I'm planning to explore around Staunton near the FOD and I was wondering where I can park in the village without annoying the locals. I got the feeling it's a popular mtb spot. There is an obvious car park by the pub but this must be for customers only.
cheers
Gilles
Yep, don’t park in the local streets or the pub (unless you have a good relationship wit them) we got harassed by a local parking across the road from the pub. They can be hostile. I do park in pub car park but a lad we ride with has a descent enough relationship with them and we stop for a pint and food. There is a lay-by near the fire road for the ‘bottom hill’ if you pass the pub on your left and follow the main road back down towards Monmouth M50 it’s on your right. Or you can park on the road to the left just after the antiques shop. Some of the best riding is to be had there but good luck finding it without someone who has a reasonable idea. Also it gets hammered in shitty weather I normally ride there in the summer
that's great info, thanks!
Yeah we always park in the layby mentioned. Never had any grief but it does get busy sometimes.
There is a layby opposite the camp site as well
There is good trails there not been over there for years always thought it was never worth the ride from pedalway the couple of trails that start at Reddings pantation are good plus by the big suck stone there are loads of trails now above Mallards pike which start at the top of the Lawn mover trail I think I counted about 6/7 Saturday.
To be fair the trails at Staunton, I find are a different scale in terms of their technicality. Quite easy to find yourself on something that requires proper commitment and some skill (hence why I spend a fair amount of time on my arse there) It’s a bit of a maze to find you way around albeit it’s all a fire road climb. I love doing a Staunton biblins loop in the summer stopping a t the campsite cafe for a cake and coffee.
Mallards pike is great, easy pedal up and trails growing in numbers rapidly. It’s good for an afternoon sesh but I don’t find you can get an all day ride in like you can around Staunton. That said local riders tend to keep Staunton a bit of a guarded secret. Which I prefer. Did a cheeky hungover dowies shutcastle loop this weekend showings. Forum member around and the place was heaving probably because the mini downhill was on. But for the first time the trails looked tired, berms starting to be blown out by braking bumps etc. Wouldn’t want to get in an ebike debate but I must have counted 10 up there doing 3 runs to everyone else’s 1. Can’t be helping the trail conditions.
Yeah, we go to Staunton when we fancy a step up from the Dowies, Shutcastle stuff and I was there on Sunday with a mate before his shock decided to give up the ghost.
It is a maze to find your way around and stuff goes in all directions. As a lot of the trails are longer/steeper than the other areas (albeit Mallards Pike has some decent stuff) you spend an awful lot of your time winching your way back up again.
Worth it though 🙂 for a first time/s I'd deffo try and join up with someone who knows the place.
Locals rant.
Staunton is IN the FoD!
The Forest isn't just that worn out, over commercialised, ant hill around PABA.
Its the nearly worn out bit for miles around.
Seriously, just park with everyone else down the hill towards Monmouth by the FC pole or just a touch further down in the big layby. Alternatively a few hundred yards towards Coleford there is the tea wagon layby.
Don't block the FC entrances.
To be fair the trails at Staunton, I find are a different scale in terms of their technicality. Quite easy to find yourself on something that requires proper commitment and some skill
Not been over to Staunton yet. How do the trails compare to things like Murdocks, Whiters, Ceris 2, Heckler etc?
In a word - longer.
The surface tends to be a bit more "raw" so unless it's dry (or has been for a bit) it get's chewed up and can have sub-optimal grip levels, like the drop in off the top for Murdocks. There are also a lot of rocks particularly on some trails.
There are a few features scattered throughout the various trails that require some commitment/skill/leaving brain in the car. It's where we go when we're after something a bit juicier. In fairness all the trails you mentioned do have some tasty bits on them.
Interesting rant Matt? Not sure why or who it’s aimed at?
ImpatientBull, to be fair you have listed probably some of the most extreme trails that side of FOD there, well of the ones I ride. Staunton trails are longer and largely faster. But not too dissimilar, Still think Bunker is one of if not the best trail in the area.
Bunker is good but there are better trails. Two I can think of. Personal preference tho. You do tend to see less riders because it's a big area that needs knowledge to join up, and it's just not as well known (there was a lot of Strava clensing a while ago).
We ride out from Ross so no idea on parking. Lots of people park at top of Dead End Down. Ridden there three times this year already which is unheard of for me. When it's wet I stay well away! I agree it's harder / steeper than the other side.
Also agree FoD is looking very heavily ridden. When I started riding there (only 11 years ago), PAB had parking for 20 cars, an old bike shop and a rubbish cafe. Now it's rammed with 200+ cars every weekeend (and weekday in the summer). Price of success I suppose...
Now Ross on Wye trails! I love them, albeit I still don’t have full movement in my shoulder after coming up sort on a gap there!
Locals rant
Don’t diss PABA.
It keeps most of the mtb visitors in one place and out of the proper woods!
It is the slowest cafe I have been to though. Seriously, there’s no way it should take 10 minutes to get a cup of tea.