[Closed] Hyped trails that you found a bit meh

Ben Damph again here. Final descent is ace but unless they'd had a month of drought up there (haha) I'd just push up and ride down rather than slog round for 3 hours beforehand...

I'm not suprized that pretty much every complaint regarding mostly trail centers has mention of "The only good bit."
I don't see how you can go out and ride a trail someone else has broken their balls to build for you, then bitch about it.
If you don't like the sloggy bits, you're probably not fit enough!
If you don't think there is enough reward for your climbing. You probably aren't fit enough.
If you don't get the "Flow of the trail." You're probably a crap rider.

This certainly clicked with me. Generally, my firends who are anti trail center riding are either not fit enough to just get the climbs done and out the way quickly, then lacking the skill/strength to make anything of the flatter sections/burnt out from the climb or lacking strength for that type of riding to really make something of the descent. For example I can see the blade at afan being pretty unenjoyable for some, but ghost train makes it worth it for me.

Peak district is very much meh, i think i've said it before, the traditional stuff people ride are pretty much just fireroads, but a bit more eroded, ie old roman cart tracks.

I don't really get antur stiniog, it just doesn't do anything for me, maybe i just didn't get up to speed on it. In terms of jumps and gaps, there was pretty much just what was prescribed to you, same with lines too, just feels like bad trail center riding rather than DH.

Quantock hills are over-rated. Some great Singletrack but give me east Dartmoor any day.

Ben Damph again here. Final descent is ace but unless they'd had a month of drought up there (haha) I'd just push up and ride down rather than slog round for 3 hours beforehand...

I'd be tempted to join you TBH.

Shame there doesn't seem to be a track over from Loch an Eoin.

Penmachno. It's like theyve ignored the last 20+ years of learning. Hub deep standing water in middle of a dry summer because they built the trail lower than surrounding ground out of hard pack with no culverts, camber etc.

And the trail itself is dull with no challenge and no flow. As if theyve managed to combine the worst aspects of a natural and a man made trail.

If I was going to "break my balls for thousands of hours" I'd do a bit of reading and research before all that effort.

Hard to believe Bike Park Wales hasn't been mentioned... They hype for that place was unreal, bought into it, huge disappointment.

Bowderdale and Doethie Valley were both a bit meh for me, really didn't see a lot to rave about in the riding but both are beautiful places.

And last week Nutcracker was just too much for me but I can see it being a hoot if you've got the skillz.

Nant-Yr-Arian. Admittedly we got lost at one point but I didn't feel the climbing was sufficiently rewarding. Would like to go back when the weather isn't horrendous too, as that made us rush rather than take our time.

Behind Nationwide in Swindon, it's been hyped here to no end but I couldn't really see what the fuss is... oh, all right, it was too technical for me so I just went home again rather than risk it. Better to live to ride another day than burn out in glory.

Anything round Aviemore and the Cairngorms. A few hundred miles of forest track interspersed with little bits of interest. You could ride all day and never even find a pub.

Not sure if Scotroutes is being entirely honest..

The Chilterns - totally over-hyped.

All this talk of great woodsy singletrack, hidden fast and swoopy downhills etc. is just crap. Anyone writing or talking about such things is obviously a liar and should be disposed of on the spot.

There is nothing good or appealing about the Chilterns.

Nant-Yr-Arian

the long loop has lots of old-school bridleway and country lane riding that loops you out for miles. In good weather it is well worth it for the stunning views (better than Penmachno 🙂 ) but would be pretty bloody grim in bad weather.

As for the trail-centre snobs; Munqe Chick and I are time-poor, due to sh1t near opposite shifts we get a massive 35 rest days a YEAR off together 🙄 so when we do get a rare opportunity to go off and ride for a few days, we can't afford to waste time exploring and have hit-and-miss riding, and with a trail centre you can expect decent quality, weather proof (again, with the exception of Penmachno...) trails.

Oh, and Dalby Forest is lame and hysterically overpriced compared to anything in Wales.

Quantock hills are over-rated. Some great Singletrack but give me east Dartmoor any day.

Much like Eastern Dartmoor I suggest it depends on what you know and where you look... 😉

Cut Gate/Dr's Gate Loop

Torridon - Coulags to Annat. Long push up over rocks, mostly rocks or buggy patches down. It is a footpath and probably better walked and enjoy the fantastic scenery.

For something different to say I am going for Kielder. Been a few years since I was there but the Lonesome Pine was abysmal. The Bloodybush one just as bad. Went a few times just to make sure there was nothing that could redeem them.
Glentress for just being too busy and the carriage way for holding water even after the longest dry period on record.

Adds teasel to the list of people not to be trusted...

Sligachan to Camasunary = Relentless slog, cracking scenery though 😀

Raven at Brechfa. Climb, climb, climb, too much dull climbs, at last bit of singletrack... oh it's already over, climb again, down a bloody fireroad! singletrack too short, climb, okay down, climb and then a decent-ish descent but not worth all that faff.

Some I know love it though, but they also love their climbing.

Blade I loved but was hesitant as some love it and some say meh. I can see why as likewise there's climb, down, climb, down, but the sections are a decent length and the final descent is crazy and fun. Not one for hard tails though. Not that you can't do it but it just wouldn't be as fun. I prefer it now to the rest of Whites.

Penmachno when I did it some years back was also a bit meh for me. Though the final descent was fun and there's an odd charm about the bleak nature of the place, but I seemed to be on fireroad for a long time and the bleak open moorland stuff got tedious. I hear it's had some work although looks like more smooth road stuff. Argument is it will bed in and become better over the years. Hmm, will see.

Torridon - Coulags to Annat. Long push up over rocks, mostly rocks or buggy patches down. It is a footpath and probably better walked and enjoy the fantastic scenery.

But... but... but...

It'd be a dull world if we all liked the same things I suppose.

It'd be a dull world if we all liked the same things I suppose.

Yet people perpetually disagreeing over things that are basically all good makes for a dull world. Just an observation, aimed at myself as much as anybody.

Sligachan to Camasunary = Relentless slog

I liked that..........but I thought borrowdale bash was a bit dull.
Horses for courses.

Moab Slickrock trail. It took nine hours to drive there from California and after about the first 10 minutes I was bored. It's like one of those tarmac skate parks and the novelty soon wears off.

Porcupine Rim the next day was outstanding though.

seems to be an odd definition of "hyped" knocking around on this forum.

I see so many areas put forward that I really enjoy. Can't quite see the problem with some of them.

Penmachno is a blinder.

I Rode Dalbeattie twice last month on the rigid singlespeed and loved it. Technical challenges and a lovely place to get away from it all.

Long myndd is another excellent day out. You just have to take different things away from some trails.

As nickc says, I can't remember the last time I got back from a new experience on my bike and thought, "well that was shit".

There are a very many places you lot have highlighted as shite.. so shite in fact that you'd not go again. Thing is, you all ride em' on FS bouncy things, which means... if they're all that shite on those things, they'll be great on a CX'er.

Cheers for the tips 😆

haha @Eddiethegent i was exactly the same at Moab slickrock! I did Poison Spider the day after which was better but i was still a little underwhelmed. I'm sure if i had a guide and some local knowledge it would have been a different story though.

So put together everywhere is a bit shite 😆 Obviously different people will "prefer" different trails, but honestly hand on heart, I've never had a ride on my bike that I felt was wasting my time.

The Aonach Eagach, zero flow and not techy enough, up down, up down at one point i had to take the wheels off to negotiate a precipice, rubbish trail.

Ciaran Path for me too, it does have some really good bits but it's such a slog for the rest. An uphill downhill. A nice enough loop, if the water's low then messing about on the rocks under the dam is great too, makes me wish I could trials. But location aside I think you've got to be kind of bonkers to ride it and not the grey mare's and kennels descents. I suppose it's easier though.

Innerleithen red... So formulaic, once you've ridden one lumpy berm and one jump you've done everything it has to offer, and all that's left is wondering what's wrong with the gravity and the weather, since you have to pedal down the hill as if it were a climb, and always into a headwind. It still provides a useful climb for the good stuff though. And Caddon bank's alright.

Of the hyped trails it is probably Minton Batch for me. Nice but I was expecting a three course meal not a chocolate eclair 😆

As for trail centres - most people who aren't locals will ride the signed trails and it is these that they are commenting on. Saying "If only you had ridden the trail that cuts off from ... , but it's hidden and unless we told you about it you'd never find it" is missing the point of what people are saying is wrong with that particular centre. Continuing the meal analogy - trail centres are McDonalds (or Burger King or Pizza Express) - yes they provide the calories but they don't do much for the soul.

Cross Border Trail, from Kielder

I thought that rather than being hyped Keilder was generally accepted to be a bit crap?

I agree about Minton Batch. It was quite good fun, in that there was a group of us blatting down it together, but there were zero features to it. Certainly not worth the slog up.

I rode one short descent on the Long Mynd that was good, apparently it was a bit cheeky, steep & loose down a ridge line, then a short & steep bit in the woods. It was over in about 30 seconds though.

Never been back, never plan to.

There is nothing good or appealing about the Chilterns.

heh, don't bother with Hebden and Calderdale either, nowt to ride here, might as well give it a miss. 😉

I thought that rather than being hyped Keilder was generally accepted to be a bit crap?

I like a lot of trails mentioned here but one area stands out - The Long Mynd. If you think the descents are featureless you need to open a map and have a look. The great descents are easy to spot!

On the trail centre thing, I think for me it's just that there's not really much non-trail centre wise that has a lot of hype I think is meh. All tends to be good.

Trail centres big up things themselves to sell the place whereas outside of them it's the riders that do and generally it's justified.

I think a lot of the dislike for some trails comes from people being grossly over biked. Obviously you're going to think some smooth swoopy ST is a bit meh if you're on a 180mm bike.

scotroutes - Member - Quote
Anything round Aviemore and the Cairngorms. A few hundred miles of forest track interspersed with little bits of interest. You could ride all day and never even find a pub.

thepurist - Member - Quote
Not sure if Scotroutes is being entirely honest..

Sort of. As per Spins comments, lots of folk seem to turn up massively over-biked (I appreciate that may be their only bike) and then ride round the forest trails. I can imagine that many of them are completely under-whelmed by their experience.

But yes - you really could ride all day and not pass a pub 😆

Hear the main drag of the Peak getting seriously over-hyped by some - Edale, Hope, Ladybower etc. Not 'meh', it's obviously good, but the limitations are equally obvious. Little singletrack, no trees, under-bridlewayed and guaranteed verbal on the footpaths.

When tracks like potato alley and screaming mile are celebrated descents, it tells you there's a bit of a quality issue. They wouldn't even be named in other places, it would be 'that farm track on the left', that no one rides anyway because there's some singletrack on the right.

Without wanting to take the thread off at a tangent, one thing I always liked about mountain biking was the getting away from it all nature of rides.

When I lived up in Leeds it was more often than not around NY moors, Nidderdale, Lakes and other places that were definitely out in the middle of nowhere.

Fast forward 20 years and I'm now in the midlands. Cannock and Sherwood are frequented often and whilst they are enjoyable they don't exactly get away from very much.

Maybe most here are of a similar ilk and like the feeling of being in remote spots with nothing but the air and hills for company. Trail centres are never going to give that whilst remaining on the marked trails.

All riding is good to me, including trail centres although sometimes said centres try that little bit too hard to be the most gnarly you tube video.

CyB is probably one that doesn't really do it for me as it is just too rocky but that's a personal thing. I love LLandegla and the Marin trail which others don't, but my best riding is /was around Ramsgill and Pateley Bridge oop North. 🙂

A lot of the legal stuff in the Peak is rubbish,just dead straight rocky wide cart tracks. There is some good stuff as well,just not sure its legal.

The off piste stuff at Haldon, some people on here talk like it's the holly grail. Most of it is pap.

I used to ride Glentress loads but hadn't been in a couple of years. Went a few weeks ago, early Sunday. I was in a right bad mood at the end of my hour and 10 min drive there when I had to queue for 10 mins for a car park ticket.....,indeed I nearly about turned and drove back to local natural stuff around Mugdock. Ended up glad I didn't. Yes, it was mobbed up to Buzzards Nest, but after that I hardly saw a soul the whole way round the black. It was great fun, probably moreso than I remembered it. Next time I'll try and miss the car park queue though....