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Routes
Mountain biking trails
United Kingdom
Wales
South Wales
Abercarn

Cafall red trail — Cwmcarn Trail Centre

Hard

4.8

(35)

1,180

riders

Cafall red trail — Cwmcarn Trail Centre

02:13

18.7km

560m

Mountain biking

Prepare for a challenging mountain biking experience on the Cafall red trail, a difficult route spanning 11.6 miles (18.7 km) with a significant 1846 feet (563 metres) of elevation gain. This trail, which typically takes around 2 hours and 12 minutes to complete, plunges you into the remote parts of Cwmcarn Forest. You will navigate predominantly singletrack, featuring steep climbs with switchbacks and exhilarating, technical descents. The varied terrain includes rocky sections, roots, drops, and berms, with specific named sections like "Rocky Valley" and "Dragon Run" offering unique challenges. As you climb to over 400 meters, you will enjoy expansive views over the Bristol Channel, traversing through diverse landscapes of woodland and open, elevated terrain.

This Red – Difficult graded trail is designed for experienced mountain bikers with good off-road skills and fitness. You should be prepared for long technical climbs and demanding descents, as some sections are steep and tough, potentially requiring you to push your bike. The trail demands focus, especially when encountering loose rocks and slippery roots. Being self-sufficient is key, and you should be ready for potential weather changes as you venture into more remote areas of the forest.

The Cafall red trail stands out for its natural feel, integrating seamlessly with the terrain despite being purpose-built. It rewards your efforts with long, fun, and technical descents after significant climbs, offering a substantial downhill experience. This route is a favorite among local mountain bikers and is often cited as the most popular mountain bike trail at Cwmcarn. Distinct sections such as "Initiation," "Quadzilla," and "Riddler" add to the unique character and adventure of the ride.

Last updated: April 23, 2026

Waypoints

A

Start point

Parking

Get Directions

1

9 m

Cwmcarn — Twrch Mountain Bike Trail

Highlight • Parking

Cwmcarn Forest in South Wales consists of two red graded singletrack trails and 2 DH tracks.
Both the singletrack trails contain lots of long technical climbs as well as some long flowy descents. Rocky in places and some incredible views from the top. Both trails are clearly signposted and easy to follow although do check they aren't closed for forestry works before going.

There is also loads of fire roads running throughout the woods which could be incorporated into a ride if the singletracks become too technical.

There is a bike shop, cafe and bike wash, plus pay and display car parking facilities at the bottom where all the trails join up.

Tip by

2

2.07 km

When the Twrch and Cafall trails split, you continue to climb on singletrack through the tall trees. This climb is easier than the rocky Twrch, but no less forgiving. After a while you'll pop out into birch woodland, before reaching a more open landscape higher up.

Tip by

3

2.47 km

Forest Singletrack

Highlight • Trail

Nice and quick singletrack section to reward you after the initial climb. Great forest trails section.

Tip by

4

2.63 km

Cafall Rock Garden

Highlight • Trail

A short, rocky section of the Cafall climb gives you a technical challenge as you round a corner and ride down a short descent over a rock garden. Line choice is everything here!

Tip by

5

3.89 km

Cafall Stream Crossing

Highlight • Trail

After all that climbing on the Cafall trail (and still plenty more yet to come), this short descent and stream crossing comes as a Godsend!

Enjoy letting off the brakes for a while down the singletrack to the water, where a small bridge gets you over without getting too wet! There's a stiff climb in the other side to get onto the fire road, before taking on the next section: Quadzilla.

Tip by

6

4.93 km

After contouring around the hillside from the fire road along the start of the Cafall trail section named Quadzilla, you then enter a series of switchbacks to climb more sharply up the bank.

These hairpin bends can be pretty tricky, not to mention the rocky and rooty features in between, so it's a great section to help you brush up on your skills.

Tip by

7

7.34 km

Rocky Valley, Cafall Trail

Highlight (Segment) • MTB Park

This section of the red-rated Cafall trail is named Rocky Valley for good reason, with some swooping singletrack leading to some rock rolls and little drops as well as some rooty sections too.

Its great fun for intermediate and experienced riders alike, with some interesting line choices to be had!

Towards the end of this section there's a post showing two options, with an easier and more technical route.

I'd suggest pausing here to go and take a look at the harder line before riding it, if that's the one you fancy. This line has a rooty drop with a narrow landing into a left-hand corner followed by a another rooty drop back onto the main line.

Tip by

8

10.0 km

Dragon Run, Cafall Trail

Highlight (Segment) • MTB Park

A high plateau section on the red-rated Cafall Trail, Dragon Run leads you through the dark woodland plantation before leading out onto open singletrack to the Pedalhounds DH track.

You have to work a bit to keep it flowing through the plantation, as it's relatively flat and there are some tight turns between the rows of trees.

Keep your eyes peeled for the old, gnarled and twisted trees here that are a stark contrast to the straight lines of the pines.

Tip by

B

18.7 km

End point

Parking

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Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

16.8 km

1.23 km

251 m

171 m

114 m

< 100 m

Surfaces

16.6 km

1.51 km

319 m

178 m

< 100 m

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Elevation

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Highest point (380 m)

Lowest point (130 m)

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Weather

Powered by Foreca

Tuesday 7 July

30°C

15°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 9.0 km/h

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Hard

4.8

1,180

Cafall red trail — Cwmcarn Trail Centre

02:13h

18.7km

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