Did it for the first time today, pretty crap and dull TBH, got to the end and nearly asked for my car park money back, no imagaination on the route.

Only good thing about it was the weather and the view of Coniston OM, it was beautiful.

That is all.

The first climb is ok 🙂 I use that to get up onto lawson park/parkamoor.

Theres a lot of great riding in the area and bits of TNF can be linked into other good singletrack, but yes on its own it can feel a bit disappointing. The guys at Biketreks (Ambleside) would be able to give you some good pointers.

It’s actually pretty damn good considering the original design brief. The big climb is very well thought out and built, but the average punter like yourself won’t appreciate the detail of trail building and the restraints of design briefs. Most of it does improve if you belt round. What does make the whole thing better is doing it as part of a bigger ride, incorporating some great local descents.

yes not the best choice there tbh as DONK notes.
I suspect he was going fast as he only has three speeds stop, fast and racing.

I quite liked it though it isnt as exciting as whinlatter for decents but then you have to take into account that it isn’t whinlatter/Llandegla/CyB (delete appropriate) but offers something different. some people like it some don’t but I don’t think that it’s boring, quite the opposite.

Edit:

the very last downhll section to the start is actually very good.

I’d never done it until a few weeks ago, partly due to a lack of opportunity, partly due to negative reviews. I ended up there by accident, so gave it a whirl and really enjoyed it. It’s one to ride briskly or flat out, but it’s nicely rough, twisty a little technical and generally good fun. There’s better/harder stuff in the forest, but that’s no reason to discount TNFT.

As Donk says, Parkamoor and Lawson Park are excellent descents that can be included in TNF trail, you just need to consult a map and plan your route. You also don’t need to pay to park, again, if you consult a map.

no imagaination on the route

Kingkongsfinger, pot, kettle, black and all that!

I stayed 20 minutes ride from there during (the baking hot) Easter hols. Was superb to dash around it on a night at full whack. Plus like people say, adding in all the other local natural highlights makes it much better – I did one ride which included bits of the NFT, Breasty Haw, Parkamoor and some fun cheeky bits as well as the ride over and back from Thwaite Head where I was staying which included an excellent descent in either direction.

As a loop in itself I thought it was pretty dull. I should imagine that it’s a useful resource to locals to tie in with the really good stuff in the forest, which from my experience is fantastic.

What Donk says, the trail is dull but it’s meant to be for an all round trail for family riders. The Lakes is full of great rocky descents and singletrack so really going to a trail centre in my eyes is a silly move.

I had an hour or two of freedom during a family holiday, it was ideal as somewhere I could head off to and blast round without having to work out a loop on the OS maps.
It wasn’t the most challenging loop I’ve ever ridden, but any time on the bike is good 🙂

As highclimber said, the final descent was great, I took a short-cut back to the start of that and rode it another few times 🙂

I’ve only been to Grizedale a couple of times but found that there are so many great natural trails that the north face didn’t get a look in.

The views from Parkamoor are amazing and some of the bridleway descents in Grizedale are pretty testing.

If you stick to the TNF trail then yes, I agree with the OP its pants. BUT there is a lot of good riding around there.

It’s good for newcomers to mtb-ing but for experienced riders it’s tame.

As said, there are better bits in Grizedale but for decent riding head elsewhere in the Lakes IMO

Someone might know this…

When I was there at Easter, I took the BW that heads away from the visitor centre towards Satterthwaite (the starting climb on the blue/green route I think) but after the blue/green forks right, I went left towards the bottom section of the Parkamoor descent into Satterthwaite. A bit before reaching the Parkamoor BW, there was an excellent looking footpath descent coming down the hillside to the right in the trees. Looks superb but couldn’t see it marked on the OS map – anyone know where it starts? Obviously I’d be walking it out of hours 😉

It was built a while ago, people and bikes have got better. Still a nice run though.

I think it adds to the lakes options. I think it was my sons first trail centre and I think it worked well for this

If you want more challenge the lakes has loads. Finding lakes rides that don’t have big climbs to big for the kids to enjoy is harder

trail centres add, not take away. They increase options not decrease. You didn’t have to ride it. It seems popular, which is good. We met a family on Hybrids I don’t think Walna Scar would work for them…

It was one of my first bike rides when I got into biking. It was freezing cold and lashing it down, I fell off several times on the boardwalk, and I was really slow and knackered – I loved it though and haven’t been able to get enough biking ever since.

I don’t ever do it any more though – as above, apart from the first climb which gets you towards Parkamoor etc. There’s so many ace BWs in the forest (and some good FPs 😉 ) – virtually every one has been a winner when I’ve just picked them at random off a map.

Christ this old debate again. Next time your going Jase, let me know and I’ll give you a proper Grizedale route.

The NFT gets a bit of a bad deal I reckon. Pick it up and put it anywhere else and it would be ace. Its just that its sat bang in the middle of Grizedale and there is SOOO much excellent natural stuff there that it cant compete.

We did a ride the other week though and we used the Run from Moor Top to the VC and then the climb up from the VC to Lawson park and it linked up a big day brilliantly.

DaveyBoyWonder, not exactly sure where you mean as it seems you refer to Parkamoor descent as what can be known as ‘Grandad, Dad and the Dentist’. Parkamoor descent actually drops into Nibthwaite.

“I took the BW that heads away from the visitor centre towards Satterthwaite ” Is this the same bridleway the North Face starts on, up from the visitor centre? If so then the footpath you are talking about could either be one that crosses the first singletrack climb on the NF, or another shorter footpath that starts from the hairpin bend on the fireroad.

It was built a while ago, people and bikes have got better. Still a nice run though.

It’s only a few years though is it not? Bikes have changed but new riders come along all the time. It does what it’s meant to do attract families and occasional rider and beginners to the visitor centre for somewhere relatively safe to ride bikes.

2006 it opened.

Ah cheers I thought maybe 4 or 5, so not long then.

Money back? Do you have to pay to use it or something???

It’s good for linking parts of the forest together. I couldn’t imagine driving all the way to it just to ride around it. But if you park outside the lakes, ride to it, then ride the loop then you’ll have a good ride and the parking will be free.

To be fair to the trail, I know plenty of people who live up there and are not serious mountain bikers but enjoy riding that trail. So it’s obviously opening up mountain biking to new people, which has to be a good thing IMHO.

I thought it was bit too short when I went round.

Just to add a little bit to the OP. I had a few hrs to spare, no time to plan a route, so just drove over to Grizedale from where I was working in the morning and jumped out the car and did the ride without any planning whatsoever, perfect for that as needed to be home for dinnertime in Bolton. I’m not knocking the people who designed and worked hard to make the route, if you take the route in the context it was designed for its OK.

I just thought it may have been a bit more tricky, difficult and testing etc. and I know its like going to a brothel and just having a suck on a nipple, doing the NFT when you have got days of “natural” riding around there in Grizedale.

It was sunny though 8)

It was the first trail I ever rode and I loved it just for that – went round again a couple of times last month (after visting Afan earlier in the year) and felt it was a bit tame, but that’s just me hopefully getting a bit faster.

I do love not having to read any maps though. Plus they’re building a black loop in there right now, so it’s going to get a bit better.

Considering the number of fairly obviously zero riding experience families and couples I’ve seen riding/pushing along it it’s probably a good job they didn’t do anything too radical on it. Dunno if it’s graded as a red or black (or at all) but pretty sure there must be signs saying not for beginners.

BTW not knocking people for having a go but I’ve seen a few blokes leading their family round who I reckon will have got some grief from their (currently pushing) mrs once back at the car

timnwild, Russell Burton who designed and built TNF trail also designed and built trails at Afan and Cwm Carn. Obviously, what FC requires at each location will be different. TNF was very much built within tight restaints, lots of other user groups in the forest, lots of visiting families bringing bikes, tight budgets etc. Grisdale Forest will be one of the most visited forests in the UK I expect. On top of that, a few of the original little bits of more advanced stuff, were taken out a couple of years ago, probably due to what DONK refers to.

New black loop sounds interesting – looks like it will be DH/jump oriented which is a good thing imo, as it will provide something different to the BWs.

Lowey

Would be interested in your better routes around grizedale or other as I recently moved to Barrow not to far away