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Help me compile a list of trails throughout the uk that are worth visiting but contain riding that can actually be found by just turning up and exploring for a day rather than guides or gps routes etc.
I suspect fear this may turn into a list of trail centres but it would be interesting to see what people think
Woods behind nationwide at Swindon being top of the list?
Tweed Valley - Glentress, Innerleithen, Golfie, Yair, Cademuir, Thornielee.
Obviously nowhere near as gnar as either Swindon, nor Swinley etc 🙂
Good idea!
Kinlochleven- Ciaran Path, Grey Mare's Trail and Kennels Trail.
The first is "go up the pipeline road to the dam, then over to the other side of the dam, then back down". The second 2 are "Go up the road past mamore lodge, past the cottage, and watch out for trails on the right."
Innerleithen golfy- just go up the road behind the golf course, and ride down stuff you find, basically
Helvellyn down Dollywaggon
Snowdon Multiple
Roman Road Edale
Stuff into ladybower
Lonscale fell
Off the top of my head. SDW, Long Mynd, Snowden Ranger's Path, Peaks (never been myself). If you want to stay away from trail centres.
The Lake District. Just follow the bridleways during the day, footpaths in the evening.
Some really good suggestions. I'm based in the South so looking at anything that is reasonably driveable in a day or over a weekend but i have mates in wales/ yorkshire/ cornwall so could easily combine a visit
On the assumption that the person has access to maps
Howgills - Bowderdale
Snowdon - up Llanberis track, down Rangers and back via Bwlch Maesgwm
Mid-Wales - Doethie Valley
Torridon Loop
A very unimaginative list based on research we've done for guidebooks:
Dartmoor - Nutcrackers
Quantocks - any of it!
South Wales - Doethie Valley
Mid Wales - Pont Scethin
North Wales - Snowdon
Long Mynd - Minton Batch
Peak - Cut Gate
Lakes - Helvellyn via Dollywagon, Nan Bield
Howgills - Borrowdale
North Pennines - High Cup Nick loop
Dales - Fremington Edge area
North York Moors - from Fryup to Danby
Northumberland - the flagstone trail along the border in the Cheviots
Torridon - Annat loop
Applecross Peninsular.
Glencoe - Ciaran Path
Cairngorms - Glen Tilt (all the way up it though)
Skye - Sligachan
wot Northwind said around Kinlochleven, plus the Devil's Staircase too.
Skiddaw and Ullock Pike.
Four Passes (Tour of Gable) and Grains Gill.
Snowdon twice - Rangers and Rhydd Du.
Boredale Haus and Ullswater lakeside.
Helvellyn, Dollywaggon, Grisedale.
Rossett Gill.
Nan Bield.
Parkin Clough & Back Tor, Derwent Edge, WLT (Peak)
Any/every dotted line on a map of Calderdale.
Stuff on my to-do list.
- loads of Lakes stuff including Nan Bield which I've still not got around to doing
- Quantocks
- more Peaks stuff south of Ladybower
- South Downs
- Tweed Valley natural
- Long Mynd
Stiperstones and Eastridge - far better riding than long mynd.
Llyn Colwyd loop clockwise.
Torridon - Annat loop.
Kintail loop.
MegaDegla but it's a bit cheeky.
i hate threads like this, it reminds me how far west cornwall is from real riding.
I too hate threads like this because it makes me realise how flat and boring living in Suffolk is..
MegaDegla but it's a bit cheeky
Interesting 🙂 Just looked it up on Strava - is it Degla plus worlds end?
Wow that's my next 10 years of riding sorted then... Thanks guys, I've got a week off in September so will be planning a route to take in as many of these as I can.
I think being in the south of England where the terrain is relatively tame compared to say the Lakes or Wales I'm used to really having to search out good riding spots often with the help of locals.
I'm sure all these suggested places have some awesome hidden routes that you'd never find in a day visit but its good to know you could turn up and enjoy yourself on the more obvious routes
gavtheoldskater - Member
i hate threads like this, it reminds me how far west cornwall is from real riding.POSTED 21 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST
ready - Member
I too hate threads like this because it makes me realise how flat and boring living in Suffolk is..POSTED 13 MINUTES AGO # REPORT-POST
'because I'm getting too old and too stiff to do much more than trail centres any more 😥
Bits of Southern Upland Way can be done as loops and Sanquhar to Dumfries is doable by train from Dumfries up to Sanquhar 😆
No one mentioned Isle of Purbeck yet?
It's almost impossible to get lost in the Pentland Hills near Edinburgh. Almost everything leads somewhere and almost all of it's rideable.
Tops 5, yes that's the puppy. From Llan up world's end across the sleepers degla black, up to the towers and then down to world's end and offas dyke path.
Great thread, can't wait to try some out myself
I made a to do this year list, but had forgotten about it, thanks for the reminder.
•Caffal• 2/1/15
•Smilog• 3/1/15
•Penhydd• 11/1/15
•Twrch• 16/1/15
•Whites• 27/1/15
•Y wall• 29/1/15
•Cafall again• 2/2/15
•Sixtapod•. 1/2/15
•Verderers• 3/2/15
•Trehafod• 11/2/15
--------New bike---------
•cafall again!• 14/2/15
•BPW all Reds• 24/2/15
•Bpw reds again•27/2/15
•Pen y fan• 10/3/15
•50 shades• 27/2/15
•Dai hard• 9/3/15
•Dai h, red1&2• 12/3/15
•Bpw enduro• 13/3/15
•Blade• 17/3/15
•Old smokey• 18/3/15
•cafall AGAIN• 19/3/15
•Local• 21/3/15
•skyline descent• 25/3/15
•Mountain ash• 27/3/15
•Enter t dragon• 28/3/15
•Bpw Blue 2• 28/3/15
•A470• 28/3/15
•Pontypool• 01/4/15
•van rd• 06/4/15
•blade again• 08/4/15
•black mountains• ??/5/15
•Morzine• 04/6/15
•les gets• 05/6/15
•Chatel• 06/6/15
•col du Cou• 07/6/15
•bpw again• 31/7/15
•whites level again• 01/8/15
Brechfa
Castle coch
Cwm rhyader
Llandegla
Nant yr Arian
Cyb
Marin
Machynlleth
Pentland Hills near Edinburgh. Almost everything leads somewhere and almost all of it's rideable.
lucky as I am to have them on my doorstep. I'd be very disappointed if I'd driven for hours, past tweed Valley, to ride the Pentlands.
mikewsmith - Roman Road EdaleEcky-Thump - Parkin Clough & Back Tor, Derwent Edge, WLT (Peak)
As a local these really wouldn't be on my list. Where's Jacob's ladder, The beast, Cavedale?
On the long list, was just popping a few ideas up
Unless I've misinterpreted the OP wrong I would say that many of the routes suggested welcomed require some planning and referring to maps etc. Torridon being one of those places where you could get caught out on the wrong side of a mountain /conditions. But I guess that's true to some degree of anywhere.
Having said that, the only place where I've been riding and just taken trails that look good but I have no idea where they end is Inshriach near to Aviemore. But then it's a fairly small area and I have gps so I can actually see exactly where I am. Trails there are fantastically fun btw.
Anything other than a well marked trail centre any trail is going to require some help in the form of a map or similar. I explicitly made that assumption in my first post.
Unless I've misinterpreted the OP wrong I would say that many of the routes suggested welcomed require some planning and referring to maps etc. Torridon being one of those places where you could get caught out on the wrong side of a mountain /conditions.
Yeah but the path is really bloody obvious so you have to be a bit of a 'tard to get lost. You can pretty much ride it without a map. OP doesn't ask for signposted it asks for easy to find.
I'd say that the descent into Little Stretton is better than Minton Batch imo - seems longer, faster and looser! I love riding anywhere in the Long Mynd though it's all good I'd say.