Bit far for you OP but I think I’m a similar type of rider and I really rate FOD, can spends hours on GBU.
Bits of AE are good too, fast singletrack and a few decent lines of tables.
You won’t like Kirroughtree.
Degla is ok with the B-line jumps
From Sheffield - Dalby / and Sutton Bank.
No one has mentioned the pines yet. Am disappointed!😂
I’m in Sheffield and don’t tend to ride trail centres. Why would you drive someone when there is great riding from the door. Cycled from my house in s10 to wharny via the rivelin steep stuff in just over an hour last Sunday. DH3 over in greno just been reopened.
Mates have done bpw for a day trip from Sheffield and say it was just about worth it
DH3 over in greno just been reopened
Ooo has it now. Any good?
Looks quite tasty
That tree stump is gonna muller a few I'll bet!
Degla is only worth a trip if you add Worlds end in.
Gisburn I wouldnt go back Once was enough .. same with Cannock.
Whinlatter north and south is OK and better when you Head up Grisedale and add some all mountain riding.
Golfie and Inners must win as all out best
Thanks for all the suggestions. I've been watching this thread get bigger and bigger all weekend but I haven't had time to take it all in.
Yes I live in Sheffield and we're surrounded by great riding. I still need a change of scenery occasionally and I was wondering what I could squeeze in on a solo trip in either 1 or 2 days without going into the back of beyond and being rescued by helicopter.
At the moment I have one riding mate who will ONLY ride his little corner of the Peak and another work mate who will ONLY ride Wharncliffe. Both are amazing but it's the default, I can go there any time.
Mixed reviews of Degla but it's 2 hours away and easily doable. I might take a day off for it and do it on a weekday. Farmer John's is on the shortlist but I don't know anyone who is up for that kind of riding.
I've got a free pass for the weekened after next. I might try and do FOD and BPW or go north for Golfie, which I've never ridden.
Lots to think about.
Can I ask why you specifically asked for a trail centre?
Do you not fancy a bit of wild riding?
Yeah I don't mind wild riding. Sometimes I just want loads of interesting features packed into a small area so I can have a quick, fun blast. My knowledge of these things is years out of date.
When I want hours and hours of bridelway bashing, gate opening and whinging dog walkers, I can just ride West from my house.
If you go to Llandegla on the Privateer keep the fast rolling tyres on, it’s a bit of a slog on a bigger bike. I find that I have more fun there on my Scott Scale XC hardtail.
As for best trail centre I think that Balblair and Golspie in the same day is a good mix of everything. Shame they are miles from most of the UK.
Sometimes I just want loads of interesting features packed into a small area so I can have a quick, fun blast.
When I want hours and hours of bridelway bashing, gate opening and whinging dog walkers, I can just ride West from my house
Makes sense 🙂
Of your shortlist
Golfie wins!
Llandegla isnt the longest 20k, (so you might want to do it twice to justify the travel) , but still lots of fun, especially if you make the effort to use every feature, and the food in the cafe is great.
If you’re happy to take time off to drive a bit, give Llandegla a miss, it’s really not worth it. I was riding a 150mm front / 130mm rear Bird Aether and even that was too much round there I’d say. Maybe it’d be more fun on a downcountry style of bike on fast rolling tyres.
BPW is pretty unbeatable for an uplifted trail centre - there is so much variety of trail - all colour grades have either tech or flow trails specifically detailed. So you can blast blues full of berms and rollers - then the next run you can ride a black tech trails full of roots / drops / gaps etc.
Forest of Dean is very different - the hills are a lot smaller but there is so much good riding there. The trail centre bit is ok - but it’s the off piste that’s the gold bit. If you can time it to meet someone local off here who can show you the best trails that’s how you’d get most out of it.
In the same region is Dirt Farm (formerly Blsck Mountain Cycle Centre) - I love that place. It’s uplifted on a trailer behind a tractor - it’s more jumpy / bermy than BPW - all dirt trails and flowy - even the blue tables have steep lips. Waaaaaay more chilled and casual than BPW - if you’re lucky there’s a burger van in the car park - which is just a field.
Cwmcarn is also pretty good down there - probably my favourite trail centre - both red laps are good, the downhill runs are decent and the off piste off the back at Risca is easily findable - it’s proper steep tech - you can ride down hill for 3-6 mins or so solid.
I’ve got a free pass for the weekened after next. I might try and do FOD and BPW or go north for Golfie, which I’ve never ridden
Give us a shout and I'll show you round Golfie/Inners/GT/Yair.
I’ve got a free pass for the weekened after next. I might try and do FOD and BPW
BPW 12th 😀
Mixed reviews of Degla but it’s 2 hours away and easily doable. I might take a day off for it and do it on a weekday.
Park in Llangollen, ride up the old horse shoe pass to the Ponderosa to warm your legs up, then up to the masts the into Llandegla, joining the trail at the top of the long climb, ride around the trails, stop at the cafe (is or was always excellent) which is now about half-way, then head up the climb and then out towards Worlds End, before descending down the fairly exciting path. Good day out.
Park in Llangollen, ride up the old horse shoe pass to the Ponderosa to warm your legs up, then up to the masts the into Llandegla, joining the trail at the top of the long climb, ride around the trails, stop at the cafe (is or was always excellent) which is now about half-way, then head up the climb and then out towards Worlds End, before descending down the fairly exciting path. Good day out.
A great suggestion, but the OP is often saying he barely rides so that might be a touch ambitious.
Personally I'd skip Llandegla entirely and go to Gwydir (trail centre & off piste) instead.
If you go to Llandegla on the Privateer keep the fast rolling tyres on
The Dissector combo is a dream in the Peak! I felt like I was on an e-bike for a while. It has been bone dry though.
Give us a shout and I’ll show you round Golfie/Inners/GT/Yair.
I'll keep that in mind. The only thing scaring me about the Golfie is my lack of fitness. It's a bloody long drive for 2 laps of what looks like a massive hill. Wharny is had enough at the minute but I'm working on it.
BPW 12th
I'll see if I've got any spending money for the month after fixing both a knackered van and car.
A great suggestion, but the OP is often saying he barely rides so that might be a touch ambitious.
I'm coming back! I've been out more in the last couple of months than the last 4 years.
Do-able from Sheffield in a day:
- Hamsterley I need to try. Used to ride the DH trails back in the day, probably knocking on for 20 years ago now but never done the trail centre stuff. Have watched a few videos recently and it looks decent though with some mega looking off-piste.
- Dalby is my local and the red is generally a little bit shit. Apart from a few sections, the Dalby trail builders seem to manage the impossible to build almost no flow into many of the trails - even some of the downhill sections feel like a slog at times. Best way to ride Dalby if you know where you're going is to use the red simply to link up the good bits of off-piste/red/black/old-black. Following the signs has just become a race track for e-bikers.
- LUBP is nothing more than a glorified BMX track with a load of scratters razzing around everywhere. Someone mentioned keeping an eye on your bike and Farmer Johns... handcuff it to your wrist at LUBP. To give it its due though, the red (?) XC type trail through the woods is pretty good fun but only a mile or two long.
- Penmachno not done in years but remember it being "ok" and nothing more.
- Marin we did at the end of last year. Some good bits but what felt like mile upon mile of fire road.
- Llandegla not done in years and rarely read anything good about it so no rush to go back.
- CyB would be my choice although it'd be a bit of a schlep from Sheffield and back in a day. I really like CyB, always have. Don't think the first trail out the visitor centre is a great introduction to the place as its got less flow than Dalby but once past that, all the trails are decent - from riding the Minotaur with my kids on balance bikes through to the Beast with mates on the big bikes, its a good place with some cracking descents. Thinking about it, I might plan a day and back ride there (or a kip in the van somewhere discrete) sometime myself...
And yes, you need a trip to the Tweed Valley.
CyB would be my choice
Despite the moaning about CyB on here, it's still really enjoyable IMO. Needs a light-ish bike to carry speed/cover gorund and a bit of aggression to attack the descents - but there's flow to be found and it's quite engaging.
Great in the wet too, there's zero mud there and not many puddles.
I’m coming back! I’ve been out more in the last couple of months than the last 4 years.
Awesome. Keep it going pal.
Despite the moaning about CyB on here, it’s still really enjoyable IMO
yeah I went back to CYB last year having not been for maybe 10 years, it was a sunny weekend and the place was dead - presumably everyone goes to dyfi bike park these days?
Anyway I thought it rode pretty well with one exception (see below) ,the 3 adams family sections on the beast are excellent.
Dont bother with the old red bull trail on the other side of the road though - it was like a scene from some apocalypse movie, like it hadnt been ridden by a soul for decades, really over grown, trail surface completely battered, and not much fun.
– Hamsterley I need to try. Used to ride the DH trails back in the day, probably knocking on for 20 years ago now but never done the trail centre stuff. Have watched a few videos recently and it looks decent though with some mega looking off-piste.
Hamsterley is really good but we were riding there 20 years ago so all the 'trail centre' stuff just gradually developed in between our regular favourite bits. I don't think I've ever done an actual lap. There's too much fun, steep tech stuff hidden away to bother with the bleak fireroad slog.
And yes, you need a trip to the Tweed Valley.
I haven't been there for nearly 10 years and then it was Glentress laps with a group of mixed ability workmates. Golfie looks mint but it's a bit of a trek since I moved down south.
Dont bother with the old red bull trail on the other side of the road
Agreed, an hour or so of disappointment with 30 secs of suprisingly gnarly DH track thrown in.
Golfie looks mint but it’s a bit of a trek since I moved down south.
Go. Golfie and the off-piste bits at Inners and Glentress are superb. Being able to ride from the shed at the top of Glentress pretty much all the way back into Peebles town centre on amazingly crafted trails has to be done.
Are we all riding the same CyB? @thegeneralist sums it up nicely. That place is dining out on nostalgia, the trails are terrible, even more so with the huge variety on offer around the country.
I love Brenin, live between Penmachno and the Marin. Day out from sheff (OP said a "days drive") is doable - better with an overnighter.
I think people want smooth jumps and drops and easy pedal nowadays. Brenin's great on a hardtail or short travel full suss - enduro rigs kill all but the most tech and steep trails IMO and with 150/60mm now counting as "trail" then it's no wonder.
I think people want Bike Park Wales level of descending without the actual pedalling anywhere nowadays. And if you're into jumps then Wharncliffe's on sheffield's doorstep (worked in sheff for years) if that's more of your thing.
Someone put Cannock Chase in above Brenin. Lulz. It just goes to show that people have wildly differing tastes, and that they change over time.
But Brenin, rain, shine, snow, wind, whatever - I always have a nice day out. Helps that it's not that far from me too.
I love CyB too. Its a long trip from down here though. Last there October 2021 (and nearly got stranded because all the petrol stations were dry) so dont rely on me for anything on temporary closures or overgrown trails.
All the trails are fun, (never tried the green). Theres some overlap if you can understand a basic map so you can add or skip sections.
Only two bad bits - the mid section of the beast, theres a long old fireroad slog, which is fairly pointless and can be avoided. Not really an issue on a good day, in the wet and if its been churned up by logging trucks its a sticky mess.
The red bull trail - theres a downhill fireroad section, almost seems like its unfinished and there should be another singletrack section that has been skipped, and there is one trail that is always a stream bed if its at all wet. The rest of the loop is great fun if you attack it.
But then my local is Swinley (havent done a full correct loop in a few years) and I like Dalby (its near the in-laws) too. So maybe I dont fit the modern steroetype which seems to be either searching for ever harder and faster features on an enduro sled, or challenging yourself by slowly bouncing an old school geo-ed hardtail off every rock and root to "get the full experience". I've got a lovely trail bike and I love riding it on trails.
I guess what people are forgetting that Black/Red/Blue/Green are cross-country trail designations.
I get the point on CyB's long fireroad section on the beast/dragon's back. I've done it once and now always skip it. (Some really beautiful views from there tho).
I don't think owt's dated. I liked it back in the day, nowt's changed there. Not much of a jumper anyway and the bits of "new-style" trail that have been added in the North Wales area (smooth, jumpy, machined (not hand-cut and rocky)) are a bit poop IMO.
YMMV.
And if you’re into jumps then Wharncliffe’s on sheffield’s doorstep
Tell me you've not ridden Wharny without telling me you've not ridden Wharny.
You might be thinking Greno, then you'd be correct, smooth flow and jumps there now.
Wharny has some honking janky trails that are fun on a HT or an LT full sus. Most stuff is rollable with varying degrees of steep.
Although these days there's three/four distinct areas and to get some good laps in you'd need a bit of a guide to find them.
@relapsed_mandalorian - yeah, wharny one side, greno the other. Used to work in Tankersley and it was "whatever that bit of woods is called on the hill with trails both sides" 😉
And the Wortley Arms did the best burger for miles around too.
Although these days there’s three/four distinct areas and to get some good laps in you’d need a bit of a guide to find them.
I would say there's 5 zones now, all with different characteristics. I liken it to the crystal maze.
It's not a trail centre though
Hopton is good too. A bit under the radar. It always feels very unlike most other places to be honest.
No facilities whatsoever there which helps with that I suppose.
It’s not a trail centre though
Which is why I prefer it.
And to the OPs point; all of them. If you leave with a smile then really that should be the only criteria on which you judge one.
Facilities help, but I don't ride somewhere just because it's got a bike wash and cafe.
The question is so broad I think it's impossible to answer. Everyone will speak from their perspective taking I to account their ability, bike and preferred terrain so response will be loaded with bias.
