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Penmachno Mountain Bike Trails
Avg 3.44
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup
Number of Reviews (22)

*You can claim this trail if you are the trail owner

  • Information:
  • Type: Mtb Base
  • Grades: Red
  • Riding:
  • Facilities: Car Park
  • Distance(s): 11-20km, 21-30km
  • Number:
  • Country: Wales
  • County: Conwy
  • Website: Penmachno
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Trail Network & Rider Segments

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Trail Status

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🥇 Trail of the Year – Winner Announced!

guest:
Avg 4.30
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup

Classic trails

Much underated classic Welsh trails. Outstanding natural beauty and my favourite ride.

Would you recommend?

yes

Date written:

29/06/2025 - 4 months ago

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1
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guest:
Avg 3.00
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup

I personally loved the loop, but it is very pedally also BE READY TO GET WET, no matter the season you WILL GET WET! 😆 

Would you recommend?

yes

Date written:

22/06/2025 - 5 months ago

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1
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guest:
Avg 3.40
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup

So machno

I love penmachno

What do you like?

It's wet

What could be improved?

It's wet

Would you recommend?

yes

Date written:

09/08/2023 - about 2 years ago

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1
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_timfromwales:
Avg 2.38
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup

Never Again

I've now been to Penmachno on 3 occasions. First time was on a local led ride by local guide and we hit some interesting bits off the main trail network Second was part of my BC guiding assessment which thankfully meant we rode further afield and only took on part of the tails. Third time - just this last weekend. I finally rode the whole trail and I can honestly say I'll never go back. There is simply not enough reward for your pedaling in my opinion. The last bit on the main Red loop is good an techy fun with lots of rocky drops and turns - but thats it for me Sorry Penmachno, you are not for me.

What do you like?

The rocks are hard The puddles are wet You'll get a good work out

What could be improved?

Just not enough reward for all your hard work

Would you recommend?

No

Date written:

05/07/2019 - over 6 years ago

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2
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beardedbiggs:
Avg 3.77
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup

Penmachno red

got to say, some very mixed reviews when riding here. heard some people say amazing and some say awful. decided to ride and make my own mind up set off fairly early so we were the only ones out there at first, was such a peaceful place other than the air force practicing overhead! stopped a few times on the climbs to watch (any excuse for a rest) first couple of sections of single track didnt seem to flow that well so started off thinking it will be a long awful ride. carried on regardless and then got to the ffastis un, dau and tri sections. wow. flew down them like a man possessed!! absolutely brilliant. that put a smile on ,y face for the rest of the day. carried on to loop 2 and even though there was a long bit of fire road and a forestry diversion down some more fire road i enjoyed that. loop 2 felt a bit more wild. some trails were so overgrown had to go through at walking pace! reported a section of damaged boardwalk also. really enjoyed it still, even the section with all the massive rocks that went for ages. good technical section that flowed really well. back onto loop 1 and the last few sections were awesome. carried so much speed and also needed to be on my toes for some bits as well. got to the car park absolutely buzzing and didnt feel like i had just rode 30km. well worth a ride and will certainly come back again

What do you like?

technical sections fast sections very natural feel amazing views

What could be improved?

needs a little tlc in places (broken boardwalk and overgrown on loop 2) some facilities

Would you recommend?

Yes

Date written:

16/10/2018 - about 7 years ago

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1
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John Horscroft:
Avg 3.76
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup

Penmachno - needs some love - who's in?

I've been riding Penmachno since it first opened and even I have to admit that it's a bit of a Marmite trail - even during one ride. I can be swearing profusely at some of the climbs but back to grinning idiot status on the next down. However, there is some truth in the comments about it being a bit overgrown and in need of some love. Thing is, as I'm given to understand, two people give their time on a regular basis to keep it up to scratch. How about the rest of us grabbing the secateurs/shovel/mattock and helping out? Seems we're all happy to go there and ride the place and then moan about it's shortcomings afterwards, maybe we should have a maintenance weekend and help those guys out. What do you reckon?

What do you like?

Feels like a big day out even if you only do the first loop. Great views and sense of wilderness. Variety of trails top notch.

What could be improved?

Some trails are a bit tired and there are some nasty wheel-gobbling holes developing after some of the drop-offs. Over grown in places.

Would you recommend?

Yes

Date written:

27/09/2017 - about 8 years ago

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1
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