As per the tweed valley thread, I really like it there because I can park up at the glentress campsite, ride 3 different locations right from the campsite, no driving involved and there's also some half decent facilities.
So, where else should I go!?
Looking for a camp(ervan)site, couple of good riding locations right from the campsite. I'm based near Blackpool, so TV is 3hrs away which is ok, much further eats into riding time for 2-3 day trip, but happy to hear all recommendations!!
I'm fairly familiar with the lakes already, but happy to get campsite/ride recommendations.
I've thought about maybe doing lady bower/cutgate loop one day with some win hill laps day 2?
Was also thinking i'd like to do Snowdon, just so I can say I've done it, but not sure where to stay and what else to do.
Can you improve on tweed valley!?
Thats a tough ask in the UK imho
Dee Valley
Or Deeside or Royal Deeside or whatever TF it's called.
Aberdeenshire beats the Tweed valley for me now hands down.
Not in your driving distance but definitely worth it as so many brilliant riding places up there with a good bit of everything.
Yep, I’d say Aberdeenshire. Aboyne, Ballater, Tarland for silly BMX type stuff, and then all the Munro riding you can do. Aviemore area too - Burnside, Laggan, Munro’s, Glenlivet for bike park stuff.
Chopwell!
Dunkeld, Deeside, Aviemore, the Newlands Valley area of the Lakes and, for me, the Peak District around the Hope Valley all better places to ride than the Tweed Valley. I'm very, very glad I have the Tweed Valley basically on my doorstep but the trails at each spot all have a broadly similar feeling to each other and the forests are particularly grim there - the ones at Dunkeld are just so much lighter, more mixed and more scenic (and the trails at Dunkeld are better).
Had a long weekend riding in Dunkeld/Pitlochry last week and have to say the trails are as good as Golfie, well worth the drive up. Could easily spend afew days up there and not repeat the same trails
I really, really like Glentress but whilst I know that there are other very close-by places to ride I don't want to stray onto trails that might hurt me, so I tend to avoid black and above on non local to me/ very familiar trails. I'm happy on PdS Reds, most S Wales Blacks (both from familiarity) but whilst I want to visit Inners, Golfie etc I'm (perhaps too) wary that they might be a bit too much.
The Tweed Valley seems to offer so much though...
I'm on an eeb nowadays so I'm usually happy without an uplift. I do enjoy a bit of old school XC though and apart from Gypsy Glen I'm left wanting. I'm sure that there's loads more there but as a casual visitor from S Wales I don't really know where to find it.
For reference, I'm in Calderdale which is packed with great riding. What I like about the Tweed Valley is that it rides well in the wet, or at least the Golfie does. This matters a lot if you are booking ahead.
@richardkennerley if you can base yourself somewhere where you can ride Cut Gate, Win Hill and Wharncliffe, you'd not be dissapointed with the trails.
Or a shout out for my area, although it would be better with some local help. Base yourself at a campsite in Mytholmroyd and head one way to Hebden Bridge or the other way to North Dean, Elland, Rastrick. Plenty of big XC stuff from there too.
Gwydr forest has plenty for at least a day and Stiniog isn't too far away for day 2.
I have had a taste of the trails at Pitlochry as we were passing through. We need to find the time for a proper trip up North at some point.
I wouldn't say its better but Dunkeld is definitely worth a visit, Aberdeenshire is on the list for next year and everyone I know who's been up there has nothing but good to say about the riding
We were up Ballater way earlier this year. I'm lucky to have the TV on my doorstep but Ballater/Aboyne is on another level.
the Peak District around the Hope Valley
You what! Seriously...
Is there another Peak District I'm not aware of?
Yeah, as others have suggested, have a look at Dunkeld. Provides a lovely contrast to the Tweed Valley and also (not that there isn't variety in the Tweed Valley) more contrast within the trails themselves. Each of the 4 main hills surrounding the town has a very different feel, but they're close enough to be combined into a single ride. Equally, you could spend each day focused on a single hill and have a few days of very varied riding. No shortage of cafes, restaurants and pubs. Good bike shop too. And yes, the forests are undeniably prettier than the Tweed Valley for the most part. Just over 4 hours from Blackpool.
Rather than repeat the great recommendations in Scotland, I'd suggest a South Wales trip.
More distance between the riding spots, but well worth it.
North Wales is fab too, but a bit more hush hush and doesn't always ride well in the wet.
Dyfi valley probably matches it, potential is there to make it better, but its underdeveloped and linking it all up needs a lot of local knowledge, and probably a but if cheeky trails
Pretty difficult to beat the Tweed Valley for its variety and ability to access it all directly from where you're staying to be honest (caveat emptor, I've not ridden further north in the UK than the Tweed Valley)... But if you want to try somewhere else, then definitely consider the FoD... Not as spectacular as the Tweed Valley for sure, but there's days/weeks worth of riding to explore (though you'd want navigation or a guide for a lot of it) and lots of campsites that you could park up at and be able to access more than enough riding to keep you occupied for a long weekend without having to drive from.
People often make the mistake of assuming the FoD is just the trail centre stuff and the DH tracks... It is way more extensive than that...
Wales has a great many individual riding spots, but due to the more mountainous topography of said riding spots, it would be hard to camp somewhere and ride 3 different spots over 3 days without having to drive to them too...
Fruita's pretty good, maybe Moab is better, depending on taste 🙂
Fruita's pretty good, maybe Moab is better, depending on taste 🙂
Driving there in my van might be tricky 🤔
So I've got Dunkeld and Aberdeenshire to investigate for future trips.
I've thought about FOD before, especially as an option when I take my 9yr old. Probably be a good option to go solo first then, purely as research for of course 😎
Definitely want to find the right spot to make cut gate/win hill a good trip, didn't realise I might be able to throw Wharncliffe in with that as well. Never done any of that.
North Wales is great. Going with my daughter in a couple of weeks, but as mentioned the bang for buck riding is fairly spread out. We'll do llandegla on the way in, CyB whilst we're there and possibly marin on the way out. 🤔 I'm keen to do Antur again (not with the 9yr old) but I figure it'd be a day there then a drive elsewhere.
Hebden and calderdale I do every now and again via the train from Blackpool, that's a good day out.
@ambrose consider riding over to Inners, you can do the old red trail centre trail, then throw in angry sheep and green wing as a little step up, they're a good, fairly gentle intro to the off piste stuff. Then go for Mast of Zorro at GT which is a great trail, then you're not far off being able to do NY NY at Golfie and bongo, you'll be all over it!
Horses for courses richardkennerley - tough to find anywhere better in the UK than the Tweed for that type and density of riding (if there is, there won't be much in it, as the Tweed is so good). So if you go for a long weekend in the dark Peak, say, expecting that level of trail then it will be a disappointment.
But for XC riding the Peak is great, base altitude is 250m, tops out around 450 for trails, rounded hills not too steep so everything is rideable (the counterpoint to the Lakes in this respect) - you can put together some exceptional loops with a lot of landscape variation. Dales likewise, inspirational place on a gravel bike or fast xc mtb, but you'd be twiddling your thumbs on an enduro bike. Few trees, though, in either place.
I've not ridden the DH tracks in Dunkeld, but I've done some XC there - really beautiful area. Definitely worth visiting - if the trails are that good, in that sort of natural woodland, then that would be hard to top. The sitka spruce expanse of commercial forestry is fine and all, but can get a bit monotonal.
What is the Fylde like for riding? Not a well-known destination, but there must be some stuff to take the cross bike out on.
What is the Fylde like for riding? Not a well-known destination, but there must be some stuff to take the cross bike out on.
Hahaha! There's virtually no off road on the entirety of the fylde coast! There's a few bridleways scattered about but linking them up would be fairly pointless tbh, the road riding on the other hand is pretty good, although entirely flat. I reckon I could do a 100 mile loop on so the lanes round here and barely hit 1000ft climbing! The prom from south shore Blackpool so the way up to Fleetwood counts as of road I guess!
There's very little MTB nearby at all, rivington is my closest, gisburn, lee quarry and then it's the lakes etc. there's an xc loop near chipping I do with my daughter, it's a shame there's not more to go at on bowland, there's a gap in the market!!
As a tweed valleyist I'd say maybe the FOD could have it beat. Tons of riding (though not as big hills and it's not as easy to find) and it's just a much nicer place to <be>. Lovely woods, not all shitty haunted sitka, weather a little better. Only think I don't know about is camping locations but if you're anywhere near Cannop there's so much riding locally that you can't really run out. And I think it's a little more varied. Though, ime doesn't ride as well in bad weather. Depends a lot on what matters to you. I like gnars obviously but I also like bluebells and deer and perfect endless no-pedal gentle descents that use every inch on a tiny hill carefully rather than PEDAL FOR AN HOUR AND THEN RIDE STRAIGHT DOWN THE HILL WITH THE BRAKES ON
Dunkeld is superb and is also in places beautiful, it's a bit harder to navigate though and imo the riding's a wee bit less varied. Like there IS easier riding at Dunkeld but it's not as easy a place to go with a mixed group, the tweed valley green-route-to-ews-trail sliding scale is prety fantastic.
Can I throw in the midge question? If we were to go to Dunkeld late May, would that be too late in the year?
Or buy some Smidge.
"North Wales is great. Going with my daughter in a couple of weeks, but as mentioned the bang for buck riding is fairly spread out. We'll do llandegla on the way in, CyB whilst we're there and possibly marin on the way out. 
I'm keen to do Antur again (not with the 9yr old) but I figure it'd be a day there then a drive elsewhere. "
I'd suggest not doing CyB. Me and the kids did it a couple of months back and the whole ride just felt dull. Adams Family descent was ok but the rest felt like a relentless slog. It was quiet though!
I've thought about FOD before, especially as an option when I take my 9yr old. Probably be a good option to go solo first then, purely as research for of course
If you're heading down to FoD, you could look at visiting Risca and Barry Sidings in the same trip.
There are other S Wales spots, but that would be plenty to be getting on with.
I've thought about FOD before, especially as an option when I take my 9yr old. Probably be a good option to go solo first then, purely as research for of course
FOD Blue is a nice little pedal for kids with loads of stuff that as a faster rider you can hit and go pretty big especially on the last descent. Last couple of years I've taken my 12 and 15 year old for an afternoon riding there on our way to a days riding at BPW. Always good...