Cwmcarn downhill trails

The website says that Y Mynydd and Pedalhounds are both black graded trails. how do these compare to BPW and Antur Stiniog? I’m guessing they accurately graded and therefore just as hard/technical/steep as BPW and AS.

I was thinking of heading to Cwmcarn one weekend for Cafall and Twrch and can’t help but wonder about the downhill runs too.

Y Mynydd is shut currently but pedalhounds is open.

I would say PH is on the easier side of the black grading.

agree with Phil, pedal hounds is the easier one.

Y Mynydd is a bit more old school and steeper/faster. If you can ride dai hard and enter the dragon at BPW (graded black) Cwmcarn ones will also be fine.

I like them both. Its cracking figure of 8 loop to pedal up and do a run of each.

Y Mynydd is longer at around 4 mins
Pedalhounds is a bit shorter at 3 mins and the easier of the tracks but it gets a bit boring for a whole day of uplifts

Y Mynydd is more fun, has a couple of red shoot offs and is all rollable, you don’t have to commit to any jumps if you don’t want to. It is harder than BPW if your pinning it – but as mentioned above is currently closed due to the logging that is going on at Cwmcarn.

There are loads of videos on youtube of both tracks

p.s. The Blacks at AS are harder than both tracks at Cwmcarn.

As much as AS and BPW have moved the game on by offering a wide range of tracks I still think Cwmcarn has a great couple of tracks that have a proper old school DH feel to them. Neither are hugely scary at rolling speed but are great fun. As others have said I’d probably just do a couple of push up runs of each or if you have a bike that can climb do both as a big loop! The last section of Cafell is also well worth doing too!

MTB grading is by and large a joke. You really can’t put Pedalhounds in the same category as 50 Shades at BPW which is more like the double black at Stiniog.

Mynydd (though shut) is easier than the blacks at BPW to get down though some of the jumps are too big for me to actually jump (also true at BPW!)

Pedalhounds is a bit easier.

Mynydd was a truly excellent track though, lots of fun and variety, I hope it’s still that way when it reopens!

Really all DH trails should have two grades; how hard is it to ride at all, and how hard is it to “pin it”. Which trail is harder often depends on what you’re trying to do. Pedalhounds would be pretty hard to race I reckon, it might be easy to ride in a relaxed way but a racer would go incredibly fast down it. Me, I just drag the brake.

Thanks for the replies folks.

I’ve looked at a few vids of Pedalhounds and as usual, the vids make it look quite easy – nothing like a GoPro to make a trail look less steep than it actually is.

Am happy doing the flowy reds at BPW and at AS and love the final descent on Cafall so thought I’d ask about Pedalhounds. It also seems to be an under-used to trail which appeals immensely because I can mince my way down without worrying about holding people up.

Very tempted for this weekend. 🙂

‘ve looked at a few vids of Pedalhounds and as usual, the vids make it look quite easy – nothing like a GoPro to make a trail look less steep than it actually is.

Actually it is just easy. Its fast, which has its own issues, but theres actually nothing on the trail to make it difficult other than the speed.

Pedalhounds is quite scary on a xc hardtail with no brakes 😯

I made it out to Cwmcarn last Sunday. Was a long day driving from Bromley but well worth it. Did the Cafall XC loop which was superb (as usual IME). It was a lot busier than the last time but then Twrch is open and the weather was fantastic.

Got the bottle up to do Pedalhounds. It was ace. Trickier than the blues at BPW, probably more comparable to the reds at AS if you swap the roots for rocks. Fairly sure it was steeper than the than what I’ve experienced at BPW and AS but my memory might be playing tricks on me.

I’ve never ridden the blacks at BPW or AS, I’m fairly certain both of those locations would be a lot harder to ride.

benpinnick – Member

Actually it is just easy. Its fast, which has its own issues, but theres actually nothing on the trail to make it difficult other than the speed.

I wouldn’t quite say it was easy but I wasn’t crapping myself on the way down. By the third run I was going plenty fast enough for me and grinning like a window licker. Can’t wait to go back. 😀

Pedalhounds is quite scary on a xc hardtail with no brakes

I think even going through the car park without brakes would be scary! 😯 Fair play to ye if you got down without incident. 🙂

I’m as xc and wheels on the ground as they come, and I love the pedal hounds descent.

Make of that what you will.

Anyone know how the Twyrch is running now its back open? Planning a trip weekend after next and its a toss up between Cwmcarn and BPW. I’ve always preferred Cwmacarn, buts its a big old drive just for Cafell.
Any help appreciated!
BJ

bombjack – Member

Anyone know how the Twyrch is running now its back open? Planning a trip weekend after next and its a toss up between Cwmcarn and BPW. I’ve always preferred Cwmacarn, buts its a big old drive just for Cafell.
Any help appreciated!
BJ

I can’t help personally as I didn’t ride Twrch but I think I read on a different thread that Twrch is running pretty much the same as before with only a minor deviation.

Edit, here’s the other thread:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/anyone-ridden-the-new-twrch-yet

rode both and pedalhounds today,all good 😀

I believe the DH trails there are DH graded. Never done Pedalhounds but Y Mynydd I recall is two dots but there’s a three dot option at the start. Likewise three dot for the road gap/drop and two for the roll option beside it. I think.

I’d say it’s red grade with black options. Take the easy options and the whole thing is rollable.

But, it’s closed effectively 🙁

Pedalhounds is great fun. Think it’s a two dot grading but if I’m honest, there are more difficult trails on Pitch Hill. Pedalhounds is much more fun though and everything is rollable. 🙂

Bombjack – I went up and rode Cafall and Twrch the other day.

Twrch is running fantastically well and is the same as it ever was. Very little in the way of major felling etc. I had forgotten just what a great trail it is. Had we ‘whooping’ as I cleared the climb then @whooping’ again on the final descent… loved it.

Cafall was also good.

I am in sunny Wales for 3 days this coming weekend, can’t wait… though it might get interesting on Saturday around 4PM….