My boy loves the little skills loop at the FOD and keeps reminding me that I said I’d take him back and maybe we could also do the “big loop”. He’s a bit of an expert on the Croft Trail (the infamous one behind Nationwide in Swindon) so I should think he’s be OK ability wise, just slow. Not ridden it myself though so could be wrong.

My worry is that the Verderer could be mega busy and we’d be in people’s way and someone going for a Strava KOM could steam into us! Anyone else take their kids there? Whaddya reckon?

Stay behind him and sod the strava users 🙂
Many families use it and are much more likely to on a sunday, so anyone wanting to race down without the chance of meeting anyone has picked the wrong day IMO

That said, I have just properly read the title and noticed he is only 6 ( dont worry this actually makes it easier), my advice is this.

Shortly after the first section you will ride up a long wide stony track that takes you away from the car park area, to your right the trees have been cut down, this is called black ride. After that is a delightful section for youngsters involving stuff a bit more adventurous than the skills loop called the qualifier. This then comes onto a fire road where you go uphill. Shortly after that you take a left on a flat section that comes back onto Black ride, from there its very easy to turn left and re-do the qualifier..
A map can be found here >> http://www.1sw.org.uk/experience/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Forest_of_dean_map.pdf

Don’t be tempted to go uphill to do Witches finger as its hard work and has been the scene of many an accident.
The beauty of this little loop is that your never far away from an easy descent back to the centre.

And I do think 6 years old is pushing things for the final descent 🙂

And I do think 6 years old is pushing things for the final descent

Agreed. It’s very fast and you never know what you may come across. I did see a bloke pushing his bike back up 😯 (I was just starting so at the bottom). Had to look away!

Don’t confuse a full car park with a busy trail. There are always a lot of downhill riders at Peddleabikeaway, and I have been round the VT before and seen very few other riders even when the car park is rammed.

I’d reflect what other have said, the descent in the middle of the trail is pretty steep, and the last 3.5k just needs a bit of care.

My feeling is that on the descent there isn’t really anywhere to stop. You have to fairly commit yourself to the berms and the descent is pretty full-on in the sense that it’s relentless but brilliant.

Sorry but I wouldn’t take a 6 year old on Verderer’s.

Edit: just to add that the descent is graded as red although the rest of the trail is blue.

Well, there are red and blue options in the last section of the descent, so you can keep it all blue.

OK folks, thanks for the advice. We’re going to give it a miss and just do our local trail again tomorrow, it’s over an hours drive to the FOD and I think we’ll wait until he’s a bit bigger, or drop in for a quick ride when we’re passing like we’ve done before.

Cheers!

Another option is you could go up the push-up bit like the downhillers do turn left by the big signs and go long the fire road and just ride the last bit a few times.I have seen a guy with his young son and dog on the last bit fine.The thing that would worry me is not the age of your son is the lack of ability of some of the people riding the verderers they just dont seem to have a clue or control.

I think I need to go on my own and suss out the route options, would like to take him but with minimal risk and faff!

The loop i mentioned ( the qualifier section) is great, plenty of chance to see other riders incoming and close to base, I take groups there quite often. Im guiding next week and will try and gpx it and another route that I use.

A gpx would be great if you can, ta!

I’m hoping to get over early tomorrow with my 7 year old. He normally messes around on the skills area but if it’s not too busy I was thinking of taking him on the exact loop that bigh described. I reckon it will be perfect and up his sense of achievement – not taking him anywhere near the final descent though.

You could say that’s as it really a blue trail its just the thing for your kid and those who wish to give it some welly should wait. Just stay between him and the chaser. Try late in the day or early and it will be empty. I have often done it then and seen no one.