Well my missus is revisiting Mountain biking after after having a fall on home baked at Gisburn forest in 2014. She ended up in A&E with a very badly sprained knee and severe bruising. And was put off until this week when we got her a Btwin Rockrider 560 (Cracking Spec for £340 SLX/Deore and Rockshox Xc32 Solo air) now her first ride yesterday afternoon was quite nervous but she managed but you can tell the fall has knocked her confidence.

So was wondering what trail centres to visit in the North west to build her confidence back up.
We have Done Gisburn, Phillips Park Prestwich and Healey Nab.
Previously she has done Gisburn Red and Hope Line and enjoyed it before the knee injury.

Maybe do some bridal way / canal riding to build some confidence, see some nice scenery and find a nice country pub for lunch?

Make a leisurely day of it rather than hitting the black runs at trail parks straight away.

The blue at Whinlatter maybe, you could do a ride out of Keswick on the same day, the old railway line perhaps.

.. or something off here..
http://www.golakes.co.uk/adventure-capital/cycle-guides-download.aspx

Maybe some coaching would help get her mojo back? Could be an ideal Xmas present if you are struggling for ideas.

Clayton Vale blues are nice and easy but fun. The red isn’t much harder and if she’s done the Hope line it’ll be no bother. Best visited earlier in the day.

If your missus doesn’t own knee pads then a pair may help her confidence?

How about you ask her where she wants to go, and dont let her take the “I’m not bothered – you choose” nonsense option?

Hurstwood near Burnley. Little easy blue but a nice way back into it.

Maybe do some bridal way / canal riding to build some confidence, see some nice scenery and find a nice country pub for lunch?

^^This^^

When building confidence, I’d say that going anywhere near the storm trooper enduro-gnarfest that is any trail centre is a bad idea.

Make riding fun, make it something to look forward to. Good scenery, a nice meal (or just tea and cakes!). Not something where she’ll be looking over her shoulder for some stravasshole schralping teh gnat.

Another vote for Clayton vale – nice and smooth, twisty and turny – climbs are short so no stress about fitness. Park at the velodrome.

The BWs around Austwick, Yorkshire Dales, would fit the bill as long as it’s dry(limestone). Cake at the tearoom in Feizor or a bar meal at the Game Cock. Pleasant walled lanes,steady climbs and superb scenery.

She probably just needs time to get used to the new bike as well. Once that’s done, the choice of trails shouldn’t matter too much. That bike sounds nice. You could always upgrade the tyres to something really grippy, as I imagine, like most new bikes it didn’t come with anything special.

A few trail centers have fireroads as well as singletrack, so you could just stick to those and then delve into the twisty/bumpy bits when you feel like it.

Good luck with that. My wife went over the bars and bashed her knees at Llandegla last Sunday, and isn’t keen on doing more, so I’ve got to work on that now 😉

Why don’t you ask her where to ride, rather than ask us?

I just get the I don’t know where to go. Rivington was mentioned. But I’m clueless with routes round there even though I’ve lived in Bolton/Darwen the majority of my life.

Chris’ suggestion is a good one. Nice scenery with completely untechnical bimbling options from Austwick to Feizor to start with, and slightly more challenging, but still fun stuff from there if things are going well.

Fine even if damp, TBH.

Drop me a mail and I can sort you out lots of simple easy routes round Rivvy I have done with my kids
You can even get in about 8 miles with flatish rides round the ressies

Decent latish Bridleways over Darwen side as well.

All are pretty much zero gnar.

Do some homework then.. You obviously have Internet so it won’t be to much of a push.. You mentioned Rivington so the obvious choice is a circle around the reservoirs.. Identify some Caffè / pubs en route and your all set!

As above auswick route starts in clapham, google tunnels and bridges. There’s also the standard route starting in settle which I think is all mostly good going, Martin or someone might confirm that cos it’s been a while. There’s also a route starting in hetton head north up the land rover tracks eventually turning south west and come out NR conistone, ride on back roads to grassington and hetton, you should be able to work it out with an OS map, if not just ask and I’ll draw it. Rylstone over barden moor to Bolton abbey and back on back road (halfon east / embsay) is mostly good going, one section has been completely churned up by hooves tho, maybe save that for a dryer period.

Why a trail centre? I’m far from anti-trail centre, but me and my missus deffo prefer a bit of exploring. Good way to test routes too in guide books. If things are a bit steep or techy it just means I get to ride her smaller nimbler bike down too (which she’s fine with!). And then there’s nice lunches!

CaptainFlashheart – Member

Maybe do some bridal way / canal riding to build some confidence, see some nice scenery and find a nice country pub for lunch?

^^This^^

When building confidence, I’d say that going anywhere near the storm trooper enduro-gnarfest that is any trail centre is a bad idea.[/quote]
What? She wants to go Mountain Biking and we get the steady on dear, take it easy maybe we get you a basket and some spangly bar ends approach!!

Been to a few trail centres when I was back and they seem to be family filled and lots of couples out. Plenty of fun rolling trails out there, whinlatter Blue and South combo is great.

Whinlatter Blue would be ace. I think they’ve resurfaced a bit of it quite recently and it was even more fun than usual. I find the slatey surface on the reds at Whinlatter can be surprisingly slippy if there’s any dampness about.

What? She wants to go Mountain Biking and we get the steady on dear, take it easy maybe we get you a basket and some spangly bar ends approach!!

TBF that’s exactly how I see all the gravel track riders on here fussing about their Tripsters etc.

You could equally say the same thing about people who ride 3k bikes that only see the light of day once a month at an artificial trail centre.. Complete waste..

If she’s nervous about getting back into it, a bit of exploration sounds like just the ticket.. I know that’s where I get most value from my bike, not going round in circles at a trail centre high fiving all my enduro bros, lol!

Well I’m thinking Whinlatter blue. Maybe do a couple of laps. Unless she fanciEs some of the red. She did manage Gisburn Red and was getting faster and then had a fall on homebaked. Was faster than me on some sections.

You could equally say the same thing about people who ride 3k bikes that only see the light of day once a month at an artificial trail centre.. Complete waste..

Would my bike be better utilised hauling through the clay pits around the flat Cambridgeshire fields, because it’s more ‘real’ than a centre?

Not everyone lives in an area ideally suited to MTB.

You could do the blue and the ‘bottom loop’ of th South Red (it’s a fig 8). That isn’t much extra distance, is not that much harder, and includes a nice fast and flowing downhill.

build confidence, bridal way to pub and home. Make it enjoyable. Do this often and she will gain confidence then some easy blues. FoD one is easy and theres loads of bridal way, weekend away?

That’s the plan whinlatter for next Thursday and Friday night away. And local bridleways/reservoirs on our days off this week.

Maybe do some bridal way / canal riding to build some confidence, see some nice scenery and find a nice country pub for lunch?

Double agreed. Scenery and lunch as a first ride out, enjoy the simpler things that’s sometimes missed on a bike, and guarantee a positive experience. Hopefully more advanced stuff will become a fun challenging next step and not taking a chance.

That’s the plan whinlatter for next Thursday and Friday night away.

Awesome, as said above after the blue before kicking back to the carpark head off for the South, just stop at the top of the main climb and don’t do the summit climb and it’s a great roll down. You can skip the last section which is about just a bit awkward in a couple of places and do the last blue section again if you check the map.

Double agreed. Scenery and lunch as a first ride out,

You’ve not been to Whinlatter then… Scenery is fairly awesome

Also if we do decide to do the south loop is it straight after the blue?

Yes. The end of the blue blends into the start of the south loop. Check out the route maps and you’ll see.

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/fcenwealturatrailleaflet.pdf/$FILE/fcenwealturatrailleaflet.pdf

Basically when you finish the blue there is a right turn where the red comes out of the car park (after post 15) head out on the red, do the climb to post 6 then head back down from there (The trail turns right and the return comes in just in front of you easy to spot on the fire road), at the junction where that comes out you can head back to the end of the blue again (Post 45)