I rode this in september as a warm up stop the day before heading to BPW. It does have a heavy climb to start and will need decent fitness, but if you look at the trail as a good chilled ride with mates with great scenery you'll have a good time. We all had enduro/bike park focused bikes (150/140 travel), which meant the speeds we got upto heading down are pretty fast and made it a good laugh.
This is my local on my doorstep and it's a great loop on an e-bike when you don't have all day. Like it's been stated it's not for the shredders. I'm not a shredder so I get everything I need from this trail, plus some lovely scenery.
Good to see you again, you are a Very capable rider and miss your vids, really helpful when I rode decent bike park for the 1st time. More content please 🙏☺
Thanks so much Robert, it’s great to hear from riders who have benefited from the videos 👍 thanks for tuning in I’ve been off grid for a while working on other things but I’m sat on 7 or 8 videos filmed during the summer..... just need to get them edited...... Watch this space😁
I must say, Twrch is one of my favourite trails. But, I really enjoy technical climbs. That was probably glossed over in this video (at about the 2:40 mark you had snippets of all the bits I liked). Sure, for downhill riders, this is not the trail. But if you're into having a good workout with some flowy descent to make it mostly worthwhile; then it's a solid loop.
Yeah, use Twrch to get to y mynydd downhill, that's a banging decent with 3 separate lines at the top and two at the midsection to choose from, both harder red and black options. As others have said smash some of the off piste which is also found around the Y Mynydd area, check out vids of Wacko Jacko, Bizzie Lizzie and Conda, all can be found on Trailforks. Climb on Cafall is pants also, up the fire road to the left at the toll booth cuts out the first xc climb and takes you to quadzilla, not long then to the top. Banging ride at night!
I rode it in July It's worth ticking off the list..but like you said I wouldn't rush back..we took the road climb. ..then the tech section up the top..but it was down up down up.. I by passed it this weekend and headed to afan and rode pennhyd..might try the cafal trail (after your recommendation 👍🏻( in a couple of weeks before I do ywal (if it's open) Great Edit as per mtb trail hub 👌
Cheers Paul, Ywal offers more fun in my opinion but Cafall is worth a look👍 We are spoiled for choice . Another good one in the area which is a bit more technical is Barry Sidings 😜
Cheers for the trail overview. It's likely not relevant now but that creaking is your CSU. You need to send your fork away for fox to install a new CSU. Good old fox! 😁😉
You're welcome, thanks for the heads up however they are rock shox?! The headset on this frame has never been 100 percent even from new. Just getting another one fitted now actually!
Bit of research may help, this is an established trail from a different time of trail building and bikes. I would say beginners would be well put off by the climbing and fitness needed, but it’s strength also of a trail full of single track technical climbing. As you shot you were walking on one of the climb sections. It’s going through some changes and for me feels like a pump track in sections over a rough xc trail which has been its charm for years.
Yeah it’s definitely looks to be turning into more of a bike park style trail..... it didn’t quite do it for me but each to their own, I’m sure there are lots of riders who love this trail. It’s good to see some money being spent on the trails either way 👍
Great review. I have to agree, it's a short trail with alot of technical climbing, when compared to other short trails such as Cwm Rhaedr in Carmarthenshire which is very short at 6kms. There, the descent is uninterrupted flow and just begs to be looped over and over, although pop down the road and hook up onto the Gorlech and Raven Trails at Brechfa for some feature-lit sections. (Gorlech was worked on by Rowan Sorrell as you know the owner and trail builder of BPW so good to ride some of his early work. On that point, have you ridden the Darren Fawr trail at Blaengarw, north of Bridgend in S Wales? Again, Rowan had a hand in there as he did Penhydd Trail, all pre-Bike Park Wales days so has some good techy descending, red to black grade, not as steep as Barry Sidings?
Rode this yesterday, on an (2008) NS Surge 26" hardtail with 150mm forks.... The steeper climb parts (of which there are plenty) were impossible to ride (highest gear was 32T chainring, 34Tcog) rear wheel was like a handbrake on the rocks/roots on steeper climb sections and bike is too slack to climb well.... However, I still really enjoyed it, on a hardtail the descents are hard enough especially on tired legs (my fitness is pretty good)..... I did cafall the day before and I preferred this one, plus I did the extra loop with the older, rockier berms..... If I went again I would def take my 29" hardtail with 120mm travel, if I had a 29" full sus I'd take that instead
Had one of my best rides ever at Cwmcarn last weekend; Y Mynnydd off Twrch is awesome🙌 I do love Twrch but have recently discovered the fire road climbs and got an ebike 🤣
There are loads of unofficial trails all over Cwmcarn and Risca that don't seem too hard to find. Head up the forest drive road and you'll find them dropping in all over the place. One runs all the way from the top of Twmbarlwm to the bottom. If you like rough/techy singletrack worth a look! We got given the heads up by a friendly bloke at BPW so worth asking the locals. Like you, the Twrch trail isn't really my favourite sort of riding but if you like tough climbing it's probably up there (im lazy). Cwncarn forest made a nice base for BPW and Black Mountain, can camp or sleep in a 'pod' for a reasonable price in quite a beautiful location.
Am a local, trailforks has 80% of them or so. Also the new loop he was looking at is nice and flowy but it just loops to airstream again just the connector tracks are closed at the minute
Pronunciation guide for our English friends: Twrch = Say the work Turk or 'too-erk' and it's mostly right. Unless you can pronounce the Welsh CH, which doesn't sound like the CH in Church... Cafall = Cav-ath. Unless you can pronounce the double L, cav-ath is near enough there. Pwca = Poo-Ka Cwm Carn = Kum (like the first bit of Kumbaya) Karn.
I don't actually know which trail I went up and up and up...but I reached a sign saying hideout, on a trail that was leading up.I was absolutely knackered so I gave up and rode the road back down again.I did have a an 11 mile ride home ahead of me though.
You should of tried the pro line down if you wanted more difficulty. Instead of taking you around the back side and down to the car park. You have to go to the very top and it's takes you straight down.
Cwmcarn is worth visiting but not for the Twrch trail. It's mostly climbs and then a huge, long and straight descent at the end. You put all the effort into climbing just to get a nothing descent. Cafall is much better and the downhill trails are very good too.
100 percent agree, When i was riding this one i just couldn't believe how much of a let down the final section was. very dissapointing. I look forward to riding some Cwm Dwm Uplifts next time.
