[Closed] Northern ireland trails

I ride here most weeks, the trails have made the area much better and should be a great venue for the police and fire games. Just wish the first climb was not so steep and long.

the trails arent open yet. should be open in the new year!

Those both look good. Blessingbourne has some new man made trails too. Unfortunately I have not had a chance to ride them as haven't been home too often lately.

Sweet, might combine with a CX race at the weekend when they open.

tony07 the trails are being ridden on every weekend at the moment some areas are not connected up yet but you just bike&hike it to the mext section also there is northshore being built as the area is very marshy.

Any chance of a link not involving Facebook, I've no account and am allergic to it.

Heading back home to Bangor for the New Year and would like some new trails!

Waderider
You will have to make do with the lead mines/Helens tower
And if your really good you might get a trip to belvoir park

🙄

fudge9202... Tony is right, the trails are not open and not ready to be riddin. All you are doing by riding the trails is putting the project at risk! The trails are already showing major signs of damage due to the amount of muppets that fail to notice the signage in the carpark and continue to ride. We still have alot to do before completion, including two DH trails meanwhile euro services will have to repair the damaged caused by guys like yourself!!

STAY OFF THE NEWLY CONSTRUCTED TRAILS AND WAIT UNTIL THEY ARE OFFICIALLY OPEN LIKE EVERYONE ELSE!!!!!

Flimsy calm down I am not riding the newly built trails I have been riding in Rostrevor for the last 6 years every week and I ride all the natural trails that have been there for years these new trails run parrallel to many of the existing trails and are easily seen and for you information at present the trails are being dug up by motocross riders, i caravan there regularly and am very concerned about the Forests conservation but Sean on of the rangers is having a lot of trouble with motocrossers coming in at night from Yellowwater car park. Also the trails at present are littered with hillwalkers using them as shortcuts. It has also been put on local radio asking mtbers to stay off the trails which in the most part is being adhered to.

Thats fair enough fudge. I ride in the area quite alot and have been overwhelmed by the shear ignorance of local guys riding the new stuff.

I was packing up a couple of weeks ago while a bunch of guys where returning to they're cars "so guys, riding the new trails?" "yeh there F***in awesome" when I explained the situation i was told To **** off and it had nothing to do with me... which is fair enough it has nothing to do with me but all i was doing was giving advice.

FYI Wade rider... Check out Dafydd davis's blog

[url= http://trailsbydafydddavis.blogspot.co.uk/2012/06/this-is-section-4-which-is-mostly.html ]HERE[/url]

Flimsy have had the same crap response by assholes just arriving to ride the new trails and never been there before, a very selfish attitude. Personally prefer the natural trails at the moment as you never meet these dickheads with the "in it for themselves" attitude. Happy trails mate!

I can happily say i've not ridden the new trails yet and haven't been down to RT in months. If i was in the area i would probably have a burn though. It'd be easy enough to make the trails unrideable until they are finished but signs are not the answer imo. You need to block them off.

You will have to make do with the lead mines/Helens tower

Bring a fatbike or a boat...

Euro logs have been placed but removed and even if boulders are used guys will ride around them.

Will be a right bundle off laffs if its designed by dafydd Davis
Made a right bells of castle ward

Helen's tower linking with cairn wood could be ace. What about trails inside the clandeboye estate? a cafe in there open on sundays with good trails around would do roaring trade....
Instead we have an unrideable bog.

The Somme heritage centres cafe would do a roaring trade if they would make there minds up what hours it opens

Finished my lap at the fatcat.full fry.bliss
Crap coffee though.

Might do a lap in the morning
PS
Cairn wood is linked to Helens tower
Just a bit crappy

Helen's tower is awfull at the minute, was through it last night and there are rivers running down the paths, bit crap!

fudge9202 - Member
Euro logs have been placed but removed and even if boulders are used guys will ride around them.

It's pretty obvious that logs weren't gonna stop anyone. Block the trails by placing big boulders before every corner.

That would be a logistical nightmare, they have had to drop stone into remote areas by helicopter!! The flipside that other guys are saying is that by riding the completed parts now they are getting bed in so the contractors can repair those areas before the Police & Fire Games next year because it will prevent them coming apart during the games, not sure about that argument I suppose the only person to ask is Dafydd Davis 😀

Stuarty - I was cutting about Clandeboye Estate and the Leadmines at the birth of Northern Irish mountain biking, in the late eighties and early nineties. I moved to Scotland when I exhausted the local possibilities. I'm just asking local folk for pointers, now I live 'abroad', not snide remarks.

Thanks for your reply flimsy 🙂

flimsy - Member

FYI Wade rider... Check out Dafydd davis's blog

HERE

Waderider if it was me and the trails are open when your back drive 50mins to Kilbroney.

"Will be a right bundle off laffs if its designed by dafydd Davis
Made a right bells of castle ward"

Why do you say that stuarty?

Erm in retrospect i would have been better thinking my last statement slegging dafyddavis
Doent realy know the design brief of some places

Theyre just probably designed more for walkers but having swing gates 3 sets on a climb aint much fun when your learning clipless never mind gormless walkers and my pet hate extending dog leashes which is fine on a tow path but in a place that advertises 17km of mtb trails
Not for me doent mind paying to ride a trail but when there ......delete delete

For me im discovering my doorstep ,well a scot now discovering northern ireland
Leadmines /helens tower ,belvoir park and loving it .
When my skills/fitness progress its the belfast hills and the mournes for me

As for waderider no offence intended , and if your around at xmas give us a shout

how to build trails!

Having lived in Scottyland for a long time I'm excited about trail centres opening here. I also love the trails around garvagh and ballykelly forests which are more natural. NI has great potential

backinireland if you love natural trails Tollymore in Co Down is very good with fewer people also Bigwood where the recent Enduro event was held is awesome

Yeah thanks
Live on north coast so those are handy to me

Just got this reply from Dafydd hope this makes things clear for everyone
My Question to him was:
Dafydd been up at Rostrevor on Sunday guys riding the trails and saying they should be ridden as it will bed the trails in what is your opinion on this? But more worrying while there there were loads of dog walkers on the trails and while talking to quite a few of them they were of the opinion that they should have access to these and if they meet a biker hairing down the trails they will simply step aside this is a recipe for serious injury to both parties so how is this going to be policed? By the way trails look great and no I was not riding them but using the old existing natural trails.

Reply was:
If the intention was for people to ride the trails to help bed them in, we would be encouraging people to ride on them - but, as most people seem to understand, the contrary is actually true - the trails need time to settle naturally (though obviously, those constructed last will have less time) and in addition, these riders are putting the project as a whole and completion dates at risk as Euro Services Contracts are having to spend a lot of time and energy dealing with trying to keep people off them and repairing damage to trails which aren't even complete yet. With regards to walkers on the trails they will be putting themselves and the riders in jeopardy as these are dedicated mountain bike trails, they have not been designed with multi use in mind - some of the trails will be especially narrow and twisty and there will be nowhere to 'step off' to. Plus the riders won't be looking out for walkers, as they won't be expecting any on the trails - they'll be expecting a good fun ride without having to worry about avoiding people and dogs (except maybe at forest road crossing or on forest road sections of course). Rangers will be in place at both Rostrevor and Castlewellan before the trails open, to educate and manage users along with information panels and signage, but obviously they can't be everywhere at once.

Yeah thanks
Live on north coast so those are handy to me