Cognation - Cwm Carn Twrch trail

Thewaylander
Thewaylander Posts: 8,593
edited May 2013 in Routes
Hey fellow bikers,

I need your help!


I have just got back from a ride on my local the Twrch Trail at Cwm Carn. Cognation has been doing trail work there and have literally flattened every thing up to the last 2 descents! Removing any features, rocks and roots from the trail and turned it into a big clay mud fest if I'm honest.

I know people like different types of trails and I'm not all against the motorway style flow trails but not the Twrch it really is to me one of a kind trail. And since there is a new trail going in i see no reason for this at all!

I have put a post on there Facebook page to ask for them to stop now, and the more people who post on it will be great, sadly i can't link my post on there page on Facebook but here is there page.
https://www.facebook.com/cognation?fref=ts
I will be writing a letter of complaint this weekend and trying to figure a way to set up an on-line petition to stop them before the last 2 sections are destroyed any help on this would be very much appreciated .

I apologize now for grama and English errors and so on as to be honest i am furious and utterly gutted at the same time.

I hope some of you have the time and will power to help me on this as i feel something great has been ruined.

Thank you for reading this post

Brian
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Comments

  • The Northern Monkey
    The Northern Monkey Posts: 19,136
    Did you get any pics? Haven't been over Cwmcarn for a few weeks..

    btw, I never knew you were called Brian lol.
    Santa Cruz Butcher
  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,593
    Next clear day we will go up with a camera.

    Unfortunately i had no camera and left my phone in the car :(
  • The Northern Monkey
    The Northern Monkey Posts: 19,136
    Just seen this pic from a mate, what the hell?!

    ccmud_zps066b8e9e.jpg

    Apparently they dug up other parts of the trail and back filled with gravel... so parts of the trail that didn't flood, now floods.
    Santa Cruz Butcher
  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,593
    Yeh anything they have redug was total muck today and its not even been that wet :( That section was cool too.
  • cooldad
    cooldad Posts: 32,599
    Happening at Swinley as well. New trails going in, smooth and fast and bermy, but unnatural with all the nasty stuff, that makes things fun, removed.
    I blame the speed freak strava generation.
    And Wiggle of course.
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  • welshkev
    welshkev Posts: 9,690
    The Northern Monkey wrote:
    Just seen this pic from a mate, what the hell?!

    ccmud_zps066b8e9e.jpg

    Apparently they dug up other parts of the trail and back filled with gravel... so parts of the trail that didn't flood, now floods.

    yeah i tried to share that one with you yesterday ben but couldn't do it from my phone....i liked that bit too :(
  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,593
    It going further though kev, the next section of down is completely dug up to be done exactly the same :( its awful.
  • Clank
    Clank Posts: 2,323
    At the moment, they look more like a 'work in progress' rather than a completed solution.

    Let me know what their plan is for the those sections of trail and I'll let you know how I feel about them. I want to know what their goals and motivations are - and I think many of us would.

    One of the big issues at the moment would appear to be lack of communication - and this always leads to mistrust and conflict. Something has been started and regular trail users appear to know nothing about it - the Cognation website doesn't give any info either. What they're doing goes beyond regular maintenence.
    How would I write my own epitaph? With a crayon - I'm not allowed anything I can sharpen to a sustainable point.

    Disclaimer: Opinions expressed herein are worth exactly what you paid for them.
  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,593
    I think one of our main issues is a complete change in the focus of the trail.

    It's going from technical single track to wind open of the brakes berms, that section is finished and rideable there having issues with drainage as there is allot of clay and Cwms trail has been bedding in for years.

    This is across every where they have worked, there is a piece of single track after where you can turn of for the DH course its been left very much as is bar pulling out every rock and root and putting some extra top soil in which again doesn't drain and turns into pure clag it was in a better state as was. I just feel if they want a berm open tap trail well there building a new trail up there, why can't that be it?
  • The Northern Monkey
    The Northern Monkey Posts: 19,136
    They're actually supposed to be building a new DH track and a new red trail, but haven't even started. Scheduled to be open by September.

    They were also supposed to have build a pump track in September 12 but that never got done (although its still on their website...)
    Santa Cruz Butcher
  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,593
    https://www.facebook.com/pages/Cwmdown/ ... 13?fref=ts


    https://www.facebook.com/pscycles.cwmdo ... ts&fref=ts

    the second one is the guys from PS cycles who do alot of the maintenance they are going to be looking into it.
  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,593
    https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php? ... ment_reply

    CwmDown are going to the FC on Monday after checking the trail after some of our posts. They don't appear to be happy.
  • Clank
    Clank Posts: 2,323
    Cheers for the updates, Waylander - it really does look like they've dropped a b*****k with this one, espeically if they haven't engineered any longevity into it.
    How would I write my own epitaph? With a crayon - I'm not allowed anything I can sharpen to a sustainable point.

    Disclaimer: Opinions expressed herein are worth exactly what you paid for them.
  • bigpee
    bigpee Posts: 205
    Anyone been today - heading down there tomorrow for the first time (250 mile round trip) and want to prepare myself for any disappointment!
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  • welshkev
    welshkev Posts: 9,690
    bigpee wrote:
    Anyone been today - heading down there tomorrow for the first time (250 mile round trip) and want to prepare myself for any disappointment!

    i don't think you'll be dissapointed. it's just cc had it's own 'character' compared to other trail centres, it seemed a little more natural than most even though it's a trail centre. it'll still be good to ride - just different :lol:
  • The Northern Monkey
    The Northern Monkey Posts: 19,136
    Part of it is closed though, the bypass is on the forest road past the BBQ area/zip line park.
    Santa Cruz Butcher
  • oxocube1
    oxocube1 Posts: 651
    I haven't been up there for about 6 months now but very disappointed from what I have read and seen in pics/videos. By the looks of it they are trying to make it more 'noob friendly' if you like. Maybe they are trying to attract a wider audience by making the trail easier, But they seem to be neglecting/forgetting about the other end of the riders spectrum!

    Has there been any changes to Airstream 1 and 2?

    And I seriously hope they leave the final descent as it is or there will be fists flying!
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  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,593
    Just a quick note to say CwmDown has approached the forect ranger to find out what is happening.

    https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php? ... ment_reply

    Fingers crossed we can prevent any more damage and that the sections under construction can be completed more in keeping with the technical trail Cwm was.
  • miss notax
    miss notax Posts: 2,572
    Eh? I was at Cwmcarn about a month ago and it was it's usual rocky self? This has been really recent then :shock:

    I'm gutted - CC was my favourite local-ish trail centre route :(

    Have they taken all the nice technical rocky bits out of the climb? Now that will really annoy me :evil:
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  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,593
    Climb was all in place when i was last there little miss.

    Just all bar 2 decents broken, the bit by the side of the road after the black is particularly bland.
  • miss notax
    miss notax Posts: 2,572
    Hmmm, what a shame :?

    Was planning to take some buddies there in a few weeks as they are fairly inexperienced mtbers but are joining me and another group for a north Wales weekend. I wanted to gently introduce them to riding on rocky stuff before they are terrified at Snowdon / CYB!!! Hey ho.
    Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away....

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  • The Northern Monkey
    The Northern Monkey Posts: 19,136
    Thewaylander wrote:
    Climb was all in place when i was last there little miss.

    Just all bar 2 decents broken, the bit by the side of the road after the black is particularly bland.

    I actually stopped, got off my bike and kicked the floor in frustration :lol: its almost like concrete!
    Santa Cruz Butcher
  • miss notax
    miss notax Posts: 2,572
    :(

    Well, i'm glad I rode it twice in the p!ssing rain when I was there last then! I didn't realise that would be my last time before it was all flattened. Or whatever you want to call it...
    Life is not measured by the number of breaths you take, but by the number of moments that take your breath away....

    Riding a gorgeous ano orange Turner Burner!

    Sponsor the CC2CC at http://www.justgiving.com/cc2cc
  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,593
    there are words but they are reseverde for the crud catcher and even there thy might not be totally acceptable....

    so your bringing your ladies Cwm? when so i can try and follow you all up there :)
  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,593
    https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Cwmdo ... 13?fref=ts

    Ranger Bob has come back on it, though being away will try to furnish us with more information and then make an inspection on his return by the sounds of things.
  • concorde
    concorde Posts: 1,008
    The Northern Monkey wrote:
    Thewaylander wrote:
    Climb was all in place when i was last there little miss.

    Just all bar 2 decents broken, the bit by the side of the road after the black is particularly bland.

    I actually stopped, got off my bike and kicked the floor in frustration :lol: its almost like concrete!

    Afans going the same way. Every new bit is all smooth nonsense. it has it's place but leave the old stuff as it is. The berms on the bike park, in parts are pretty much concrete with big break bumps!

    They're rushing stuff if you ask me!
  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,593
    Well tell them, thats the issue!

    We are not communicating our displeasure enough, they seem totally shocked by having feedback that is negative on this one. it's hard to learn what you are doing is crap if people just blow smoke up your ass :)
  • concorde
    concorde Posts: 1,008
    Thewaylander wrote:
    Well tell them, thats the issue!

    We are not communicating our displeasure enough, they seem totally shocked by having feedback that is negative on this one. it's hard to learn what you are doing is crap if people just blow smoke up your ass :)

    I do. A few of us commented on how badly the new bike park @ Afan was signposted. Some of the signs wrong! 1 dot on the doubles and three dots on the smallest table tops in the park! The posts got removed, and they were not abusive or anything like that, just offering friendly advice. The new bit before Zig Zags wasn't signposted at all, we basically had to walk up the trail to find the start to it! It's all okay now but they don't seem to take criticism very well.

    But I agree there's a lot of brown nosing them, this is mint, that is mint etc when it's not! It's distinctly average, or worse!
  • handful
    handful Posts: 920
    I was up there about a month ago and apart from the building at the entrance to the car park all they had done to the trail really was flatten the really bumpy roadside section which I was gutted about. I absolutely love that trail, tragic if they change it too much. :cry:
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  • clamps81
    clamps81 Posts: 315
    What's the latest on this? Haven't been up there in weeks and while bits of it could have used some infilling to iron our the worst of the braking bumps it looks like they've just been through there with a bulldozer :(
    Worst thing is if they have knackered the drainage as it's basically the only place that remains rideable during the worst of the weather we get here.
    Hopefully I'll get to check it out at the weekend and see for myself, but the photos and stuff I've seen on facebook fill me with a certain dread.
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