Thrunton woods near rothbury used to be one of my local weekly rides and I used to relish the technical trails it has, the gully and also 'star wars' off the crag top (named by my mates not anything official). So having a rare chance to ride near my old home of Newcastle I took the bike up yesterday. Nice and wet. Probably been a good 8-10 years since I was there but what have they done? I was a bit disappointed that the climb up to castle crag after the gully trail is full of grouse pens and unrideable.. you used to be able to get up 3/4 of it? Is there now an alternative? It was just wading up through bracken yesterday. I decended right to the bottom where the fence and gate are then back up…

I also couldnt find 'Hans Rays Garden path' (another name from the past).. this trail drops off the main crag, starts steep and then evens a little but is full of technical bits. It was always difficult to find but I couldnt see the entry point, has it gone? I found the bottom of it and as I came back along the bottom fireroad I saw a couple of other trails coming down??

Anybody local able to shed some light?

I also couldnt find 'Hans Rays Garden path' (another name from the past).. this trail drops off the main crag, starts steep and then evens a little but is full of technical bits. It was always difficult to find but I couldnt see the entry point, has it gone?

If that's the trail I think it is then yes the entry was blocked off by the FC a good few years ago, but most of the trail stayed in good condition. The entry was mostly cleared a while back, and it seemed to be being used a little more again. I dunno if it's blocked again cuz I've not been there for a while.

I found the bottom of it and as I came back along the bottom fireroad I saw a couple of other trails coming down??

There are *a lot* of trails around now. Some really good stuff of a similar ilk to the ones you mention, but longer and better. Hand-cut, but natural. But you have to know where to look. If you've not been for best part of a decade then you won't know any of the new ones. But some are fairly visible if you keep your eyes peeled 😉

Hans Rays as you call it was blocked off as mentioned about 7 maybe 8 years ago as was falling it to a sorry state. Last time I tried to ride it about 5 years ago it was too overgrown with low branches.

The climb to caslte crag hasn't changed that much apart it's now very boggy as it's not controlled by the FC once into the fenced part I guess it'll reamain that way, not sure what you mean by the grouse pens.

There is lots of hidden trails in there now with way more technical sections than the gully and a few good singletrack parts. FC are ok with these as long as they remain sensible. One of them is near Hans Ray and is a good compromise for it.

Next time you around give a shout might be able to show you them. Supposed to riding there tonight but really need to sort the house out for the builders moving in.

Yeah I reckon i might have missed some of the new stuff as I went up the crag by using the tarmac road and came up behind it rather than carrying the bike up the north end of the open crags, so I avoided/missed the trail out the car park where some of these new ones must start.

The grouse pens are at the bottom of the gully drop. The land is owned by some guy in Callaly castle I think and not FC. You used to drop off the gully and bounce to the bottom, then at the fence you could head left and down further to a gate, then come back up the other side of the fence and the pens are there. I guess instead of the left, you could cross the fence and maybe the trail is still there on the other side?

Nice offer and I wish I could take you up on it. I'm only here for a couple more days biking (then in daddy mode) and fancy hitting Chopwell woods tonight. See whats new over there. No doubt the 'friends of chopwell' continue to be as unfriendly as ever. lol.

No they're spread all over the place not just near the car park.

Hans Rays as you call it was blocked off as mentioned about 7 maybe 8 years ago as was falling it to a sorry state. Last time I tried to ride it about 5 years ago it was too overgrown with low branches.

I rode it about 3 years ago one winter and it was actually ok, though the very bottom section was a bit of a palaver with branches.

It wasn't as good as I remember it being back in the day though. But then back then there were a far more limited set of trails.

I saw one that was signed closed due to forestry thinning operations. I didnt go down it but it was tempting. It was on the fire road climb after coming off the crags down the really technical 'star wars' drop, well fun cos it was soaking!

Yuh huh, that sounds right.

I don't wanna say too much because I'm not sure how much info about these is meant to be in the public domain these days 😳

Yeah they're doing some heavy felling at the moment which is cutting right through the trails and we've been politely asked not to use them whilst they're busy.

Chela many of them are known about and are public knowledge but not all of them, the one Ti is referring to is known about. IIRC the FC even dropped in some hardcore for them to lay down.