Went to FoD yesterday as daughter had some race coaching booked.
Car park was rammed as usual.
I took my bike and went for a ride around the red (Freeminers trail), it was deserted......
I think I only encountered about 3 people on the entire lap - and that were on shared sections....
Where does everyone ride at FoD?
Is there a secret magical portal to somewhere else??
I took my bike and went for a ride around the red (Freeminers trail), it was deserted......
Blue Verderers trail is much, much better than the Freeminers imo. The DH runs are fun too. Those and the skills area will probably be where most of those in the car park were. And the off piste, but as a non-local infrequent visitor - not something I know much about.
Whenever I've tried the Freeminers, I've also found it empty. Probably because it's a slogfest which lacks flow or any fun bits.
Yeah Freeminers isn't popular at all so no surprise there. If you're parking at the cycle centre then most of the people will be split between the cafe, verderers, the skills area and the DH runs. Some people also park there and then go across the road to Barnhill to ride that bit of offpiste.
sheepskull and ski run for me. there’s so many riding spots so it can feel relatively quiet on the hill, even when the car park is rammed. Freeminers is a bit of a slog, dont see many riding it
This is what happens when you have lots of trails in a relatively small area. Lots of people can be out, close to where they started, and rarely get in each other's way. We need more of this elsewhere in England. FoD is like being in a high density trails area in Scotland, admittedly without the same height to play with. A real gem. Go donate to the trail funds now...
https://www.deantrailvolunteers.org.uk/
That last descent of Verderers is just that perfect blue descent, a pitch-perfect blend of swoop and chop for a trail hardtail.
Rode it on a glorious spring day a few years back with the boy. Him riding the 'main' line and me taking the 'red' options, riding alongside him, with the lead changing hands, hearing him whoop and giggle in the fun bits, one of those all time top ten MTB memories, no epic mountain required, just bloody perfect.
I know the FOD isn't the 'coolest' riding destination but I'll always think of it fondly.
So, in answer to your question... Verderers
Ah ok, looks like I picked the wrong trail then lol
Never crossed my mind to do the blue - will give it a go next time.
Agree that the Freeminers isn't massively interesting, does seem somewhat of a slog in places - some of it doesn't seem to hold up well in the we either.
If you’re riding the official trails, then the blue is quite a bit better than the red, which looks like it was built 20 years ago & never been touched since.
I would still say however, most of the people riding there are venturing off piste. I regularly see more people hanging around at the top of Barnhill than the uplift drop off/DH trails start point. All to ride a handful of absolutely haggard trails that some absolutely sadist locals keep trying to work on. 😆
Makes no sense to me, given the terrain elsewhere. But it takes all sorts.
Red is more natural. Blue is more surfaced. There's a good mix of both when it comes to all the other trails as well.
I quite like the Freeminers, precisely because there's nobody about 😊
It's really nice, in an old school sort of way.
I guess it's just not party laps and fist bumps brah!
Very, very rarely ride the actual trail centre anymore tbf
Go to Staunton 🙂 Bit of a schlep from PAB, but there are so many fantastic trails there. Even when its filthy. Best to get a local to show you round tho.
Whatever takes my fancy on a given day. Often it's a mashup of Red, Blue, DH and Barnhill.
It's a great place and despite the rammed car park never feels too busy on the trails.
There's a Trail Centre?
Free miners with adit extension (several times a week including nights) mostly as I like the climbs and the, the bit through the wood before you start the great finishing descent. I sometimes split it up and do the blue finish or very occasionally the new red finish (boneyard I think) if I am short of time. I think the “downhill” runs are very popular as is the skills area
A couple of weeks ago I got there at 9:30am and already had to park in the overflow (and there weren't many spaces left there), did some forestry trails then a lap of Verderers, I only saw 3 people on Verderers. Judging by the bikes at the cafe area I think most people are doing DH stuff on eBikes.
Even though I have the Forestry pass, often I'll part at Speculation (for free) and just ride in on the family trail. Rarely park at / near PAB nowadays. If I'm not going to Staunton, tend to go to Parkend, ride Dowies/Shuttcastle and then head to Dean Forest Cycles for an awesome pasty and a nose round the excellent bike shop.
Even though I have the Forestry pass, often I'll part at Speculation (for free) and just ride in on the family trail. Rarely park at / near PAB nowadays. If I'm not going to Staunton, tend to go to Parkend, ride Dowies/Shuttcastle and then head to Dean Forest Cycles for an awesome pasty and a nose round the excellent bike shop.
Pretty much this though I would never bother with the family trail (or Verderers) and I'd throw Mallards Pike in there as a favourite as well. I wouldn't even know they were building a new shop at the centre if I hadn't seen it online, it's that long since I've got into the carpark at PABA. Has it taken up many spaces?
Must get into Staunton - went a couple of times this summer but got a bit intimidated by it's rep. and didn't explore much down to the river and need to remedy that this year.
Mallards is pretty much done for the foreseeable future. The lakeside trails have gone & been fenced in due to the felling of the larch as it had Phytophthora & it since spread, so they have scalped the hillside the other way (the road side) & only left the broad leaf standing. It will also be fenced in, so there will be no trails left.
There are a few down the Soudley side, but it’s not enough for a days riding & it’s lethal in winter.
Not as lethal as the Staunton steeps in winter. The original riverside trails were always a high risk strategy in the wet, but with the newer steeper stuff, that is a case of rolling the dice with the odds stacked against you 😆
they have scalped the hillside the other way (the road side) & only left the broad leaf standing. It will also be fenced in, so there will be no trails left.
Was still there a couple of weekends ago (when it was cold) - I went with trepidation hearing reports of a wasteland but there's still a lot of riding available.
I do like those trails down towards Soudley - some good length to them which is relatively unusual in the area.
I think it is the ‘last dance’ for most of the original stuff - they have to get the fences up in the next few weeks apparently 🤦♂️
All the cool kids do the big jumps at the bottom of the DH runs
All the cool kids do the big jumps at the bottom of the DH runs
Nah, all the cool kids are riding the first 6 corners of ‘hook left, hook right’ on repeat, with a bit of standing around & creating sped up Instaspam reels. 😎
6 corners of ‘hook left, hook right’
Where is it? Think I've seen the reels but didn't recognise it at all. Barnhill-ish?
Where is it? Think I've seen the reels but didn't recognise it at all. Barnhill-ish?
Ignore I've found it - turns out I've ridden it a lot* but just don't see it from the angles looking back up the hill.
* but not as fast as the cool kids - obvs.
The red is alright imo but quite hard work for what you get back, I've not done it for a few years. Done the final blue as an uplifted descent quite a lot though, what a great wee trail.
We do the uplift most years and mostly just smash out runs there, with some wee diversions off to Y2K and the like for variety but tbh the core trails are great fun and I've never felt like I'm tired of them. Lots of variety. Riding up is possible of course but frankly without an ebike it sucks donkey balls, I think I did it 5 times then went no **** this and got on the van 🙂
Honestly I could just ride Sheepskull/Flatland Corkscrew and Ski Run all day and be happy as larry.
Tons of other stuff in the forest of course but literally anyone else can talk about that stuff better, we had a great ride around Dowies though (cos we were staying right beside it).
Freeminers has improved a LOT in recent years. The first and last descents are incredible, the middle seems better suited to e-bikes to keep the flow up.
The DH tracks are usually busy, there's also Y2K and Elephant Man which are part of the same network, but a bit out of the way and don't currently appear on any online maps. There's a red there too which is good.
'Enduro Corner' is in the same sort of area, usually very quiet, but if you like steep, loose and wet they might be your thing.
Barnhill over the road is pretty popular too.
Most riders at Barnhill and frankly everywhere else are using e-bikes, lots of laps of fun, techy DH with shared climbs to get back around.
Freeminers has improved a LOT in recent years.
Has it? I always thought that last decent is massively overrated. Knackered tables into a flat bit then some bits that don't really flow. It's been a while mind as . . . well I didn't see the point in doing it. maybe I should have another look.
I'm an annual visitor on my way to BPW with the kids for a couple of days and always find the car park pretty busy but the Verderers dead quiet - the DH runs are always busy though but I guess thats the beauty of having them basically finish in the car park with a short push/ride up.
Speaking of the Verderers, as said, I ride it with the kids and whilst large parts of it are pretty chilled, there are some great sections of it especially the last descent. Amazing fun for all abilities. Last time I rode it though (last May) there was (I think) an awesome bit of red singletrack closed after the jump line in the trees that looped back around onto the fire-road???
A quick lap of Verderers and then I just cherry pick the bits of other trails that I like best. It helps I now have an e-bike so I can repeat the bits I like quicker and easier. I’ve ridden there regularly for almost 20 years now (normally weekdays on my own some a lot of exploring) so have figured out all the little shortcuts and ways to link everything up without doing the boring bits.
Sometimes I did Freeminers, but I just found it less fun (no idea if they’ve changed it in the last few years since I moved away) but not done it on an e-bike.
I like the DH runs, sheepskull particularly, but got pretty tired doing the push up so only managed around 7 runs when I last went.
I must be in the minority but I really don’t rate the red or blue trail centre laps. Everyone say the blue is great but not sure I agree, it just seems to have no pay off. In my view the red is far inferior to say either red at Cwm Carn or Whites / The Wall at Afan (again it’s subjective but that’s my opinion). I’m not local so don’t have the luxury of trying to find the off piste as visits are fleeting and time pressured
Freeminers has improved a LOT in recent years.
Has it? I always thought that last decent is massively overrated. Knackered tables into a flat bit then some bits that don't really flow. It's been a while mind as . . . well I didn't see the point in doing it. maybe I should have another look.
They've rerouted it, I wish I could remember section names, but I can't. Freeminers now starts FAIAP at the new(ish) skills area, then takes a new route.
One of the better descents that was midway around has been revamped with a whole new section above it which now leads to the bottom and collectively is the final descent. I was finished in the summer. So the start is wide open and fast, then a cool roller made out of big rocks, into a really tight section (at speed) some big berms which are tricky to get right, wide open again with rocks and roots.
Unfortunately, Forestry are doing their best to ruin Staunton (on one side of the road) at the moment