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I love trail centres,, my fave out of the ones I have been to so fr has to be llandegla. I'm looking for somewhere new to venture too. I ride hardtail so my ratings are based on the trails that don't rattle me to pieces
So far my ratings are:
Llandegla 9
Climach X 9
Monkey trail 8
Gisburn forest 7
Mbr 7
Glentress 7
Mabie forest 7
Are there any other trail centres which are worth a visit not covered in the list?
Kirrotree.
Inners kirrochtree dalbettie whinlatter dalby coed y Benin afan brechfa for a start. You may want to increase your best of scale though...
Cwmcarn
Grizedale is worth a visit. Well doable on a hardtail, you can easily do a couple of laps in a day and its got a nice little cafe and bike shop. The Marin is still fun now and again
Penmachno
Is llandegla the best??
No, but then it never was, unless you like oversized BMX tracks...
Forest of Dean is my favourite I think. Still yet to try Cwmcarn. Really want to try Hopton.
No, but then it never was, unless you like oversized BMX tracks...
Which is funny because all the jumps are smaller than those on most bmx tracks.
I liked Llandegla the best, because my skills weren't the best and I ride a short travel hardtail.
Cannock was almost as good, but felt like a lot of pedalling for some OK downhill bits, really bumpy in some spots.
Didn't really like Gisburn that much, had some good features and some bits not so good, was pretty wet when I went, the bottom loop in the trees was good, but the rocky top section not so hot.
Last time I went Lee & Crag Quarry I took my HT instead of my Mega and it was way more fun.
If you like llandegla, then try Cwm Rhaeadr next time you're further south.
It's small, so probably worth including on a trip to another centre, but don't miss it - it's brilliant.
Only ever done llandegla - ride local natural usually. I think it's great for a change of scenery.
Have you tried Whinlatter?
The Monkey is my local-ish hack and my riding mates went to Hamsterly last year. Unfortunately I couldn't make it, but they raved about it.
I ride a shortish (120mm) hardtail and prefer rocky stuff, be it trail centre or natural, which isn't to say I don't like Llandegla. Each to their own I guess!
Code y brenin ??? Probably my favourite especially if you mix it up a bit 😉
Is llandegla the best??
Not by a long shot.
Kirroughtree, Mabie and Dalbeattie all beat it into a cocked hat.
And the natural beats them all...
Kirroughtree is THE best trail centre in the UK IMHO.
You're lucky to have has the opportunity to get round all them trail centres.
I like Gisburn - some nice new bits added recently. And you've got the amazing chilli at the Dog and Partridge 😀
Lee Quarry - Always find this a bit of slog, but a good local facility
Grizedale - Agree with Adrec. Also the new(ish) black section is a good one to session for jumping
Llandegla - Only been once, but loved it!
To be honest if I managed to get anywhere for a day's riding I'm happy. Went to Philips Park on Saturday and loved that, so maybe I'm just easily pleased...
Coed y Brenin is definitely my favorite, although I havn't been to that many trail centers. Planning on a weekend in Scotland staying at Inners so my favorite might change.
Llandegla's a good laugh, but it's not my thing.
CYB is still my favourite out of the centres I've visited.
Llandegla is great IMO, never understood the hate for it on here. As for the best I dunno - Glentress must be up there for most fun you can have with a group of mates of differing abilities/experience.
I had a laugh at Llangdegla, did the red and blue, but I found the format a bit bland - wind all the way up to the top (ish) on a fire road (not so great) then blast back through the forest (lots of fun) I found the very top section of the red run the most fun bit around the head of the valley. I'd certainly go again, but I think I'd prefer it to be mixed up a bit, rather than one long slog, then a blast down the hill.
That said, I'd probably go somewhere else in future unless I was taking my wife, I think she would enjoy the blue there - I have trail centres which I can ride in crap weather closer, with some good fun natural stuff if the weather holds out and some more adventurous natural stuff a similar distance away.
Coed-y-Brenin is my favourite. i like the rocky stuff there.
Llandegla is good
a lot of my freinds are raving about Antur Stiniog which i have yet to try, but hope to
A long way from where you're based I suspect, but Laggan is wonderful. Not the biggest, but the black trail is a work of art and the lower red is great.
Is llandegla the best??
Depends on what your worst is?
Cannock was almost as good, but felt like a lot of pedalling for some OK downhill bits, [b]really bumpy in some spots[/b].
It's called mountain biking. If you want it flat buy a road bike? 😉
Brenin is my favourite also.
Of the few I've tried I think it's Grizedale. Simply because of the ability to link it into the other stuff surrounding it.
But, if you're talking just as a trail centre only I think it's Coed-y-Brenin.
Oh yeah Laggam is probably my favourite actually. Wish they'd build more trails there buy what's there is ace.
I agree on Grizedale if we're adding in BWs but that's cheating!
Which is funny because all the jumps are smaller than those on most bmx tracks.
+1, it always confuses me that statement.
I think llandegla is better than Mabie, eastridge is superb for a short blast
Llandegla is ok the downs are a laugh and the new section helps it but the rest is just missing something. There is nothing that hard there just options for some speed. It doesn't push you like some of the others or have much variety. I used to go if I was passing on a Friday heading to Wales or on the way home in bad weather
I enjoyed Llandegla, but did it on a 100m hardtail (jump bike, about 4 sizes too small), not sure if it'd be as fun on my 160mm fs.
Gisburn is a giggle too, miserable weathwer every time I've been though! not been since the new stuff has opended though.
Like Hamsterley. Only been once but can't wait to go again.
Really like Stainburn too which is good as its local, just needs more of it....
Oh and Whistler and the Alps are OKish as well, not limiting to the UK. 😉
Seems I've not really experienced bad TC's but then I havent ridden Dalby.
Golspie is probably my favourite with Laggan a close second.
I thought llandegla was pretty awful, though this was a few years back so might have changed since then. Mountain biking by numbers.
Mountain biking by numbers
Or, mountain biking without most of the cack bits.
Out of all the trail centers i've been too I would say Kirroughtree. Lee quarry is good but its not a trail center, its more of a bike park.
Nowadays i spend my time in the lakes, never fails to provide a good days riding.
no votes for Penmachno?
not ridden there yet but been told its one of the best
all these are just my opinion:-
llandegla - great place, something for everyone
Coed ybrenin - Good
dalby - terrible
monkey trail - too pedally
gisburn - similar to dalby
lee quarry/crag quarry - ok for a play about but thats about it.
glentress - excellent
innerleithen - excellent
penmachno - a bit too pedally , but not as bad as the monkey
grizedale - ok
whinlatter - ok
marin trail - ok
climachx - good
the rest of the 7 stanes - pretty good
They're all worth a visit though if you've never been , just so you can form your own opinion.
I've never been to Llandegla but would love to because I'm a bit of jumps and berms. Gisburn HAS to be the best trail centre though because there's just so much variety, freeride park for jumps, berm baby berm and the lower blue runs for flow, plus plenty of rockiness for more natural feeling trails.
As a centre, Afan/Glyncorrwg used to be my favourite. Penhydd, Y Wal, Whites level, W2, Whites climb & Skyline descent. Now a shadow of its former self. CYB & Llandegla are both awesome, loved Dalbeattie and hated Kirroughtree (maybe due to a lack of fitness at the time). Cwmcarn is my local but is only fun when you're pretty fit due to the painful climb.
