me slightly tense!
It is reasonably near Nant Y Arian (kind of)and a combination of the two would be worth a trip - Nant's swoopy fantastic singletrack makes a nice afters to the rather more meaty first course of the Climachx.
the Centre of Alternative Technology is worth a visit 😉
anything is better than warwickshire
it's a good trail final descent is excellent, do NYA before or after for a full day out
It's a cracking ride, best bet is a big day out on the Saturday followed by plenty of cheap ale round Machynleth and then hit the Climachx on teh Saunday, do a few of the DH loops and off you toddle back home.
There's a great bunk house in Mach too, run by the guy who owns the Holy Trail Shop, £15 a night with good cooking facilities and nice clean rooms with excellent hot showers & a drying room
A couple of (downhilling-oriented) friends and I spent ten hours on four trains to get to Machynlleth (pronounced "My C*nt Fluff" apparently) and back to London just to do ClimachX.
We spent what little time we had actually in Wales slogging up the fireroads and BURNING back down the downhill, many times.
It was ace.
If I went back though I'd incorporate it into more of a real ride, as per the above suggestions.
Cheers, still on the fence with this one.
I've been a couple of times, and like it! there is quite a bit of fireroad climbing first, so you do earn the drop back to the car. Very short though, so do it a couple of times as it gets better the more you ride there, especially if you lay off the brakes over the boulders and slabs as you enter the foresty section on the downhill, and can keep it moving! NYA is better though! Your not far from CYB either!