Festive 500? Nah, this is the Forestry 450

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The Forestry 450 involves covering 450 miles exclusively on Forestry England’s cycle trails. You have between now and the end of October.

I f and when you complete the task, you’ll get a medal to show off and a chance to win a prize bundle worth £1,000.

You may have heard of the Rapha Festive 500 road cycling challenge thing (“500 kilometres. Eight days. December 24-31”). We assume this new Forestry 450 takes more than a little inspiration from it.

Forestry England press release:

Gear up for the ultimate riding adventure: Forestry England unveils Forest 450 challenge

Are you eager to enhance your cycling prowess while exploring the stunning landscapes of the nation’s forests? Look no further than Forestry England’s Forest 450 Challenge, where mountain bikers and cyclists are invited to ride the equivalent 450-mile distance from the awe-inspiring Kielder Forest in Northumberland to the breathtaking Cardinham Woods in Cornwall.

The golden rule of this challenge? Cover the entire 450 miles exclusively on Forestry England’s cycle trails. This encourages riders to get off the beaten track, enjoy nature and improve their cycling fitness along the way!

Riders have until the end of October to clock in a total of 450 miles in any way they choose. Whether it’s conquering a few off-road miles daily or embarking on epic long rides, participants can tailor the challenge to suit their preferences. Explore much-loved local forest trails or venture further afield to uncover new and exhilarating routes.

But wait, there is more! After completing the Forest 450, riders can celebrate their achievement by treating themselves to an finishers medal to show off to friends and fellow riders. All the money raised will go back into taking care of the nation’s forests, allowing riders to help support the forests that they love. Plus, there is a prize bundle worth £1000 up for grabs too!

With an abundance of fantastic mountain biking trails scattered across England, there’s no shortage of awe-inspiring experiences waiting to be discovered. Here are some of Forestry England’s carefully selected routes to ignite riders’ enthusiasm as they rack up their miles:

Lakeside Way, Kielder Forest, Northumberland

Kickstart your journey with a picturesque ride along the lakeshore, treating yourself to breathtaking views and encounters with Kielder’s diverse wildlife.

Jubilee Blue Trail, Dalby Forest, North Yorkshire

Immerse yourself in flowing singletrack goodness, boasting stunning valley vistas that are perfect for stacking up those miles.


Beater Trail, High Lodge, Thetford Forest, Norfolk

Navigate through winding forest paths, navigating obstacles like roots and rocks for an added dose of adrenaline.


Robin Hood Adventure Cycle Trail, Sherwood Pines, Nottinghamshire

Test your skills on a fast-paced and dynamic trail crafted to enhance your handling abilities, offering a thrilling seven-mile adventure through Sherwood Pines.


Shipwright’s Way Trail, Alice Holt Forest, Surrey

Extend your journey on this extensive route, meandering through picturesque East Hampshire countryside to rack up those extra miles.


Bodmin Beast Trail, Cardinham Woods, Cornwall

Conquer some of the most exhilarating singletrack sections on this thrilling route, serving as the virtual finish line for the Forest 450.

Prize information

Winner will receive:
£500 to spend at Fox Racing UK
£150 towards a Forest Holidays stay
£100 Go Ape voucher
Forestry England membership and a Forestry England goodie bag

Two runners up will receive:
£100 to spend at Fox Racing UK
Forestry England membership

forestryengland.co.uk

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Orange Switch 6er. Stif Squatcher. Schwalbe Magic Mary Purple Addix front. Maxxis DHR II 3C MaxxTerra rear. Coil fan. Ebikes are not evil. I have been a writer for nigh on 20 years, a photographer for 25 years and a mountain biker for 30 years. I have written countless magazine and website features and route guides for the UK mountain bike press, most notably for the esteemed and highly regarded Singletrackworld. Although I am a Lancastrian, I freely admit that West Yorkshire is my favourite place to ride. Rarely a week goes by without me riding and exploring the South Pennines.

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Home Forums Festive 500? Nah, this is the Forestry 450

Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)
  • Festive 500? Nah, this is the Forestry 450
  • mattsccm
    Free Member

    32  days commute for me. Or less if I count Thursday club gravel ride.

    zilog6128
    Full Member

    cool idea, might be worth pointing out you don’t “get” a medal – you have to pay £12 for it (and they look pretty cheap!!)

    1
    MrSparkle
    Full Member

    Nearest one to me is a 3.5 hours drive. Nice idea but I’ll pass.

    dirkpitt74
    Full Member

    Could probably cover the 450 miles in one go with all the diversions in place at Cannock……

    Merak
    Free Member

    Yeah, nah.

    stumpy01
    Full Member

    MrSparkle

    Nearest one to me is a 3.5 hours drive. Nice idea but I’ll pass.

    The list ^^ up there is not all of the locations. There are loads of places all over the country.

    https://www.forestryengland.uk/cycling

    I like the idea of this, but would probably struggle to manage it. Might give it a bash though.

    Rubber_Buccaneer
    Full Member

    I don’t think I can reliably differentiate between Forestry England and non Forestry England miles so I will have to give this a miss

    zilog6128
    Full Member

    I don’t think I can reliably differentiate between Forestry England and non Forestry England miles so I will have to give this a miss

    yeah, they own/manage a small section of my local woods (although probably the area I ride the most as it’s closest!) but all the rest of the woods are owned by several other different organisations. Plus obviously you’d have to not count the roads to/from the woods. I’m sure someone could knock up an online tool to extract said data from a GPX file as it would be a ballache to do it manually!!

    martinhutch
    Full Member

    Only 36 laps of Gisburn, or are we supposed to be doing it at different trails?

    2
    bikesandboots
    Full Member

    the entire 450 miles exclusively on Forestry England’s cycle trails. This encourages riders to get off the beaten track

    Their idea of what the beaten track is, is different to mine.

    zomg
    Full Member

    Forestry 724.5

    seriousrikk
    Full Member

    Hm, could probably smash this pretty easily…
    Although I expect they are keen for people to be doing it at offical trail centres not the top location I ride… although it could count as more off the beaten track.

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