i'm staying at s****horpe the weekend and looking for somewhere to ride within 2hrs drive. on previous visits i have done :
dalby (twice)- which i really enjoyed
lee quarry - which i was not too impressed with
gisburn- which i liked.
places that i am thinking of trying are :
stainburn
wharncliffe
cut gate
which of these would be best or is there somewhere else decent around these parts or should i just head to dalby again.
Depends on the skrt of riding ya want! ,Sherwood pines is about an hr away or get further into the peaks in an hr n half,Hayfield loop etc! .
Sherwood Pines is only about an hour away.
Damn, beaten to it by 41 seconds 🙂
a quick play with google maps directions throws up loads of options
All the peak district (dark + white) plus outlying areas like around hayfield
Most of North Yorkshire Moors right upto Guisborough woods/surrounding moors (though parking in the middling areas of the moors perhaps not)
Into South/Eastern edges of North Yorkshire Dales
Plus all those other less 'headline' areas (yorkshire wolds, south pennines, sherwood pines .. etc etc)
might just get to hamsterly black/red XC or DH in 2hrs (plus a few mins)
might just get cannock chase/stile cop DH in 2hrs
i have a mate who rode sherwood pines and he said it was not very technical. i do prefer technical trails in the woods ,but i would try the peaks as long as there is plenty of technical riding there. i'm more all mountain/trail than xc mile muncher.
i'm local to cannock so thats out. hamsterly sounds perfect as i will be racing there later in the year ,but i think it would be closer to 3hrs drive.
Re: what you asked
What bike will you have with you, what/how do you normally ride?
my take on places you've mentioned:
Stainburn - sort of similar to lee quarry in its compact nature, the main double black can be a bit love/hate, manmade very rocky, slow, stop starty, on/off pedal through (for me at least). Something to keep trying at all the bits you dont quite manage. Mix up with the 'descent' line and very short red to warm up on, and repeat as many sections as you like to make it short or even spread out over all day. Not sure what the deal is with the 'natural' (still hard) trails over the rd these days. Its always rained when Ive been, need to go back on a dry day
Wharncliffe, need to have a proper explore of it all
The XC loop some guidebooks mention isnt really there. The first few kms are (and quite fun if not made of mud), but after that its a case of head over to the DH runs (there appear to be loads of options) and/or follow your nose?
Cut Gate. I prefer starting at langsett, clockwise loop the reservior, but use the westerly of the 2 bridleways to climb upto/over cut gate. Drop down to the bridge at the other side, then head back over again (but take the easterly bridleway (should be dry enough by now?) to 'north america' before heading around the reservior clockwise once more (so a figure of 8 with a long out/back at the bottom of the 8)
Can be extended (to very very long day out), I quite like keeping it short(ish) and sweet as above
"it was not very technical"
Its not
The 'downhill' area is almost* all rideable on an XC hardtail
*Ive not tried the wall rides or dropping off the wood/rock ramps onto the fireroad just before or the big ramp (all are rollable)
The 'red' XC loop isnt that long, but keep up the pedalling/pumping in all the sections (there is very little fireroad), mix in the 'downhill' area (now less obvious where it is) and its pretty good bar a few fairly dull sections
re: s****horpe - hamsterley
google maps 'get directions' reckons 2hours 12 minutes to the main car park in the forest. Ive found it can be conservative (especially with high motorway mileage), though I've not timed/checked it all that much
i have a 140mm am/trail bike and a steel hardcore hardtail. i used to be a downhiller ,but i now am focusing on gravity enduro racing, so agressive trail/am riding mostly.
ive been thinking of going to stainburn for a while but i'm worried about being disapointed.
i think you may have hit the winner with hamsterly,just checked and its only 2hr 20mins away which is doable!
What are you expecting from stainburn?
The 'black' at hamster might not quite fit the 'flowy/jumpy' trail centre red template, but its not really a black (though was 3 yrs ago I was last there). The red has supposed to have been revamped, though I believe it was previously a 20mile or so fireroad loop
Youd probbaly be best paying up (£7 or something?) for a day on the multiple DH tracks there if you're after something a bit more technical at hamsterley?
not to concerned about it being flowy/jumpy. i like technical stuff that needs skills to make flow. fireroad loop does sound like a nightmare though!
thing that put me off stainburn was northshore(which i hate) and the short length and the open section on the descent line does not look too good.
that said my favorite trail at eastridge is only 6 or 7 mile of technical sweetness!
i have a mate who was at the hamsterly dh earlier in the week and he said it was good.
thinking 2 laps of the black then have a look at the dh hill trails.
Doesn't sound like the Sherwood cross country stuff would be your thing. The bike park bit might be - best to have a look some videos and make a call from there.
As above most of the Peak District - probably concentrate on Hope Valley and Hayfield. Probably just over two hours but might be worth a look - Macc Forest, 3 Shires Head, Cumberland Brook, hollinsclough. Downside is a fair bit of tarmac. Linking the last 3 and missing the forest would give you a reasonable tech to tarmac balance.
You could always try Calderdale - new V-graphics guide is either out or due.
cheers,will check out all of those now.
Il be around on Saturday if you fancy a Guide for Wharncliffe or Cutgate
Not got any other riding plans at the moment.
thanks for the offer simon but i'm pretty set on hamsterly now as i will be doing the gravity enduro there later in the year.
"just over two hours"
Google map directions are around 1 to nearing 2hours depending on what area of the peak. Not over 2 for hope/hayfiled though
IIRC there is very little north shore at stainburn. Its a short interlude from manmade double black deliberate technicalness that is the warren boulder trail
The descent line is built in cleared fell, but you should be looking in front of your wheel, not at your surroundings, especially to get the most of that trail
To make up for the short length of all the trails of stainburn, either keep trying the bits you dont quite master at first and/or do them all again. Stainburn doesn't fit the trail centre mould, but in its own unique (ace) way, its all the better for it. You just have to expect it not to be like all the other centres