So after work on Friday i decided to head up to the forest of dean for a ‘welcome to the weekend’ ride. Id heard alot about the Verderers trail but havent been to FoD for years. Despite living only 40 mins away.

What a Trail!!

It was pouring with rain, windy and generally pretty grim but the grin factor on the final decent made up for all of this.

So much so that i HAD to do it again. So, off i go. Get half a mile in and my B**tard chain snaps! Que heavier rain…

At this point, any normal/sensible fellow would admit defeat, tail between their legs and turn back. But for some utterly stupid reason I just had to do the last decent again.

So, i pushed. I pushed for 6 miles. Pumping the small downs on the way, to the point i was pumping them so much BOTH my thighs cramped up.

By this point i was halfway round, just left one side of the forest into the wide open space at the top just about to get into the other bit of forest. The light was going, the forest was looking more and more dooming by the minute.

Get into the forest to be confronted by 2 of the worlds biggest (definitely) wild boars. Screaming and snorting. This was quite un-nerving to say the least. The pace certainly picked up.

But after 2 hours, I made it, and again, after all of that it was worth it! Even soaking wet and with no drive it was still effin fast.

I cant wait to see how it rides in the dry!

So, if you havent been, i strongly recomend it!

What did you get up to? 🙂

Dave

sounds good

I can strongly recommend some of these though

My dwarf twin brother and I dressed up as wild boar, went off to the FoD and scared some dumb ass cyclist who was pushing his bike in the rain, oh how we laughed!

😉

Ah a classic stich up. Sounds like iv’e been had.

You and your unfortunate bro look like you need to lose a few kilos though, no wonder you only come out at night! 😉 Well done with the convincing screams though, i tip my hat in your general direction.

There’s so much more to do other than the Verderers too, the DTV are currently extending the Freeminers trail plus the miles and miles of natural single track.

I’ll second that. I always harp on about FoD off-piste stuff, but it really is great, the more I go the more I find. Staunton is the latest section that I’ve explored, and its some of the best yet

Yeah i remember going a long long time ago and riding the lesser known stuff. Been that long though that i cant remeber where any of it is anymore and no doubt plenty more has been built.

Hopefully heading up this weekend so will have an explore. I just liked how well the Verderers trail rode in the sodden wet, still plenty of grip and its looking like this weekend will be another wet one.

If you want a second or many more runs of the Verderers there is a quick way back to the last bit by the start of the Verderers.You ride up the pushup climb by the downhill runs.When you get to the top by the signs and the fireroad turn left go about 100 yards and you get to the start of the last bit.

If you want a second or many more runs of the Verderers there is a quick way back to the last bit by the start of the Verderers.You ride up the pushup climb by the downhill runs.When you get to the top by the signs and the fireroad turn left go about 100 yards and you get to the start of the last bit.

+1

Was just going to say exactly this…

Great mines think alike :lol:or cant be bother with the rest of the Verderers 😉

There’s so much more to do other than the Verderers too, the DTV are currently extending the Freeminers trail plus the miles and miles of natural single track.

We were there Sunday, and wondered what they where doing. We decided to walk the route to see where it went and all i can say is that if it follows the route marked out (most initially dug up, so assume it will) then it will be both a steep challanging accent and decent with some very sharp turns and drop offs.

Verderers was quite wet, but we found the Enduro route much drier and faster rolling.

Bring on the boar chase on Sunday 😀

Have to agree with comments above, Verderers is good for a quick blast, but it barely scratches the surface of what the FoD has to offer. It’s built with hardpack on purpose, so it’s grippy all weathers, as you’ve experienced. The more natural stuff there is typically slower/slippier when it’s wet due to the abundance of roots and natural surfaces, but there are so many good lesser known trails there, that even when wet, I would recommend finding out where some of them are for your next visit.

I know that I only know a fraction of what’s available in the FoD, but I can easily put together a BIG ride there without touching Verderers. There are numerous people on here who know many times more trails down there than I do too… The fact you’re only 40 miles away (where are you by the way, you’re about same distance as me) and you should get down there more often for sure!

How do you get on to the enduro trail, is it obvious to follow,?
Is the work on the red trail the extension that has been talked about ?

In all honesty, the Verderers has taken a beating this winter. The rain has washed a lot of the hard pack clay out of the surface. The final descent used to be a lot faster before the large loose stones and potholes that now litter it. A couple of weeks ago in the dry it was a bit sketchy without the mud to hold on to the stones.

It’s certainly not a blue trail now. A beginner would struggle to get round it.

Derek I normally do the first half of the red, then when you cross a fire road the red is signed straight on, but just to the left is the first single track section of the enduro. Head down there. After that you come back on to fire road but really to complete the loop it’s better following gps or someone who knows it. If you’ve got time just do the first bit then explore, theres lots to find and as long as you don’t cross a main road, it’s hard to get lost. Although some of the best stuff is further afield

The fact you’re only 40 miles away (where are you by the way, you’re about same distance as me) and you should get down there more often for sure!

Im actually only 20ish miles away (40mins or so) in Gloucester. After last weekend im definitely going to head up alot more.

Planning on heading there this weekend so will have an explore, although after last nights rain and most likely the rest of the week, the natural tails will most likely have turned to S*it.

Will have to stick the Muddy Marys on i think!

If you want a second or many more runs of the Verderers there is a quick way back to the last bit by the start of the Verderers.You ride up the pushup climb by the downhill runs.When you get to the top by the signs and the fireroad turn left go about 100 yards and you get to the start of the last bit.

I wish i knew this before! Thanks. Still, was an experience and taught me a life lesson, always carry spares!

Or look after your chain better 😳