Marin trail , Betws-y-coed

DV1

Off to Wales this weekend , and on our list of things to do is the Marin trail

Many reading this must have done it before , what do you reckon ??

What are the highs and lows

mtbikerboy

I'v not ridden many trails but this is one of the best i have ever ridden. I especially love the downhill sections, and the uphill sections are not too steep. The different singletrack sections are also well interlinked...Have fun

ratty2k

Long fire road climbs are a bit dull, descents are brilliant. Trail fairies have been out and patched up some of the worn out bit- to its detriment I feel. I liked it a bit rougher... 8)
Dragons tail is my personal fave bit, you'll ride on some singletrack that goes into a short rocky climb and pops out onto the top a ridge briefly. Then you descend down thee flanks of the ridge, fast and rocky- brilliant!

sarkmeister

I rode the Marin Trail a few weeks ago. Theres the usual long climb at the start, then lots of rocky singletrack. The best downhill section is saved right until the end.....

Dan67

I rode it last year at easter so it was bone dry ( well for wales anyway). It was my first exprience of proper mountain biking proper downhills and climbs. I hired a bike from betws y coed and met it half way round. I got to the last downhill and came to the jumps and stacked it big time :oops: . Nice dead leg for about a week.
Its great trail which I shall go back again to tame that welsh dragon it

Steve_b77

It's one of the best trails in North wales IMHO, the first fire road climb is a bit of a PITA but after that it's superb

DV1

What a fantastic trail , superb from start to finish

ratty2k

Glad you liked it, I'm off there on Wednesday.

bluechair84

I like to recomend Penmachno which isn't far away from Marin at all. I think the descents are better - more technical stuff, more flowing stuff, just more better trails. It feels tougher though and the final descent is a real blinder with some drops and knarly switchbacks. Otherwise Marin was a staple whilst I lived in Bangor. Check out the Spa in Betws - the cakes and pies are home made and a must after the ride! Get some carrot cake in!

ratty2k

Nah, prefer a pint after a ride, with steak and chips..

switchback18

Done the Marin Trail twice, last time a couple of years ago. Really like it, despite my seatclamp snapping the 1st time & having to ride 1/2 the route with the seat down! Technical enough and plenty of variety as far as I remember. Last time was on hols & I'd forgotten a helmet... made me feel like it was 1990 again! I was careful...

ratty2k wrote:

Nah, prefer a pint after a ride, with steak and chips..

...anything wrong with steak & chips, pint and cake?!

ratty2k

switchback18 wrote:

ratty2k wrote:

Nah, prefer a pint after a ride, with steak and chips..

...anything wrong with steak & chips, pint and cake?!

Oh no, not anything wrong with cake... But I'd prefer another pint

switchback18

Ah, that clears that up...

pittpony

I'm a fan of the Marin trail - i rode it earlier this year. Maybe not as good as the Afan trails which are the only other ones in Wales i can compare it to but well, well worth a visit. Next time i'll have a look at Penmachno