I’m visiting my folks over easter and have one day to sneek off to fit in a trail centre. my folks live excactly half way between the 2 can the STW community help me decide. i’d like fast flowy descents and dont mind climbing to find them, there is no black run at Whinlatter and i’m worried the red might be a bit tame, but i do like the sound of the long exposed trails

not done hamsterley, but whinlatter was just okay imo. the last run down on the first loop was really good, but that was it for me, second loop was naff, the last run on that wasnt good at all. both loops can be done really quick as well. if i lived local i would still ride it midweek, but at over a 2.5 hours drive, i wont go again unless im passing or if im up there for a weekend. just my opinion.

There’s better natural riding in the lakes closer to you than whinlatter.

Some stuff going on at Hamsterly this weekend

Not convinced all of the trails are open at present either – a lot of the north side of the black was MIA last time I rode it (mid-march-ish). Best to check with these guys

I prefer Whinlatter, but its the lesser of the two evils.
Given the choice I’d ride “natural” in the Lakes, unless the weather is appalling, which its not forecast to be. If you time it right, you can extend Whinlatter to go up and over Grizedale Pike if you abide by the rules of cheek. Or keep it legal and do Borrowdale Bash (with added cheeky bits). Or nearer your side, would be Haweswater, Nan bield combo, a la Pinkbike recently

Hmm, halfway. That somewhere near the Howgills? Big flowy descents there…

thanks all certainly something to think about, halfway is up by hexham, so streching the halfway bit.

i like the sound of natural trails, especially as the weather is good, but i’m pretty lazy and following the yak trails is my kinda thing, especially when i am out of practice in au natural riding and mapping.

I’m in Hexham 🙂
Won’t be here this weekend though.

Hamsterly is nearer, half an hour’s drive, rather than an hour to Whinlatter. but I don’t know if you can fill a whole day at Hamsterly. To be honest you can’t at Whinlatter unless you do it a few times, but it is easy to get out onto other good stuff.

There’s always Keilder too, to throw into the mix…

I think cheeky trails in the Lakes on Easter weekend is a very bad idea unless you want to give riders a bad name

Hamsterley would be my choice out of the 2 for grin factor. A word of warning though, if you follow the red route you won’t grin until you’ve done the best part of 9 miles on fire roads/lanes. You need to combine the black and red. Google Hamsterley black red route and you’ll find it mapped out.

I think cheeky trails in the Lakes on Easter weekend is a very bad idea unless you want to give riders a bad name

Or go very, very early or very, very late in the day. Which to be honest means the legal trails are less cluttered too.

Hamsterley is great if, as above, you combine the red and black best bits with a bit of off-piste. You kind of need to know where you’re going though. I really like Whinlatter, although I’m not as familiar with it. Mabie is also within striking distance, as is Kielder (it’s probably closest to Hexham in terms of driving time).

There is an XC race at Hamsterley on Saturday afternoon, using the best bits of the red trail, so be careful with your timings (unless you want to join in 🙂 )

Whinlatter for grin factor all day long, quite a bit of Shamsterly is closed anyway.

ah ok, yep heading out on Saturday so perhaps Hamsterley is out, not sure my heavy frame (bike and Rider) will be good in an XC race.

yeah keilder is good, but i tend to ride it every time im up in the north so was hoping for something a bit different and yeah if the weather is good and easter weekend i think most of the routes in the lakes will be pretty busy.

What about some natural riding? Hexhamshire common? Or Blanchland and Edmundbyers? I haven’t been out there since the early autumn, but it might be dry enough for a blast. Nice cafe at Blanchland too.

I rode Whinlatter with Godzilla on Saturday- trails were in great condition and should be even dryer and faster now!

Rode Blanchland/Hexhamshire Common on Sunday and it was remarkably dry.
That or Hamsterley? No contest…..

Spend 4 hours going round and round Chopwell. I might be about there on Sat if I can pack the beasts off to the inlaws in time, otherwise it’ll be Sunday.

If you time it right, you can extend Whinlatter to go up and over Grizedale Pike if you abide by the rules of cheek.

Which way would you descend off the top? Or is it obvious once you’re there?

Which way would you descend off the top?

Dunno really, never done it. Its on my list of “trails to ride”

Seen it done as a there-and-back, so out from Whinlatter, push up, then ride all the way down to Braithwaite.

Apparently Hobcarton End is good, as is the descent down to Coledale from the Hause. Oh, and Whitless Pike. Plenty to choose from.

Cheers. 😉

Don’t get up to that bit of the Lakes very often but would like to explore more.

Hobcarton End is the best run back into the Forest, Coledale Hause is a better descent, but you then have to climb back up into the forest. Whiteless Pike will leave you in Buttermere with a long trek back to the car, but it’s pretty good fun.

It’s not an hour from Hexham though, you’ll be doing well to get there in 90 minutes.

Best way to get up there is to go to the top of the South Loop climb, then head straight up from there, hack through the undergrowth, climb a fence and follow the ridge. Steep but quite quick.

Ir-bandito, what/ where do you ride? i’m also from the hexham area

hey hazza,
Mostly ride local stuff around Hexham: Dukes, Blanchland Common,Hexham Common etc. Epic “all-mountain” XC is probably the best TM description of my riding 😉
I’ve been working in Dundee a lot recently so riding up there.
I ride a fair bit in the Northern Lakes too when i get a chance.

There’s a bunch of us who ride from Hexham at 8pm every wednesday. Sometimes big ones over to Allendale etc, sometimes larking around DHW before going to the pub. We start late as we all have to get the kids to bed first…