Whinlatter was on Countryfile today and its suppossed to be the highest mtb trail in England, looked more techy than Llandegla hard to judge from what I saw on TV. Also only 14k.

Look they don’t have that much elevation to play with so it will be much more about flow and rythmn. Its built on a bog so there’s not massive granite slabs to ride over. They are a multi use venue with horse access and walking trails, an RSPB site as well as being bisected by the Offa’s Dyke path. Tillhill are a private company and are MUCH more twitchy about liability than the FC so no there won’t be 20ft gap jumps there. Yes at the weekend it gets packed not totally sure but I think something like 20% of the UK population live within two hours of the centre.
Nobody ever said it was GT, and yes the talk is that it can be a laugh there, just chill out a little.
As for the manners thing, I’d say it was nearly gone in mtb circles these days. Gone seems to be the time when riders said they were trying to pass and the kit snobbery is getting way out of hand.
Anything else?

*rant over*

Anything else?

Yeah, anyone who thinks anywhere is easy isn’t riding it fast enough.

I went on Friday as my lass like it there. Its not techincal but it’s fun if you ride it fast.

genesis – Calm down dear, you’ll do yourself a turn.

Can you point out where I asked for 20′ gap jumps? Just a black route that is more difficult than the red route would be nice.

Oh and for people riding the trails with their dogs not to leave them in their dust so the poor confused mutt doesn’t almost run into all the other riders using the trail trying to see if they’re the poor animals owner.

samuri – Really? Spend all your time at warp factor on fireroads do you?

For what its worth, if I was in the area mid-week I’d probably give Llandegla another go. It was f&*%ing rammed today and may as some have alluded to have been part of the reason I didn’t enjoy it so much.

Signed, the owner of the battered blue ’05 Giant Trance who may have looked slightly disappointed at Llandegla today.

Yeah, anyone who thinks anywhere is easy isn’t riding it fast enough.

I’m going to give up mountain biking because its too much effort. Im just going to ride down the road outside really fast instead, I imagine it will be just as hard, and therefore just as much fun

Landegla has a very good safe feel to it. great facilities and perfect to try out riding for a newbie.
Penmachno is middle of nowhere, flowing trails, not really techy at all, but a whole lot more ‘out-there’ and is more variable than most trail centres. They both are great, but Penmachno has the edge for me. (still too much fireroad at both tho…) why can’t it all be singletrack? 🙂

Just annoys me sometimes, the lads and lasses up there work hard and people slate it for being something its never claimed to be!

What has it claimed to be?

What would ‘black route’ suggest to someone who has ridden and skied black routes?

Not arguing with you, just interested.

Not 7stanes, GT or Inners.
Trails were graded after an imba visit, hence why they changed the green to blue. AFAIK that’s why they got that grading and possibly they put black runs at that level because of the huge range of users to the complex, to cover themselves.

Was the IMBA visit before or after the black run was ‘adjusted’?

samuri – Really? Spend all your time at warp factor on fireroads do you?

Not always but then I don’t complain about trail centres not being technical enough, I understand what I’m getting with them. They have liabilities and land ownership issues to deal with. Not to mention people bitching about them being too technical. I was at Llandegla today as well. I had a great time.

What would ‘black route’ suggest to someone who has ridden and skied black routes?

That mountain bike route classifications in the Uk bear no resemblance to ski route classifications in places with huge mountains?

I was at Llandegla today as well. I had a great time.

I’m sure you did.

If we all liked the same thing it’d be a pretty boring world.

BTW, are the black routes at GT etc also IMBA graded?

Went to Llandegla today too!
I enjoy the place, it was my first trail centre. It aint really tough went round the black route first time out on me old Carerra (hadnt been into biking long), you can make it tougher though by not breaking into the berms leaving fookin massive grooves in the trail! 👿
Got the shock of my life today though, I came round a corner to see a hire bike on its side and a fella lying in the verge on his back not moving, after screetching to a halt trying to get my brain into first aid mode it transpired he was tired and taking a breather. Honestly it looked like a full blown accident to me! Well you do get allsorts there!

I agree with S&J to some extent, went to llandegla last autumn and was slightly disappointed after reading so much about it and possibly as we’d rode cyb the previous day. found the climb out to the top of the hill long and dull, other trail centres seem to be able to break the climbs up a bit better. enjoyed the downs but don’t think i was hitting them hard enough to get much air time and looking at the youtube videos it does look a lot more challenging at higher speeds.

I think the riding is generally good but somethings are more suited to certain riders, don’t think an armoured up bloke on his scott ransom will get much out of the xc course at sherwood pines – but plenty of other riders love it.

The black route is black because it is harder than the red, it’s just a relative scale for the trails at that particular location. Given that there is a thread every couple of weeks about how un-technical llandegla is it’s amazing anyone goes there expecting it to be something it isn’t…

Tillhill are a private company and are MUCH more twitchy about liability than the FC so no there won’t be 20ft gap jumps there.
Goes back to my question on the lad suing Tillhill for his self-idiot-fall in the carpark. I bet there are a few idiots who have sued Llandegla for their own falls already.