[Closed] Top 5 English Trail Centres - what are yours and why?

local plug:

Parkwood Springs:

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a trail centre, in a city.

Lady Cannings - as long as you only do each trail once and then spend the rest of your time doing all the fun natural stuff like Blackamoor, Stanage, and cheekies.

England's a place I drive through to get to Wales, mostly

I've set off for Wales, but can't get past the exit for North Lakes....

scc999 - Member

I'm sure a lot of trail centers are made better with local knowledge of the off piste stuff.

But if you restrict it to the waymarked trails (and maybe the handicap of car park cost too), what then?

Yep, I think you've got to stick to just core trails- Innerleithen frinstance is probably the best trail centre in the UK if you include the DH and offpiste, if you include the 4 waymarked DH trails then it's good, but if you just include the red then it's pretty poor.

I've been pondering this all afternoon. I can't think of a single one I'd make the effort to go to other than maybe using the first climb at Grizedale to head up Parkamoor.

Don't know you're born, some of you lot.

We went to Hamsterley a few weeks back and ride the red loop. First 14km was utterly dull. The rest, which actually had something other than dull fireroad and gentle path riding was really good, but overall it was still underwhelming. If the Red loop just took in two loops of the latter half, it would be ace - the first 14km is pointless on IMO.

Yeah, Hamsterley is my local. The proper red is a slog, most locals start on the black and pick up the red half way round whilst mixing in some off piste as well. Local knowledge indeed 🙂

My top 5, quite easy really as not ridden many:

1: whinlatter
2: gisburn
3: hamsterley

99999999: Keilder - never again!!

🙂

edited: whinlatter's south loop swung it

jointhedotz - Member

99999999: Keilder - never again!!

Really? I like the Deadwater trails. Black graded climb mother******! Haven't done the mad boardwalk thing, or the blue that has a sign saying "mbility scooters must be fully charged", and the descent off the viewpoint on deadwater is pish but I've always enjoyed the other bits

Hurstwood, obviously.

Only the one trail, probably a quarter of a mile in total, nowt technical.

It is however bloody good fun and more to the point, five minutes from my door.
🙂

Apart from that, Whinlatter is excellent.

Not been to Hamsterley or Gisburn since they were improved, so can't comment.

The Red at Hopton Woods is well worth a visit passing through.

This thread just shows us how lacking in trail centres England is. We all need to crowdfund and buy some hills.

Really? I like the Deadwater trails. Black graded climb mother******! Haven't done the mad boardwalk thing, or the blue that has a sign saying "mbility scooters must be fully charged", and the descent off the viewpoint on deadwater is pish but I've always enjoyed the other bits

There were bits on the Deadwater that were great, IF we'd left it at that I'd probably have loved it. But then we did Lonesome Pine.....you climb basically forever, all the way up to the woodwork. Then you descend for 37 seconds and back into climbs. For the amount of climbing you do you get basically zero reward.

I really wanted to like it but just couldn't. There are some great bits though.

darrenspink - Member

This thread just shows us how lacking in trail centres England is. We all need to crowdfund and buy some hills.

Stainburn as a trail centre is average but as a place to ride mountain bikes its great. Stick to marked trails and you'll probably be a bit disapointed. Get over other side of the road when dry and there's loads to do. You have to work a bit harder to find the good stuff.If you don't like short steep climbs back up maybe best to give it a miss.

No-one mentioned Hadleigh - not exactly long but i suspect has more technicality in it (certainly per length) than many other 'trail centres'

Whinlatter is the only one I've ridden recently worth travelling any distance to, and even that needs to be combined with the Borrowdale Bash or something else natural for a decent day.

Go to Gisburn once a year at most, even though it's only a short drive away.

Hamsterley is very disappointing unless you rip up the official trail map and mix and match the best bits of red and black.

Did the final descent at Grizedale NF Trail for the first time in a while yesterday. Forgotten just how unsatisfying it was, pointless little climbs to kill your speed and even a gate!

Pretty poorly served in England to be honest FOD is my local, I spend most of my riding time there. In fact I did the 'blue' trail Friday as I needed to do a quick loop. It's pretty boring, sure the last decent is good fun but I would feel fairly shortchanged if I was comparing it to Scottish or Welsh centres. Cannock for me is horrible, couple of nice bits but not worth the amount of chavs in the car park. Swinley is somewhere I won't grace with my presence again. Gisburn was good fun the few times I have been so probably my favourite English centre... luckily in Gloucestershire we have some excellent off piste riding or are a stone throw away from the South Wales centres. Think I would of given up if I only rode English trail centres

Swinley is quite good, probably because it had funding and a Rowna Sorrel building it

Actually, a lot of the Swinley trails were built by volunteers a long time before Mr Sorrel turned up.................

I've not ridden anything south of Cannock chase, but my favourite two are Kielder and whinlatter.

I rode Kielder a few years ago and did the second ever gravity enduro there and thought it was great
Some great descents

I really enjoyed Cannock and Dalby but have only raced there so don't know how much was trail centre and how much wasn't. I think the whole dalby xc course is one of the trail centre loops though?

The only english trail centre I've ridden 'as a trail centre' is QECP. I love it, the red rides very much like an xc race course, lots of ups and downs.

Whinlatter - bit of everything and great views (also one of the best trail centre blues in the UK).

Stainburn - short but totally different to everything else in trail centre terms. Great for sessioning skills.

Hamsterley - ignore the big flat loop bit out the back and the rest is good fun.

Cannock - given the terrain it's a really well thought out and built set of trails. A bit short on tech but big on swoopy fun.

Wakerley - might be very short, pretty flat and not really a fully fledged trail centre, but it is only 15 minutes ride through the woods from my front door...