The last I heard re the new Cwm Carn trail was it would be open this Wednesday (19th)- is this still the case or has the weather set things back a bit ?

Assuming it will open how will I get to the new (XC) trail ? I assume there will be a entrance/signs somewhere near the café ?

19th still, ride first climb, to pay gate/toll house and it starts there, take your climbing legs 😉

take your climbing legs

– what?!! Does the new route involve more climbing?

Climb is quite long apprantly so maybe as much of or more of a challenge than the current one 😀
Can’t wait for it to open as only live 10 mins away 😀

EDIT: it’s all a new trail after the paygate bit on the l/h side of the valley.

it’s all a new trail after the paygate bit on the l/h side of the valley.

Excellent – I was just expecting a few add on sections here and there.

I’ve seen the CognationMTB clip, but that seems to focus on the DH runs, so not sure what to expect from the XC loop?

Hmmm. We’re going to S Wales this weekend, riding Afan on the Saturday.
Can’t decide whether to ride at Afan again on the Sun and then head home, or pack up early and head to Cwmcarn to try the new loop…..

hopefully getting there this weekend , I imagine it might be quite busy!

anyone (loco?) know how long it takes to climb up to the top of the new DH?

Sounds good, nowt wrong with some ‘climbing’…

Can everybody stay away until Monday so I can get a KOM for once in my life ?

the new xc is definatly one for the climbs, not has many roots and stones as twrch or up and down its all up right to the top,real nice climb.marker posts going in today,and like loco said from carpark go up first part of twrch wen you get to the road go left instead of straight at barrier

I’m going on Sunday. Haven’t ridden a bike for three months. It’s going to be a tough climb for me!

I thought the downs were well worth the ups which is a nice change from the other one.

I had a go yesterday, didn’t ride the new xc climbs but made my way up the forestry road to the top. New dh is really good, nice and natural to start with some nice drops cut in. Then opens out into a bike park Wales style trail. Not quite as steep or tech as the original dh run bit really good fun. Spits you out just before the toll booth, just right for a pedal directly up to the original dh. Great 10 mile loop. Can’t wait to go back.

Rode the whole loop yesterday, it’s a b*tch of a climb in places but rewarding. Lots a little short sharp steep bits and the downhill is a long way into the ride. Few sections had some trees blown over the trail but I someone had been up there cutting them up so suspect by the official open day these will all be gone. Nice to have another trail there and can be looped into the original easily to create a longer loop.

Very muddy in places near the top which won’t be fixed in the next few days, high rollers were deffo not the tire of choice

At the risk of sounding like a stats nerd (which I am), does anyone know the length and elevation/climb of the new CwmCarn trail? And what’s it going to be called?

I recorded an elevation gain of 1288 ft at the top of the new trail. Didn’t do the full trail loop so no info on distance.

Then opens out into a bike park Wales style trail

🙁

I though that the trails werent open yet, how come everyones ridden them?

trail builders complaining on FB that the DH has been cut up already

It’s called the Cafell.

Cafell was King Arthur’s dog who chased the Twrch.

I rode it on the weekend after being told its finished apart from the signage. Climb is well designed as its not too steep, its fairly gradual but long. The top section is very muddy, I’m sure they’ll sort this out at some point. The rest of the descents are great, the last one is brilliant! Super fast and flowing through deciduous trees not horrible dark dingy pine trees. I will probably do an uplift day just so I can session the whole descent all day long.

Did it today – perhaps one of my favourite trails in the UK now – reminds me of Gawton in places but more XC. Can’t wait to go back.

All I’ve been thinking about is jokes involving Purple monsters since…

The dh opening has been put back again due to damage, weather is the main reason however riding it won’t have helped, xc still opening the 19th

Off there tomorrow for a night ride – can’t wait – anybody else out at night ?

Me and the OP are doing a night ride up there tomorrow – encouraged by the good reviews here and elsewhere.

EDIT – well timed TW!

Loads of downed trees on the XC – didn’t ride the DH – but had a chat to the guys sawing up some of the trees that were by the trailside and they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Length is 15.2KM, 576M total vertical elevation. 300m longer than the twrch with 80m more elevation.

Glad I rode it today and not after the masses on the weekend. Parts are pretty muddy the weekenders will tear it up. Fantastic trail! It properly feels like you’re on the middle of nowhere and hill has been used to its best. Oh and watch out for ian Watkins hideout in the trees

Ummm what would it be like in the pissing rain and high winds tomorrow? I’ve been trying to get to Wales for a sodding year (don’t get much time except winter) and everytime I have a day available the weather is sodding awful.

I don’t particularly mind discomfort but if there’s acres of wet rock I’ll pass.

Forecast is more like heavy showers – that counts as dry for round here!

I’ll be riding there and back from Cardiff tomorrow so if it does rain, just comfort yourself with the fact that I’ll be out in it longer than you 😉

Might see you there. I’ll be on a raw flux and late because I forgot my shorts 🙁

Been round today. Very different to Twrch – a lot smoother for the most part, although give it a year and it will have eroded in places to show some rock. Descents a bit techier as well, definitely a few pretty steep drops or swirchbacks that needed some commitment!

It is however, for the most part VERY muddy at the moment. I suspect (hope) this is a characteristic of it being new/not bedded in in the middle of a very wet winter. When it dries out it will be incredibly quick surface for the most part, but thats not going to be for a while…

That’s not muddy, go up machen…. That’s muddy

Rode it today but have mixed feelings, the climb is a featureless muddy slog at the moment but the mud is the only thing that made the decent entertaining.
In the summer when its dry the climb will be nicer but I fear the decent will be rather boring.

Featureless? I really enjoyed it. Some nice features I thought

It’s ace loved it, going to be a touch marmite I reckon, very untrailcentrey in places, quite natural feeling and stuff there to catch you out if not paying attention.
When you know where it’s going scope for some decent jumping with speed

^^^ sounds very “Unsorrell”!

…sounds good. I’m back from a day at Grizedale riding as many of the rocky bridleways as I could, we need more of those sorts of trails in the woods down this way.

Rode it today, was very busy a lot of people pushing! It was hard going, can’t say I was all that impressed tbh I did enjoy one bit it was heavily rutted and very wet going downhill, reminded me of an old Skool DH trail.

Seemed a lot of going up and when it did point downhill there always seemed to be a fence to navigate. Definitely a marmite thing.

Rode Y mynndd and twrch afterwards and both were very quiet.

Also rode it again today, for the second and probably last time, it’s just not worth the 30 minute drive to get there, I have no idea how they managed to make a loop with so much climbing have such terrible descents, think my bike spent more time being lifted through gates than it did going along the “Descent”

Also rode it today. I agree the gates seem a major feature and really detract from what could be some corking descents. As it is nothing flows as you have to stop every couple of minutes to lift you bike through. I hope it will dry out in the summer as it has the potential to be a good loop. I think I must have fallen off no less than 3 or 4 times negotiating the sharp corners on the climbs. One of the disadvantages of clips on mud I guess. The ones on the descents were sharp but could be ridden OK.

Rode it yesterday.. really enjoyed the descents (including some of the mud slides!) but the claggy climbs overshadowed them somewhat.

Looking forward to trying it again in the dry(er) when I think the ratio of climbing to descending will feel more balanced.