Cwm Rhaeadr Mountain Bike Trails

Mr Mud:

I have ridden this trail numerous times over the last 6 years and I never get bored of it, it has to be one of the best little trails out there! I get that when you see how far and remote this little 6.5km red graded trail is located, sitting on the edge of the Carmarthenshire border, that on paper it's not worth the journey but I will come back to that. The trail is basically a 1 up 1 down which means you do all the hard work at the start and then get all the reward at the end. The ascent is a steady fire road climb for the first 2.5km and acts a really good warm up until you get to "the bench" which offers up some of the most spectacular views looking towards the brecon beacons and the black mountains. On a fairly clear day you can see Llyn y fan fach (the highest point in Carmarthenshire) and as you continue on up the now single track climb you might even see Pen y fan as you switch back until you reach the highest point of this ride at 305m just before entering the canopy. This is where the fun starts, this can be a fast and furious descent split into 3 small stages. Stage 1 is fairly steep in parts with sometimes slippy rock drops protruding from the surface and a few shallow berms to boot, keep your speed up and you will forget that you are actually climbing in some places. After crossing a forest track and hitting a couple of baby table tops you will know this is stage 2 as you start to climb again. Don't be put off by this as it only lasts for a few minutes before it levels out, over some exposed rock then a mad rush through the trees with some tasty tight turns and plenty of options to pop your wheels off the ground but don't stop turning those pedals, the exit from this stage is just begging for air before you hit the end of a forest fire road. Stage 3 has a steep entry and some very nicely built berms which get bigger and bigger before launching you back on the trail, where a couple of stealthy take off points lay ahead that can catch you out if you hit them wrong, and send you flying down this short straight before winding your way through the trees and eventually back at the car park I guarantee you will be grinning ear to ear and ready to go again having completely forgotten how you got to the top first time. Ok, It's obvious that I like this trail but should you travel all that way just for a 6.6km ride? Probably not unless you make a weekend of it, why not visit the Brechfa trails or even have a go at the classic Doethie Valley and tag this little gem on the end because that's exactly what I do! And despite the lack of facilities on site you're not too far away from a decent pint!

Great trail Not over crowded Stunning views

Trailmade:

Cwm Rhaeadr was recommended to me by our guide whilst riding in Afan, and for good reason! The trail starts with a really long climb, but it is all on fire road making it a bit easier. As you get near to the top of the climb you reach a bench with one of the best views in this part of Wales. You can see right down through an amazing valley on one side, and a waterfall on the other. You then do the final part of climbing to reach the top of the trail. Then the descending starts. The trail is graded red but it is on the easier side of red. However, for the more experienced rider there is plenty of line choices you can take to make this a real fun, technical ride. It is full of small rock drops, rollers to pump and tables to jump. There are some nice small berms thrown in to carry good speed, and due to the amount of descending you do you can pick up a huge amount of speed. This really is a trail that everyone who visits Wales must do. It might be short but the undulating fun more than makes up for it! And for those with a decent level of fitness, it wouldn't be hard to do a couple of laps.

Excellent descents and beautiful views

krisk:

I stayed at the Llanddeusat youth hostel and the manager there recommended this trail over Brechfa. Hmm, not sure why?! Its a great little trail, but nothing like Brechfa. That said, the great advantage of this one is that you can repeat it in a single trip and so great for skills development as you can try the different sections more than once. I rode it twice without stopping, and could have gone around more times, time permitting, although the slog up I can imagine becomes a bit demoralising. The single track is not too technical. For Wales, I would say this comes under an easy red. And that means you can attack it quite fast. Even the skull and cross bones sections near the top are very do-able. Facilities are limited to a car park and some picnic tables, although they seem to be kitted out with metal frames that allow you to bring portable bbqs (at least that's what I saw one group doing as I arrived). There is also a nice walk to the waterfall, which is good if you happen to be in a group with non bikers.

Fast and flowing Good surface Great views

beardedbiggs:

the car park is big enough for maybe 8 cars however we were the only ones in there! in an absolute downpour we set off onto the fireroad climb and slowly made our way up to the start of the red, through the clouds we could see down the valley and the waterfall which i imagine on a nice day would be beautiful. onto the singletrack and you carry on climbing but eventually get onto the descent. straight away you get some rocky drops steps and rollers and tables, it doesnt take to long to reach the bottom but when you get there the 1st thing you want to do is ride back up and do it again. the trail held up really well with the amount of rain there was, some of the sections had become streams it was so heavy! we will definitely be coming back at some point to ride again

the descent is amazing climb isnt to bad either

shropshiremtb:

The first time I rode this was when it was a special night stage on the 2010 Tran Wales, great fun. I have been back a few time since, although it's short you can combine it with a bigger loop up into the hills starting from the same car park (MBR put out a route a few years back). It's not a long track but the climb up is easy and well worth the fun for the blast back down.

Short easy fire road climb up for an excellent single track blast back down.

Olwen Cox:

Cracking little trail, always worth doing twice.

Great variety from singletrack to swoopy berms.