Reviews for Penmachno Mountain Bike Trails

Summary:
Snowy day in march

Review:
Great mountain bike trail of you like tough climbs narrow rocky singletrack puddles and a out there natural feel. Views are amazing and it tests your ability on your bike in places. This is not a new bikepark or trail center so dont expect that type of riding. Be careful of weather conditions as is exposed in places. Great job by penmachno community so give money to support at trailhead

Summary:
Good route

Review:
Good route but open to all the elements at the top.

Summary:
Quite different and very technically testing

Review:
This place seems to get a wide variety of reviews. It worked for me, I found the relentless technical nature of it really lifted my riding. You do need to take care and it doesn't drain well but otherwise an awesome trail with some great views on Loop2.

Summary:
Struggling to see why it has such a high rating?

Review:
The single track on loop one is very thin and if you veer off line you are likely to hit something large and immovable in the long grass and go down! I prefer wider trails where you can look ahead and choose your line carving through the corners sweeping from left to right but here you are forced to keep looking right down just in front of your front wheel a lot of the time as the single track is so thin there is almost no room for error. Even the single track is littered with big rocks! Much of loop one and two where also VERY bumpy to the point where it just got annoying and I ride 120mm full sus.
I have been all over Wales and the Lakes and feel there is better riding elsewhere, specifically the Marin trail, cannock chase, llandegla gisburn... the list goes on.

Summary:
my personal favourite

Review:
this trail is a gem, when they say a trail has got it all this one has,
it begins with a bit of a climb up from the side road where you can park up, but once you get into the forest its down to business. forget your man made single track, the trails here consist mainly fast rocky natural trail with lots of rocky drop offs and technical rocky sections especially when you reach the stream section where the track is mainly comprised of slabs of stone with streams flowing directly through your path.

from here you actually descend down the stream bed, where the water flows past you as you descend, into a forested area where it gets seriously muddy until you find the rocky ascent out onto the fire road to the next section.
after a return to more of the single track encountered at the beginning of the trail, you ride out to a wide open wooded section where epic mountain scenery forms the backdrop to where the trail once again becomes either an ascent or descent over loose rocky ground or huge slabs of stone.
the second loop from what i remember is a lot faster, with some real mean technical descents over loose rock mainly with very narrow switchbacks, but after the long technical sections at the end of the first loop its a welcome change of pace.
trust me its an epic journey!