Viewing 28 posts - 1 through 28 (of 28 total)
  • What's your favourite long, sweeping descent?
  • wombat
    Full Member

    I’m looking to put together a weekend of riding somewhere in the UK and would like to include a nice, natural, not too technical (no more than trail centre Red route standard) long descent.

    Quite happy to do a bit of pedalling but would ideally like, in addition to the moon on a stick, a few miles of off road, swoopy, generally downhill biking with a pub at the end of it.

    What would the STW hive recommend?

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    How long?

    Lairig Ghru path from the lodge down to Rothiemurchus and finish at the Old Bridge Inn. Definitely qualifies as swoopy more than overly technical. 7-8 km from the high point to the pub. There are longer descents in the Cairngorms but they usually involve finishing some way from the local hostelry and/or more technical terrain.

    jekkyl
    Full Member

    a few miles would be over quite quick. You need a mountain!
    helvellyn perhaps or skiddaw.

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    stevied
    Free Member

    There’s a lovely route down from the Worcestershire Beacon on the Malvern’s that end’s up in town (pub). Some open & fast, some swoopy, some >tight<, some rocks etc.

    mahalo
    Full Member

    Dyfi, Cli-Machx last descent…?

    CaptainFlashheart
    Free Member

    Trail centre based – Mark of Zorro or the end of Climachx.

    Not “natural”, I suppose, but what is? Sheep tracks? 😉

    jam-bo
    Full Member

    quantocks. loads of them, quite a few with pubs at the bottom too.

    wombat
    Full Member

    Thanks for the suggestions, not been to the Quantocks yet…

    How long is it Scotroutes?

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    It’s about 10km to the pub, but the last 3-4 km is along easier track. There are other bits you could throw in to make it a longer day, including a higher start by carrying past the Chalamain Gap.

    Loads of other stuff in the area too if you’re wanting to make a weekend of it.

    If you want a trail centre then Golspie claims to have the longest singletrack descent in the UK at 7km. That’s where we were going when I took these photos last month.

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/T4CwDD]P1030775[/url] by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/T4CtiR]P1030780[/url] by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/RYA66u]P1030782[/url] by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

    As a teaser, this is the path from the normal high-point past Rothiemurchus Lodge

    [url=https://flic.kr/p/Tg2LvP]P1030786[/url] by Colin Cadden, on Flickr

    wombat
    Full Member

    Golspie looks good, would be a weekend job as it’s about 7 hours away from me

    Edit; can’t see your pics Scotroutes

    aP
    Free Member

    Cross Fell down to Garrigill?
    Mynton Batch on Long Mynd?

    whitestone
    Free Member

    Minton Batch? It’s about two kilometres at most.

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    Hmm. Anyone else not seeing them? They’re on flickr so should be fine.

    whitestone
    Free Member

    I see them fine Colin.

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    Minton Batch, then back for Small Batch (which has required pub at the bottom).

    RustySpanner
    Full Member

    The Lady Anne Clifford Highway just west of Hawes?

    Not at all techie, but a long, fun descent.

    benp1
    Full Member

    How long, in minutes, is a long descent defined as?

    binners
    Full Member

    Long Mynnd fits the bill. Not ridden it for a few years, and I really need to, as its ace!

    Also Drum Mountain in Wales. Its a slog up to the top, but the descent is Awesome!

    Theres always the San Marino from the top of Winter Hill. Its pretty cut up after last years floods, but we rode it last week, at night, and its still a right laugh

    [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O56xs0OXi5U[/video]

    wombat
    Full Member

    Pics work fine on Android and iOS, it would appear to be an issue with my laptop.
    Looks excellent 8)

    Benp, long is a relative concept, in my case defined as “until my legs are just about to collapse”

    whitestone
    Free Member

    Cam High Road. Long? Yes. Swooping? It’s a f***ing Roman road! 😆

    Bowderdale in the Howgills.

    There’s a descent between Lady Anne Clifford Highway and Hawes down from High Abbotside that’s longer than the one off Cotter End on LACH in the Hawes direction.

    One of my favourites is the grassy bit leading from the mines in Gunnerside Gill southwards towards Gunnerside itself.

    scotroutes
    Full Member

    8)

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    Bowderdale is quite tech, wet, and slow in places, and more importantly, no pub at the bottom!

    However, this one ends up in Sedbergh. No tech, swoopy, pub!

    [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUwdyDPRaag[/video]

    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    Dunkery down through Horner

    [video]https://youtu.be/jnqataSasmY[/video]

    (Not my vid)

    Malvern Rider
    Free Member

    And this (my soopersekret drop-bar swooperspeshul – all the way to the tea room.)

    Not mountainous, not so long, but I love it.

    ton
    Full Member

    Howgills. down to Sedbergh from The Calf.
    fast, swoopy, grassy, oh and very fast.

    arrpee
    Free Member

    Gypsy Glen descent into Peebles. Wide open, fast as you like. Bring some mates and send them ahead to open the gates for you. No shortage of pubs at the end.

    tillyfishes
    Free Member

    Glenlivet red descent. Mellow, flowy with some occasional interesting features and takes about 15mins to descent – it is a bit pedally though!

    tjagain
    Full Member

    Gysey glen for me. The one scotroutes names is also very good.

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