[Closed] not riding trail centres

I enjoy trail centres every now and then but it has to be at non peak times. I cant be doing with queues of people everywhere. Why people drive for an hour odd to ride Swinley on a sunny weekend is beyond me, but each to their own...

Well living in London a trip to Swinley is heaven for me.I try and get out there as often as possible.
Otherwise its Richmond Park which is rubbish.

Don't think I've ever not enjoyed being out riding my bike but I find trail centres less appealing these days. Been doing a few hike a bike epics in the Lakes and Scotland recently and trails centres seem a bit tame in comparison. They are good for riding with groups of mixed abilities though.

At the risk of sounding smug now that I have loads of of good reasonably techy riding within about half a mile of my house the idea of driving to a trail centre seems a bit daft most of the time.

Lot's of people are not lucky enough to live on the doorstep of natural trails so if they need to drive over an hour to trails it's understandable that they're not going to want to waste precious riding time looking a maps or riding round claggy natural trails.
Why it bothers some of those who are lucky enough to live close enough I have no idea.

I like both but hav never idea why people get so uppity about trail centres.

I've got limited(ish) time to ride so want make sure that I enjoy myself. I'd be really cheesed off having a natural rude and it turned out to suck because it was too boggy or just plain rubbish. At least if I turn up at CYB I k is what I'll get and should have a good time. It's all about fun and laughs per minute for me rather than some super pure, elitist BS.

Does it really matter.

Riding is done for the love of riding and if that involves something man or nature made then it makes no difference to me 😀

I've ridden both over the years, prefer natural stuff but trail centres are fun and have their place.

I've not ridden a trail centre yet this year as I've been riding all the local trails round me this summer but plan on going to laggan in the next couple of weeks.

My riding is probably a 50/50 split between the two. I probably prefer riding natural stuff but most of the local stuff is ok at best and my main weekend riding buds prefer trail centres for the easy access etc.

I can't say I'm that fussed either way as I love riding my bike and it's all great fun, I don't get trail centre snobbery tbh.

Lucky enough to live 10mins ride from the first trail that will lead me well into the Peaks in half an hour , so I ride mainly natural. However when I have riding trips away, I often do a trail centre or two. I initially hated them for reasons more about my perception and now I accept they are just another way of riding my bike I enjoy them. However I wouldn't want to just ride Trail Centres without a good dose of natural

I've always been lucky enough to have some fair natural riding from the door, ranging in quality from errr, fair to sublime.. But I havta say, when winter sets in and solo night riding is the only option, I prefer the predictability of a trail centre

Spoilt for natural riding here in N. Wales, but really like trail centres at quieter times. Can fun be wrong?

Bit of both, it's all good.

Trail centres are good as I ride alone, so there's a chance if I almost die that someone might see me.

Natural is good too.

Everything is good.

Having ridden mostly XC and a bit of cross I've been guilty of being snooty about trail centre riding in the past then last month I did an uplift day at BPW and blimmin loved it! I'd done a 'self powered' day there before that left me feeling a bit empty but having 10 runs this time I could really concentrate on my riding. I felt a better rider at the end of the day and have booked more time, won't stop me doing my normal more natural rides but it's a good laugh and I definitely got something valuable out of it. And I'm 51 next month 😀

Trails where there weren't any previously, free of charge..........and if you go after dark, you can ride them BACKWARDS...... 😈
#crapinnit

It's simples:

Trail centres have no gates, no barbed wire, no rambling ramblers, no cattle, no dogs, no sheep shit, no shootin' mad farmers, no tarmac sections, less mud in winter, no unexpected deep holes in singletrack, easy navigation, less risk of dying alone if you fall off and break something. They even have toilets and cafes and shops for bike stuff.

Wild trails have views, adventure, solitude, challenge, unrideable stuff that hasn't been sanitized and can be ridden after all, cattle, dogs, etc...

I enjoy the wild stuff most (with my trusted Garmin 800), but I will always be scared of cattle, dogs, farmers, etc. If you do a winter night ride alone deep in the North York Moors, you will understand.

I am laid up with a buggered knee at the moment.... i'd love to be able to ride any bloody trail right now!!!!

So long as I'm having a laugh, I'll ride anywhere. Don't care if 'man made' or 'natural'.

I don't think I'd ever restrict myself to nor riding somewhere just because.
It's great to go and explore the great wilds of the UK, it's also great to have a good blast with no dickhead waving at you for having fun and complaining, to have some stuff that is built to be hit rather than some not, to be able to ride fast and not care and have a nice cup of tea some cake or maybe a burger at the end.

I'm sure it was not the OP's intention but it is possible to come across as fairly sanctimonious with the "I won't ride a trail centre" or "I only EVER ride from my door, can't see why anybody wouldn't do that" crap. It's all riding, it's different, it's great. If you have never been to a trail centre here is some news there are a lot of them, they can all be very different, it's not all the same. Try it with an open mind you might actually enjoy it.

What I've found is that the best natural rides are better than any trail centre. Conversely though the worst natural rides are worse than any trail centre.

For me it's generally natural in summer and trail centre in winter. Not a hard and fast rule though.

I ride what ever I feel like riding and make the most of it. I enjoy natural riding for the exploration and solitude of it and trail centres for the chance to enjoy some purpose built, fast flowy, jumpy trails.

I do tend to pick my times carefully when it comes to trail centres as I really dont enjoy the heaving masses of people that swarm on them at weekends.

I took up walking recently, but I refuse to walk on these purpose built soul-less "paths" that all these losers go for their mcwalks on. So today I went for a walk in a remaindered book warehouse, up and down the shelves. Tomorrow I think I'll go for a walk in the sea.

You do know that most times you can mix and match these things? The centres I've been to always have bridleways or other public access. I prefer to find my way around using a map, but by heck sometimes it's just nice to just ride. If I'm near a centre, I'll look to see if there's a more 'natural' loop outside the boundary, so creating the best of both worlds; some fun in the centre, bit of exploration outside, make a day of it.

Llandegla was the last one I went to. Some cracking 'natural' trails over the hills above Llangollen - not to mention the Ponderosa cafe. Even though the natural stuff was fantastic, and out there, I'd have been cutting my nose off to spite myself if I'd missed Llandegla. Yet a handy OS map meant that the two could be combined happily. Great ride outside the centre, pop inside, do some Black and Red, food at the cafe, spares at the shop, back out on the hills.

Of course using an OS map to access these places isn't in the spirit of their enterprise!

Most of my trail centre rides have been with younger teenagers

I really enjoyed the riding. But for the people I was with (niece and son) they were spot on.

The climbing isn't steep and on good surfaces so its as easy as it'll ever be

The height gained is then well used on more fun bits

All the other people around having fun reinforce the idea that its a good thing to be going

Both!, luck to live near wrexham, and have access both types of ride, tbh who cares? just riding a bike ..............

and i have ridden to llandegla, via some natural routes.......

Years ago I regularly visited trail centres,7 stanes & North Wales mainly ,but got bored of them,this year after a 6 or 7 year gap I got invited to a midweek day out at Llandegla & enjoyed it,been back twice.
It's all riding,I prefer a big day out in the Dales but I'm all for a bit of variety.

local stuff for me is a 30 min drive. Trail Centres are just over an hr (Drumlanrig, Glentress). I haven't been at a trail centre (apart from Cathkin which is 5 mins from home) in well over a year. I enjoy them when I go, but the additinal travel time, fuel and parking tends to dissuade me

I always find it amusing (and sad) when you express a preference and people take it to mean "you don't like what I do as much as I do therefore you hate it".

I'll go riding, whether that's road biking; mountain biking; cyclocross; trail centres; "natural"; whatever. It's riding and it's better than being a lazy slob.

I love a trail centre but sometimes the logistics that goes with it - the miles on the motorway and getting bike in car and change of clothes , parking etc means that the simplicity of just riding out of my front door wins most times ..

I almost never ride trail centres .

They are good for your kids when they start out
The reason is not the riding - it is often very good but the lack of views

Never been to a trail centre that felt like i had got out into the countryside.
I am sure they exist but they are further from my house than the mountains of the Lake district.

YMMV

I cant be doing with queues of people everywhere.

Has anyone actually been to a trail centre and whilst riding the trails come across a queue of people? You come across groups the same as you do when out riding natural stuff...

In fact as crazy as it might sound, I think I'd rather have the higher %age of grin factor by riding nothing but trail centres. I love them!

I ride trail centres on occasion and there are some great ones, but I don't like the way many of the trails are heading these days.
I love the Penmachno / Hopton style, but loathe BMX track features that typify places like Llandegla and are starting to creep in at CYB.
The term "Bike Park" sends shudders down my spine - and not in a good way. 😉

Has anyone actually been to a trail centre and whilst riding the trails come across a queue of people?

Usually you are barrelling along at similar pace so unless a group stops then you aren't going to come across one even just a hundred metres ahead.

As for BMX/bike park features, they are only likely to get added if enough people ask for them.

As for BMX/bike park features, they are only likely to get added if enough people ask for them.

I realise to a growing number of people, that's what MTBing is about, but it's never appealed to me. I'd rather have murderous climbs and proper narrow, technical singletrack descents.

I view trail centres as a bit like climbing walls: places to practice technique rather than an end in themselves. Just like climbing walls some people like them for what they are and have no desire to head out in to the wilds, not my viewpoint but it's no less valid.

I think we'd have a lot more access problems if trail centres didn't exist and all those riders were out on "natural" trails and the "cheeky" alternatives.

Scotland is blessed with numerous small centres dotted around beyond the 7 Stanes. These vary enormously in terrain and 'naturalness', from rocky stabs, to gravel, to motorways. And they are not mobbed. Saying that one does not like trail centres because they are all sanitised or because they are all X is a rather limited view

Has anyone actually been to a trail centre and whilst riding the trails come across a queue of people? You come across groups the same as you do when out riding natural stuff...

Yes I have, hence my comment.

Just to clarify, I have no real issue with trail centres, I'm just a bit bored with them, I think Franki hits the nail on the head with the " bike park" comment in that it's all smooth BMX sections rather than singletrack, even CYB has these now. I think penmachno is my fav trail centre & it's probably the closest to natural? Even if it does fill with water for 90% of the year

Has anyone actually been to a trail centre and whilst riding the trails come across a queue of people? You come across groups the same as you do when out riding natural stuff...

I once followed the entire field of the Whinlatter duathlon around the south loop (no, I wasn't a participant).

That was a day when in hindsight, I should have done the Borrowdale Bash instead.

Having said that, some of them made even my technique look OK, and I got applause and my picture taken for making it around a narrow hairpin without a dab. 🙂

Has anyone actually been to a trail centre and whilst riding the trails come across a queue of people?

You've never ridden Swinley on a bank holiday weekend then?

You come across groups the same as you do when out riding natural stuff...

I can ride "natural" stuff for a couple of hours and meet one or two walkers/horse riders and no cyclists. And I live in the over crowded south east.

I like trail centres, but apart from Swinley they are all at least a couple of hours drive away. For me, the fun on the trail doesn't really make up for hours spent in the car.

Trail centres are nice and all but for starters they are a little contrived, but the main problem is that they are built to be ridden, most of them built to be ridden by the majority. I like a little risk, when trails are "easy" the way to make them more exciting is to speed up, riding stuff blind at scary speeds is liable to lead to a big stack. Mincing down a properly technical lakeland descent still feels risky but with less chance of serious injury.... and the scenery is better, the ubiquitous [i]inside of a forest[/i] view can get a little tiring. This is all personal preference mind, ymmv

I do go to TCs occasionally and enjoy myself there, if there were more close to home I'd maybe go more often. Lee quarry isn't a million miles away (still a bit of a pita to drive to tho) but I've done it quite a few times and can ride from the door on some pretty cool "natural" trails so don't bother with LQ very often.

Having said that I still reckon natural is more normal, ie if you only rode TCs I'd think you were a bit strange and missing out on a whole world of mtbing if you only rode natural I'd understand.

You come across groups the same as you do when out riding natural stuff...

Well I hardly see any big groups when I ride natural stuff. Apart from other bikers. And hoards of ramblers. And horsists. And traffic getting there.

Wait a second....

I like all types of riding. Having been to a large number of trail centres they all have different characters. Ride the seven Stanes the most and you'd be mad to discount them as a riding destination (especially if you live close).

Natural stuff has a different feel and if you want a challenge then perhaps you should look to explore new areas rather than simply avoid trail centres. I tend to set myself riding objectives as I enjoy planning rides and challenges. This year has mostly been about the road but in previous years I've decided to try and explore more classic natural riding. Lead to some fantastic riding in the lakes and Penines as well as finding a whole bunch of fun stuff out of my front door. However, when a group of mates decided to go to Glentress for the day I did that as well.

Trail centres are nice and all but for starters they are a little contrived, but the main problem is that they are built to be ridden, most of them built to be ridden by the majority. I like a little risk, when trails are "easy" the way to make them more exciting is to speed up, riding stuff blind at scary speeds is liable to lead to a big stack. Mincing down a properly technical lakeland descent still feels risky but with less chance of serious injury.... and the scenery is better, the ubiquitous inside of a forest view can get a little tiring. This is all personal preference mind, ymmv

The comment on natural stuff rings true for me to. Looking at something and trying to figure out where the line is, if indeed there is one. Riding over the moors wondering if the rut you are in is going to continue to the bottom or be blocked forcing an emergency escape plan or crash. Riding drops and jumps not for fun but out of necessity as they have appeared from no where. But then a bmx track style descent is fun too.

Mincing down a properly technical lakeland descent still feels risky but with less chance of serious injury..

Trail centres don't have any £$*&£$*** gates