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Singletrack in the woods, nothing better IMHO so where's your best?
The Wyre Forest.
My favourite location for woodland singletrack by a long way. Nothing really technical but just so good. I've moved away from the area now but always try to get back for a ride at least once a year.
right now - there's a cheeky singletrack section near Stane Street on my occasional commute home that i just love. Proper old english forest too, not a pine tree in sight.
I've ploughed down Stane Street for years without knowing it was there. Then someone showed me it, a minor detour off the main track and it's twisty, undulating, fallen tree crossings......
Its hard to beat the Surrey Hills in May. As long as you get out before the power rangers are out of bed.
Those woods behind the natwest in swindon are AWESOME.
There's some lovely woodland near here that has a 1km stretch of flowing singletrack. It's a deciduous wood and beautiful to ride in Autumn. You usually see plenty of wildlife there - deer, badgers, foxes, buzzards, plus a pair of hawks (not sure what type they are but I think probably Sparrowhawks).
The only problem is that it gets a lot of horse riders using it, regardless of the conditions so after a prolonged spell of rain it gets totally churned up.
Forest of Dean
Great idea for a thread - I love riding in the trees. Think the reason I like Glentress so much is that so much of it is forest - just gives a certain atmosphere to a ride. All conifers at GT though, which I agree is less interesting, from an arboreal pov.
Conversely, I rode Ae one time and didn't really rate it - in large part because so many of the trees have been cut down. Just felt a bit miserable - reckon I'm a tree-hugger at heart.
You see 'forest' printed on maps of scotland a lot, which I thought meant leafy interesting-ness when I first moved there. Doesn't quite have the same definition north of the border though.
anywhere that's a mixed forest and not a 'tree factory' - currently enjoying local stuff on Surrey Hills and Heath and days out to Winchester end of SD 😀
As it's my local haunt, Ive gotta say Delamere..
Great fun.
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Even in the Alps I thought all the very best stuff was in the trees. Much prefer it to open air riding & some great suggestions so far.
yup alps for me too.
those old herders trails in the tarentaise in particular
As it is my local - The Blean (11sq miles of woodland). Nothing steep/technical but lots of nice trails.
I love riding in the woods. We're really lucky to have properly old deciduous forests here and the singletrack through there is my favourite.
[url= http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6209/6032775625_0a10d87a4c.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/basquemtb/6032775625/ ]Riding into the Forest (Shifted)[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/basquemtb/ ]basqueMTB - mountain biking holidays[/url], on Flickr
[url= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4128/5021040936_730468c33f.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/basquemtb/5021040936/ ]Season of the Witch[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/basquemtb/ ]basqueMTB - mountain biking holidays[/url], on Flickr
I have to admit though sometimes it's more jungle than woodland.
[url= http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4114/4920298450_27fe521e11.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/basquemtb/4920298450/ ]Exploring in the Jungle[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/basquemtb/ ]basqueMTB - mountain biking holidays[/url], on Flickr
Some more here: http://www.basquemtb.com/photos/mountain-bike-gallery-basque-forest/
Local stuff is brilliant, but Thetford will always appeal.
+1 for the Surrey Hills in general but particularly the now 'out of bounds' Redlands Woods. It's been a bad year for lost trails this year (looks longingly out of the window towards leith Hill and sighs!)
Drumlanrig is great. Trees FTW!
When you say Redlands woods is that the stuff on the east face of Leith just down from Coldharbour that has the big log jump on it?
[i]When you say Redlands woods is that the stuff on the east face of Leith just down from Coldharbour that has the big log jump on it? [/i]
That's the one
New to the area but I really enjoyed a ride around Lustleigh Cleave / Houndtor woods last weekend. Also some lovely bits around the Dart and Teign valleys.
A little gem buried away in the North beginning Thr... Thats all im saying.
I haven't been over there this summer shame if it's been put OOB as there were some cracking runs over there, is the one with the steep drop at the beginning that goes through the ferns still there?
Carglas woods have so many trails and sections it's hard to know them all. Plus Mugdock wood on the way out and back is great fun.
[i]is the one with the steep drop at the beginning that goes through the ferns still there? [/i]
Was up there last night to have a look around. Absolutely none of the trails are still rideable top to bottom. Logging work going on everywhere - looks like a battle field.
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One paticular section of Dalbeatie ticks the box for me.
It's not natural but its a nice place to be, and, i know my riding holiday has kicked off once i've ridden there.
Off piste stuff at cannock hanchurch and forrest of dean all have moments of bliss just like the speeder bike chase in return of the jedi (if you ever ride with tollah you even get an ewok)
Headless Chicken.
Was up there last night to have a look around. Absolutely none of the trails are still rideable top to bottom. Logging work going on everywhere - looks like a battle field.
You referring to the trashed area linking bottom of WOM with the proper start of MA?
A certain heavily wooded coombe on Mendip, where I spent my childhood years building dams, climbing trees & walking the dog - riding there gives me a profoundly warm glow. See also Great Wood, in the Quantocks. And Bristolians are lucky to have Leigh Woods on their doorstep - even if it isn't exactly epic wilderness, it keeps me sane.
I've always found the expression 'being out of the woods' rather strange - I know it's synonymous with safety, but I generally prefer to be [i]in[/i] 'em.
Blairadam in Fife.
Theres about 50m of steep singletrack on the ride between my house and Guisbrough, it freeeking rocks!
Guisbrough woods itself isn't too bad.
But my new favourite place in the world has to be Warncliffe. Forget this IMBA spec, no fall lines, bench cut etc, just steep, loose, rutted, and if it's started to wear out, throw some rocks on the line.
I love riding in the trees. Out here, I also think most of the best trails are below the tree-line. I get frustrated sometimes because it can be hard to get really good photos in the woods - could be anywhere - whereas some of the high-Alpine stuff looks spectacular but isn't always anything special to ride (a better photo than a trail I sometimes think!).
Sainte Foy (one of my better effort to combine woodsy trails and Alpine scenery!):
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+1 for Drumlanrig (I may be biased)
That stuff 1 minute 30 up the road. I'm absolutely sure there's better stuff elsewhere (like the stuff 20 minutes away) but my woodland is right there. Always changing, always the same.
Always liked the climb up to Minch Moor at Innerleithen once you've passed through the old stone wall. It always seems atmospheric whether shrouded in mist or with sun-light breaking through the trees.
I like this thread - needs more pics though. I'll get some in an hour when I'm ripping around the loamy switchbacks in Headless Chicken 🙂
Wyre / Forest of Dean both within an hours drive.
Lush!!! 8)
Singletrack in the woods, nothing better IMHO so where's your best?
agree 100%
you can keep your boring straight lines and giant chainrings. Twisty and turny and rooty and ducky and weavy and slidy and all those things is where it is at for me. FOD, Painswick, Cranham, standish woods is where I like to play
hidden valley on Penhydd RIP 🙁