Fort William dh. It's a great challenge when you don't know what you're doing, then it rewards you constantly with options and wins as you get better, then it's incredibly different on different bikes so bouncing down it on a hardtail rewards you very differently from a big bike, and you don't have to ride up. Mint.
For single trails I'm in love with Careless Whisper at Glentress at the moment.
Another discipline, but I really enjoyed a loop of the west end of Coll - out via Feal back along Crossipol with lots of machair and rock around Calgary Point. Beach opposite Gunna is a bit soft however. Fat Fun!
https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/7517372
Sometimes you hear great things about a trail but it doesn't live up to the hype. So for me it's those local trails that always deliver a grin. And rides with mates are always better. Breast haw in Grizedale always makes me smile.
One person's tech is another's canal tow path. Emphasis there was on the fun bit. Gatekeeper or what?
One person’s tech is another’s canal tow path. Emphasis there was on the fun bit. Gatekeeper or what?
I was hoping you'd come back and say:
"Aah, but if you come down from the Gap then that ridiculous staircase is doable" and inspire me to put more effort in.
Or
"Noooo, I mean the bit further up. Just beyond the nightmare boulderfield it gets awesome..." Then I'd explore further.
Or something
Anyway, it is indeed lovely.
There used to be a great DH track in North Wales called the 'Scousers' track near Nannerch. You could ride back up to the top on fireroad aswell.
Out of what I have ridden (Wales, Shropshire + Yorkshire only) i'd say Minton Batch is up there or just hacking around the Dyfi forest.
@weeksy - Lots of closures at Afan currently, particularly affecting Y Wall because the fire road at the bottom is a no go area. Still plenty open to the north and higher up the hillside but no bike park and no final descent.
Couldn't strictly stick to singletrack for my favourite trails, but what the hell. Also not sure what my single favourite would be but today's top 3 (in no particular order) based on fun might be...
1 This one. Not super long or super tech, but one of the best bang for your buck trails I know of. Bit of everything.
2 Rake And Ruin at Dunkeld. Again not super long but another great 'little bit of everything' trail.
3 Skiddaw down via Ullock Pike... Or Sail down through Rigg Beck... Or Down from Helvellyn via Stick's Pass and Seldom Seen.
HM goes to Ghandi's flip Flop. A short, flat bit of trail in the local woods. If it was on a hillside in The Peak then everyone would rave about it. IMO it's an almost perfect section of classic woodsy singletrack.
Rigg beck ... Such a fine and stunning piece of singletrack in a wonderful back drop.
That one at Staunton that's kind of the furthest over on the left of the hill and goes all the way to the bottom.
I'm rubbish at remembering names of trails but that one is just completely epic and ridiculous fun.
Not mentioned here but one of my favourites has to be the descent off the Bealach Dubh at Ben Alder, heading for Culra. Location, scenery and tech content are all up there. The fact that it's so bloody difficult to get to just adds to the awesomeness.
2 Rake And Ruin at Dunkeld. Again not super long but another great ‘little bit of everything’ trail.
Eh? It's over a mile long and 1000' of descent. What's your definition of trail?
Haha. Fair point. It didn't feel that long TBH. I guess I'm comparing to those big mountain descents.
To many to only pick one!
Ben Macdui by coire Etchachan is up there, probably the longest descent in UK.
Whiteside for a great natural mountain descent, Whiteless is ok hehe.
Ben Avon north for wilderness singletrack.
It's probably just Transfer Line at Woburn. Few different jump options if you're feeling brave and its just fun. Quick and easy push up for more runs.
Other than that probably Minton Batch or the other fast one back down into Little Stretton (not sure if it has a name).
For a loop my favourite day out has probably been at Brechfa. Combining the Raven and Gorlech trails into one big route. The Raven has old school Singletrack through (what feels like) ancient moss covered forest, a swoopy rocky downhill, a bit with a steep fast chute like a rollercoaster, so more tech bits, then the Gorlech part has some more built sections with jumps and whoops etc. really great.
I think the Cafell trail at CC used to be amazing before they had to cut trees down / before fires. The main descent used to be a slightly loamy rollercoaster of a thing - it’s still ok but it’s more rocky and eroded now and doesn’t flow so well.
The final part of the descent on the Twrch at Cwmcarn is still mega everytime I ride it - that is a proper rollercoaster that goads you into trying to do it faster and faster.
Also love Sixtapod into Willy Waver at BPW. The top half is pure rollery flow, then WW is essentially a pumptrack downhill. For sheer speed and flow it’s probably the best trail I’ve ridden.
For more steep / tech stuff Wacko Jacko into Mayhem at Risca is fantastic.
Finally I love Roots Manouevres at BPW - preferably in the dry. More of a challenge at speed and trying to keep a flow through all the roots and drops. Hammers my legs everytime but very satisfying.
If I had to pick one of the above to ride forever (with nothing else) I think I’d have to pick Brechfa probably - just because it has a bit of everything.
@Kayak I think that on e is called Dead End Down )at least that's what we call it if it's the one i'm thinking you mean). I guess so as it is done every single time we go there regardless of any other trails. So much fun. It is unfortunately developing some nasty braking bumps and very wet berms so could use some maintenance. Did it last Wednesday though and still gets a grin. Then again most of the stuff at Staunton/Redbrook is top drawer.
For me the best trails are the ones done in the best conditions with good mates where you get to the bottom and everyone is buzzing. I can think of several we've done over the years though no single one stands out as being better than any of the others. Often a return to the best trail results in disappointment as the conditions have changed (more bracken, a tree is down, corners have been cut etc), so in that respect your own favourite trail is a one off that can never be repeated. And there is nowt wrong with that.
It might be Ho Chi Min at Glentress that starts next to the mast and goes a long way down the hill?? It's not super tech and doesn't really have jumps but bombing down there at high speed following someone is great fun.
Torridon descent into Achnashellach and Accelerator at Hamsterley are also great but all in different ways.
Often a return to the best trail results in disappointment as the conditions have changed (more bracken, a tree is down, corners have been cut etc), so in that respect your own favourite trail is a one off that can never be repeated. And there is nowt wrong with that.
This ^
Rode some riverside singletrack near me at the weekend, very much only 'good' in the improbable/unexpected singletrack sense, and mighty hard work on a CX bike trying to thread a line over loose rocks and roots etc.
The whole time I was thinking "this is AMAZING" but by the end I realised I would probably never come back to ride it again, it was only amazing for being new and me having good legs on the day, any other day it would probably just be a janky slow pinch flatty frustration 🙄
Also love Sixtapod into Willy Waver at BPW.
Yes! I Always aim to do my last run of the day on this combo. Even if you've had a day on the reds and blacks, finishing with these two always puts a smile on your face. Anyone who isn't grinning like a loon at the bottom of WW isn't to be trusted IMO
For me the best trails are the ones done in the best conditions with good mates where you get to the bottom and everyone is buzzing.
Yes. I've ridden all over the place and TBH the trails sorta blend into each other after a while, but days like this, even 20 years ago are seared into my memory. A completely dry 24 race without even a dew, a Gap ride in perfect conditions that was just a couple of hours of laughing my head off with silliness, a few Chilterns rides that were memorable for other reasons...Rather than trails* it's those memories that stand out for me.
* Although, now I've said that, and thinking of the Chilterns: A trail that starts at Park Corner and Goes past Huntercombe on the way to the Ridgeway that we called "Young Offenders" is just about a perfect utter joy of swoopy woodsy fun in pretty much every weather/ground condition. Superfast flowy ribbon of dirt and not so techy that you have to concentrate on anything other than how fast you're going...Beautiful.
@Kayak I know that trail as Dead Man Down or Gulley Run and it's probably my favourite trail locally.
My favourite Scottish trail is Boner. The first time I rode it was an absolute shitshow; it was the last trail at the end of a long day and I bounced from obstacle to obstacle, just happy to get to the end. We redid it a couple of days later and I was fresh. Oh wow! It really came together and flowed beautifully.
Super Swooper is my fave bike park trail, folloed by Popty Ping for sessionability.
Feed the Pony at the golfie or Conda at Risca for me.
Or maybe bombduro idk.
Just because its reasonably fresh in my memory but Glentress from the mast into Carl's Trail into Truong Chinh into Ho Chi Minh into Jailbreak was bloody brilliant. A fantastic mix of flat out pedalling through the trees into some open singletrack with some motorway speed stuff on Ho Chi Minh and then into some really flowly but more techy stuff in Jailbreak.
Feed the Pony
Or this - insanely good...
some motorway speed stuff on Ho Chi Minh and then into some really flowly but more techy stuff in Jailbreak.
Didn't realise these linked up, absolutely love both of them so will check that out next time.
So many trails come to mind but would probably have to go with Minton Batch as I've never not enjoyed it and done it in such different circumstances, everything from flat out mates racing to pootling down it with my then 12 year old daughter and she never stopped talking all the way down.
Pedalhounds at Cwmcarn.
Hidden Gem on the Isle of Wight
Didn’t realise these linked up, absolutely love both of them so will check that out next time.
Not directly but a tiny bit of fire-road inbetween... pop out of the current ending of HCM and straight over down a fast little footpath type track to the next fire-road down, swing a right and straight into it. Needs a link direct from the bottom of HCM through the trees but loads of work for the lodges going on up there - there may already be something...
Super Swooper, and the huge berms at the end of Flow State.
