That Aberfeldy course looks hideous though – imagine if it was wet!

Actually, it could’ve stood a bit of rain. It was too dusty. In scotland! Mental. In the proper wet it’d have been death on a stick though.

As it was, was ace fun to ride. Only needed about 2 pedal strokes from top to bottom, proper steep and you were on your toes the whole way down. Crashed my brains out on my first run 100m off the start line and DNF’d though.

Glencoe scares me tbh- couple of years back I raced fort william one day, walked glencoe the next, and I honestly couldn’t say I was confident I could get down Glencoe in one piece. These days, probably would, still haven’t done it though. Haven’t done Dunkeld or Aberfeldy- hard comes in different flavours, I find the alistair lees at innerleithen harder than fort william but it’s not scary, it’s just slippy, frinstance.

Fort william- the public track isn’t that hard (it cuts out the worldcup woods and the big doon), it’s non-stop but in terms of technicality it’s not huge. I rode it one day and laggan black the next, on the same 6 inch bike, and I reckon Laggan was harder on balance. Maybe the nastiest sections at the fort are worse but Laggan has more bits that need serious attention, and they all ambush you.

No such thing as hardest trail full stop. There are plenty of paths that merge into scrambles that are impossible and always will be.

Hardest trail centre, I think you probably mean.

Can’t believe no one has mention the woods behind the Nat West in Swindon yet

Bridleway down easedale – looks ace on the map but is a non stop low speed dab and wobble round boulders/round bogs/carry/push – not diffcult/technical in a gnarr way just heart breaking and demoralising. made me want to melt down the bike and turn it into golf clubs

and I HATE golf

@ seosamh77, yep pretty nuts that trail, Dave rode it on a Tallboy as well 😯

So, how does riding down Snowdon’s Railway in gales and fog then hammering it down Llanberris compare?

For me the hardest was a the black mountain killer loop
On a day when the wind and rain just did not stop.
On a nice day it’s also my fav trail

Maibe Darkside is probably the hardest to clean.

Stainburn Boulder Trail is the techiest trail centre, with some of the old purples across the road being the steepest ridable thing I’ve ever seen.

Ingleborough into Ingleton is pretty bloody mad-tech-gnar and super exposed at the top. It scared me more than the double blacks I’ve ridden.

Another vote for Glencoe black, fine until you reach the middle section then absolutely mental. Twas a cold wet day back in September when a friend and I went there. We were the only ones on the chairlift! When we finally finished/gave in trying we got to the bottom where a bloke had been watching us (laughing) as at one point my mate stopped to see if I could get through the big steep rock garden in the middle section (just about) only to turn around and find his bike had rolled off down the hill without him!

4 passes in the Lakes is pretty tough – I’m not sure Warnscale Beck is 100% ridable, and it’s a fairly brutal day out. That tour of Coniston looks mental!

For intimidating trails centre trails you need to be north of Fort William. My nominations are Laggan Black and the Red Rock trail on the Black Isle. 2 definite cases for body armour and a full facer.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Fb5a066vtI[/video]

That Glencoe video is enough to make me want to take something a bit safer…

By all accounts 50acre wood in Bristol is supposed to be bit hard 😆

One for the ‘potential mountain rescue’ type of hard is supposedly Cross Fell. I really want to have a crack at this if we get a spell of decent dry weather this summer!

Has the new black section opened at Swinley? Sure that will be Gnarr!

Trail down a glen near Kinlochewe, down from Lochan Fada to Loch Maree, OTB and almost went over a cliff into the gorge

Another Kenny Wilson classic, the descent to Loch Maree had suffered several rockfalls and we had to lower the bikes with a length of rope…

Think its described in the guide as a delight for competent bike handlers…

D0NK – Member

nashwaymule, ouch! I may suggest this as a route and I suspect my fellow riders will give me a 2 word answer.

YES PLEASE

That tour of Coniston looks mental!

He is not wrong

the descent to Loch Maree had suffered several rockfalls and we had to lower the bikes with a length of rope…

When were you there?

We were there May/June last year and no ropes needed then.

article here of the preceeding days:

http://www.cyclistno1.co.uk/features/rides/into-torridon-the-uks-most-wild-riding.htm

One for the ‘potential mountain rescue’ type of hard is supposedly Cross Fell

I can’t think of anything hard or really tech in the cross fell area,although the descent from Great Dunn fell towards Blencarn is long its the exposure and remoteness that would get you into difficulties..awesome area though and great 29er country too.

“Natural” tracks – I don’t really see the point in discussion. Limiting it to tracks designed for bikes that I’ve “done” (bear in mind I’m a proper mincer and haven’t ridden any designed tracks south of Hamsterley) Laggan Black is probably hardest XC route. DH track wise, Glencoe (only admired from above) and Dunkeld tracks are pretty stupid, Kidland is a bit mental, Fort William is hard and its difficult for its length alone, and I can’t even get down all the stuff at Innerleithen cleanly so I’m not the best judge. That youtube clip makes Aberfeldy look hilarious though, makes me want to try a full sus.

One for the ‘potential mountain rescue’ type of hard is supposedly Cross Fell. I really want to have a crack at this if we get a spell of decent dry weather this summer!

I think someone has been pulling your leg. Not remotely difficult riding (though nice), have been riding the tracks up there since a kid without a second thought, usually take the cx bike nowadays. Obviously weather can be bad and there aren’t many folk about so you need to be able to take care of yourself but same can be said of loads of areas with decent riding.

Locahan Fada down past Slioch must be the place for over the bars crashes. I had a big stack there – luckily it was reasonably far down. Hurt like hell and made me think a bit – mainly that I should have had my shirt on (in my defence it was 30 degrees), and that if I hadn’t been lucky that I had seen 3 other people in the last 2 days. Great area for riding though in a less remote spot with less consequences if it goes wrong, more than a 100mm fork or even full sus I’m sure the same track wouldn’t be quite as challenging. I certainly wouldn’t have it near the “hardest” track in the country or even the hardest track in a 5 mile radius – harder than me though.

One for the ‘potential mountain rescue’ type of hard is supposedly Cross Fell

been up and down cross fell, the climb is pretty epic and the descent to blencarn is pretty damn good, however I’ve never done a full loop over to garrigal or whatever the place is on the other side, attempted twice and both times my mate has blown up and we’ve turned back. Hard ride and you are miles away from anywhere, no bailout options, but not really difficult trails (from the little I know) been meaning to go back and do straight up and back down to blencarn as a 2nd short ride on the way home after something in the lakes.

How have I never ridden Parkin Clough? Looks like a go-er 😯

I can’t really add to this, as I’ve never ridden North of Edinburgh 🙁 I can, however, vouch that Stainburn is pretty clenchy in places, though it’s been a few years.

The 4th lap through the field of despair in HTN land.

Richmtb – the woods behind Natwest in Swindon would be the most impossible trail ever.

The woods behind Nationwide however, are legendary in their difficulty and epicness. Mainly due to the tossy dog walkers who insist on habitating them.

Glencoe dh in the wet is pretty full on!

Here’s me mincing around considering the risks of Fort Bill.

Glencoe y’say!

*finds armor*

It’d be okay on a full dh bike, on reflection Five wasn’t the best choice to ride it on 🙂

Lochan Fada to Loch Maree for me.
I’m going to head back this summer and have another go. Last time I was on my own and lost all my confidence when I came upto the first hard bit.

[/quote] Lochan Fada to Loch Maree for me.

Was convinced the massive long horn goats were stalking us too followed us and kept appearing on the skyline behind us 😉

Wanders off to get Kenny F Wilson book…

Nan Beild down to Haweswater (without diverting off the path) is pretty techy!! otherwise, last weekends epic starting at Seathwaite, riding up honister pass to buttermere, then over to black sail, then over to Wasdale and back over to Seatoller. 4 passes, 16 miles, 6000ft. EPIC!! That was 9 hours that broke me (9 hours included taking to every single hiker about my pals fat bike, so probably about 5 hours riding/hiking time) 😉 Otherwise, The most annoying bit of hebden.. the mmbop stairs. Just cant do them. grrr

Just done the 4-passes for the first time today (6 hrs riding-time for me), the bridleway from the Honister quarries down Warnscale Beck to Gatesgarth was a real peach – techtastic 😀

Stoney Cove Pike in the lakes is a good un. harder than nan beild

still harder out there though.

Hardest trail center

Boulder Trail at Stainburn has to one of the hardest manmade trail centre type trails in the UK.

+1

Natural stuff you could argue one persons hard trail is another unrideable cliff. Cavedale or “The Beast” in the Peaks are pretty tough for someone new, but for anyone with a modicum of skill they’re easily rideable (then the challenge is riding them quicker).

Stainburn black is hard to get round without putting your foot down, but I’m not sure that would put it in my “hardest trail in the UK” list.

Glencoe is bonkers in the wet.

This probably wins for me though:

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-M9dkL2yJ8[/video]

Sorry, but i don’t class “taking your bike for a walk” to really be mountain biking. I think the idea is that you should be riding it, not just carrying it !

It was a wee bit tongue in cheek max, a dig at the suggestion that trail centres are home to the hardest riding in the UK 😉

That said, the guys on the Glencoe vid weren’t doing much riding either!

“taking your bike for a walk”

Yes, but if one person can ride it does it then qualify? (not in the UK, just making a point)

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GjCWqogJOes&feature=player_detailpage[/video]