Cafall Trail, Cwm Carn

Grade: Red
Distance: 15.5km
Elevation: 795m
Time: 2 hours
Rating: 3.5/5


Challenging climbs and some quality descents but far too many stiles. They break up the trail too much and ruin the flow (although I suppose it's no worse than having to open a gate - btw I hate that too).

The first 1-1.5km of this route shares the same trail as its older brother, the Twrch. Splitting at the gate house for the forest drive and heading off up the opposite side of the valley. It also shares a similar rocky character to the Twrch over much of its length, although this is not exclusive and does diversify in the wooded at the peak of the climb; becoming quite earthy.

With this in mind it is worth highlighting that due to the prevailing character, like its brother, the Cafall will ride pretty well in wet or dry (I have tried both) but due to a distinct lack of detritus, the earthy top sections are definitely better in the dry - they become pretty slippy in the wet.

The trail is somewhat dominated in the early stages, not unlike Twrch, by a fairly hefty climb. There are no severe gradients to deal with. Just a single, drawn out and slightly undulating climb - but it keeps on going for quite some time and partly explains the number of uphill pics and lack of downhill ones, sorry.

During the climb, you are treated to a couple of brief interludes, one being a quick fire descent in to a small hairpin gulley with flowing stream but, over the short bridge, the climb continues. The second, about 2/3 of the way up, by a short fire-road section before entering the wooded, and earthy, top section.


The following descent only drops about a third of the gained altitude but is super fun with a tight but flowing, wooded trail; navigating around the trees like precision engineering. With a markedly steep earth bank rising to your side, there are plenty of apexes that are just willing you to strike a pedal to throw you off. It could be quite intimidating for some but with some conviction you can get a real buzz here. A final rocky chute spits you out in to the open and the trails heads to another climb section.  

This section is similarly tight and twisty climbing to roughly the same altitude that has just been lost. Once at the top however, bar a single, very steep 20 yard interruption, the route is all down from here on in.

Cafall, much like Twrch, is essentially one big up and one big down. The descent, however, unlike Twrch is compartmentalised in to three consecutive sections. Not broken by small inclines or natural features unfortunately but, instead, by man made stiles that define the start/end of each - a feature present on many of the welsh trail centres. I think one reason for their presence is simply to provide some respite on the descent and to temper enthusiasm in lesser skilled riders, as the cumulative speed and technicality could become taxing over an extended spell. These styles are irritating to be frank as they limit the trail from gaining flow for any real sustained period.  Sure the individual sections area fun but together they would be awesome.

The upper most part starts on mud trail. Tight and twisty as before but this soon gives way to pine littered bedrock - the rocky character so typical of much of the trail, and this part of wales, in general. If you've ridden Twrch, then you'll know what to expect. The trail is a bit more open than Twrch but harbors a few more switch backs, which slow the pace down. It is hard to replicate the kind of speed achievable coming down the final section on Twrch but this trail is as much fun. Current design seems to favour big berms and flow rich trails and this is evident here and the tight, twisting upper sections provide a definite variety in trail conditions.



The final part is a fairly tame section back to the car park but Cafall links so nicely on to Twrch that I rarely bother with it. Instead, by completing Twrch in the same ride, you get the original (and proper), final descent to the car park; and that is the best way to do it.

When I wrote up about Twrch ( link here) the trail centre was undergoing some changes. The car park was improved and an additional toilet/washing facilities building was added in the car park area. This has now opened, together with a small bike shop and workshop for trail repairs. The shop is actually an approved servicing centre for certain shocks and forks, so you can double up and catch a ride whilst the can is serviced.

Cwm carn has become a particular favourite of mine over the last 12 months or so, partly because of the location to me and secondly because of the growing variety of trail. But also, the facilities are great and ever improving. It is a great place to ride.

February Diary

Most of you know how it is. You wake up, full of optimism, today is going to be a good ride day. Then you pull the curtains to gaze out on this beautiful land. But, there's a problem, it's raining. The weather report the night before said it would be good but the weather is so unpredictable even they struggle to get right anymor.

So what to do. I feel as though I should just man the f**k up and get out there. I'll get wet but who cares, I'll have fun doing it. Perhaps awaken the inner child and instead of dodging those puddles, I'll just plough through them.  Thing is, I did that last week, and the week before. And, the one before that...

You do this week in, week out. There's no real thought process - its part of who you are - you just get on with it. However, my ** is starting to wain and opening the curtains this morning has just pushed me over the edge. I've simply lost my enthusiasm for riding and don't know how to find it.

In isolation I don't mind the rain. I don't mind when it's windy either, in isolation and a crisp winters day can offer some of the most beautiful conditions to ride in. But I cannot put with them all at the same time. Earn my summer... When it's like this I'd rather extend the festive period, stay at home and eat more cake.

I feel slightly hypocritical but I find myself purposefully avoiding my local trails simply because I know they're 'too muddy'. Normally my local - Brecon Hill - is super fast and great fun to ride. I avoid it simply because I don't want to spoil this relationship I have with the trails or ruin them before they dry out.  So what to do - Trail Centre Time

 

Thank you mtb gods, therefore, for trail centres. The holy grail when mother nature is having a tantrum. Sometimes you just gotta give in, pack up the car and get rolling down the road to your local. Or even better, dodge the showers by going a bit further.

So far, this year has not been particularly fun for mtb'ers. I have, at least, managed to get to Cwm Carn, Bike Park Wales and a couple of visits to fod have helped feed the crave.

 

 

The image attached is a drawing that shows my riding patterns from last year. My aim for this year is to ride further each month - totalling 2000km by next Christmas. More importantly, however, is to try an reinvigorate my enthusiasm for riding. Days spent at places like Bike Park Wales are to be thoroughly enjoyed. Although not classic trail riding, its the type of place to awaken your inner riding soul. I visited this place in February and will do a full right up soon - but rest assured, with the weather we're getting at the moment I will be going back ASAP.

 

 

 

Red Trail - Cwm Rheaedr

Length:     6.7km

Duration:  45mins

Climb:       210m

Grade:      Red

Rating:      5/5

Cwm Rheaedr or 'valley of the waterfall' is a little gem of a trail nestled deep in the hillside overlooking the Tywl valley. It is a short but, ultimately, fantastic trail and well worth combining in to a longer visit to the centre of Wales.

The trail at Cwm Rheaedr begins from a fairly typical Forestry Commission car park just outside the village of Cil-Y-Cwm. There are no facilities. However, that merely adds to how great the place is. Rather than your busy, sanitised trail centre like Cannock (which does have its merits) this is serenely quite with very light trail traffic. On our 2 loops I did not see one single other rider (apart from my riding partner that is) - although it was a Friday afternoon and welsh trail centres tend to be significantly quieter than say Cannock or Ashton Court.

With designer, Rowan Sorrel's name preceding him, expectations were high and we weren't disappointed.  The trail starts with an all too typical fire road climb straight out of the car park. This is not much of an issue, however.  In this case the fire road climb is long but lacks gradient so can be dispatched reasonably quickly and without need of much grimacing or curses.

Chatting is a sure fire way to make the dull bits pass quickly and, despite the fantastic views and relative ease of the climb, it is still just a fire road. So, chatting all the way up, we were somewhat surprised to find ourselves at the top so quickly. It's a fair amount of altitude gained in a short time with somewhat less effort than I am normally used to - maybe I'm just getting fitter!

Anyway, the fire road gives way to graded singletrack, which climbs for a short while longer. And, after a short break on the bench provided at this threshold to admire the view of the waterfall we were on our way.  There are a few switch backs to navigate and a small across section before you climb steeply to reach the summit.

There is no ceremonial indication to suggest that you are now pointing down but be assured, you will not want your seat up from now until the end of the trail.

What follows is possibly one of the most flowing of sections of singletrack descent I have ridden and deserves maximum attack. Its hard to really put in to words how much fun I had coming down. The surface itself changes from the man-made compacted, stone gravel of the fire road and opening singletrack sequence to a much more natural, earth based surface incorporating odd outcrops of the underlying strata - which is exposed on its edge providing a rumble strip effect - to create a bit of added interest.

In the dry and damp there is plenty of grip available. Even the loose shingle that litters the corners of the upper section give way to a base of hard earth and stone eager to provide the daring with ample purchase.

The top section is reasonably quick but quite rocky in places with a number of drops to send it off. As you head in to the woods things get a little more loamy due to falling detritus but not by much.  The tacky sub-base and loose scree follows you most of the way down - the scree becoming more absent the further down you travel - where it gives way to the plain tacky earth base.

The middle of the descent becomes quite tight with the trail becoming no more than a few inches wide in places where people have exploited the 'racing line' and crosses two rutted access tracks at two points. This was a little like changing tracks at a railway junction - especially as it was off camber - and took commitment and speed to ensure I stayed on line.

As you come in to the bottom section things get a little faster still with wide cambered corners (not quite berms) catching you at every turn and allowing you to maintain a significant speed all the way to the car park. Somewhere in this section (before the final crossing point) you'll come across a reasonable wall ride.

My riding partner and I were at full speed pretty much the whole way down and with no gates or styles to cross it was literally all the way from top to bottom.

Afan Bike Park

Distance: n/a
Climb: n/a
Grade: 1/3 & 2/3 (Red/Black)
Rating: 4/5

Afan Forest is widely known as one of the Gem's of welsh mountain biking and with the new Bike Park, designed and implemented by Cognation, it has s a very good addition to what the area already has to offer.

The new bike park is located at the top of Y Wal near to the Brynn Betws Lodge and sits adjacent to the new singletrack extension to the trail itself. There are several short routes of varying degrees of difficulty comprising big berms, jumps, drops and swooping trail, plus a couple of skinny log sections and a rocky loop that'll test your balance and poise.

Following the grueling climb from the Afan centre on the Y Wal trail the Bike Park will offer a welcome distraction and place to give those weary legs a little breather before embarking on the final descent. For those who don't fancy the trail first, it can also be accessed by car, with parking available literally 50ft from the entrance. Use the Post Code SA12 9SP.

Of the 7 routes available 4 are graded 1/3 and three are graded 2/3. The higher graded lines are the skinny log line, a series of large doubles and the big line. The jumps along this section, in particular, get pretty large.

Despite the scale of quite a lot of the jumps and berms here, they are all pretty much rideable for those wishing to keep both wheels on the ground.  Naturally, however, the faster you go the more fun it is and at speed each trail starts to make a lot more sense. The jumps become technically more challenging as you have to commit to a bigger or longer jump, making line choice more critical but more interesting.  The berms do a great job for speed retention making the jumps significantly easier.

I wasn't initially comfortable with the type of surfacing used. However, after a few runs, a more drift happy approach to riding was adopted which saw me picking up more speed with each attempt, committing a lot of speed to the berms off the back of each series of jumps. There is grip in there, if you're willing to look for it.

Although each individual line is relatively short, it does mean that a day's fun can be had without the need for an uplift truck. The venue is easily push-up-able for repeated attempts - just don't get complacent - and once you've had enough of the park there's the final descent of Y Wal to look forward to. What's not to like.

I was quite impressed with the Afan Bike Park and will most certainly be stopping off each time I visit Y Wal from now on. I do think it is a bit small on it's own but when combined with the trail itself I think it makes more sense and invigorates one of the original trails.

Twrch Trail, Cwmcarn

So, what has happened to cwmcarn?

Well, some of you may have read some threads over the last month suggesting that the Twrch had been irreparably amended during maintenance work to the extent that the natural, rough and rocky character had been ruined. This is, categorically, a load of rubbish...

Indeed, maintenance works have been conducted at various points on the trail. One section (between A and B) remains closed while Cognation, the trail design extraordinaire,  provide some much needed tlc. That is, essentially all it is. A bit of tlc to some of the more worn sections of the trail. Namely between Airstream and Odin.

Generally, the trail remains its fast and technical self. A challenge to those who ride it.

So, what is Twrch actually like.  In basic terms it forms an up, an across and a down, although there is a small down/up in the middle. The main climb is a mental exercise as much as it is a physical one. It is a long and enduring passage along technical singletrack (challenging in places) mixed with other fire road and double track sections. The inclines are constantly changing as is the trail surface. From root infested hard, packed earth, to loose gravel and flint to typical fire road. There are also large rock slabs placed conveniently about the trail for us to dodge/use.

At the top of the climb one is rewarded for all that effort with a quick freeride area incorporating a black and a red loop. Both lines can be repeated by riding back up the adjacent fire road. Both lines are fun with large berms and jumps/doubles. The surface here is typical trail centre fodder- made up of hard-packed base with loose gravel over. Where this has bedded in the trail gives good grip, however in other areas it still feels a little loose. But, then, it all adds to fun time hanging the back end out. The berms will catch you so get on with it. It is pretty much rideable in most conditions but does get pretty sloppy near the bottom in very wet conditions.

Some people find the final downhill a bit tedious but in my opinion, they're just not going fast enough. The final downhill is rough, tough and needs attacking to get the most out of. Simply cruising down, you are apt to be bounced about like a loose apple in an apple cart, and probably just as bruised.

Trust your bike and hit this thing hard, you'll thank me after. It's an edge of your seats hanging on roller coaster of a finish. It flows superbly and the ground has loads of grip. The only way I can aptly describe it is to say it is like being sonic the hedgehog in one of the special stages . There are berms and edges to support through every corner and the section gets gradually faster to the point that the moisture streaming from your eyes starts going backwards instead of down.

Cwmcarn is, to me, as good as it's always been. Long may it remain.

 

It is worth noting, also, that Cwmcarn has a newly constructed car park, which is a much more user friendly layout than it's predecessor and as part of the ongoing improvements a new toilet block and workshop is being built at the entrance of the car park.