• This topic has 13 replies, 8 voices, and was last updated 1 year ago by tthew.
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  • Delamere riding with my wife and 11 year old?
  • Mugboo
    Full Member

    We are camping somewhere nearby later this month and wondered what the riding is like and how easy it is to put a ‘goldilocks’ ride together.

    My lad isn’t one of those ‘little rippers’ that lives to ride but he isn’t a complete newb either. I’m thinking not too steep or too techy, a bit of flow but not too dull either. Is that possible or am I barking up the wrong tree/forest?

    If it is possible does anyone have GPX please?

    tthew
    Full Member

    There’s nothing particularly steep or techy in Delamere, so you’ll be fine from that perspective!

    It’s quite hard to describe because the best tracks are quite spread out and none of it is signed, the marked routes are differing lengths of fire road trundles.

    Probably head over to skills area 4x track and the adjacent road gap/no brains area is the most bang for your buck. It’s on the north side of Manley Road at the outdoor education end.

    Other tips, don’t park at the main visitor center, ££££. Use Barnsbridge car park or on Manley Road. Station House cafe is better than the main cafe. Post up again before you go and see if a local can show you round.

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    Thank you, sounds promising, hopefully I will have time to nip out for a recce first.

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    binman
    Full Member

    @Mugboo have PM’d you, happy to send some GPXs.

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    @binman

    Thank you, very kind.

    colp
    Full Member

    Station House cafe is better than the main cafe.

    It’s a well known and completely indisputable fact that the old visitor centre cafe was far superior and better value than the new one 😉

    dyna-ti
    Full Member

    Just do what the majority of riders do.

    Mince it at the top and walk down 😆

    tthew
    Full Member

    It’s a well known and completely indisputable fact that the old visitor centre cafe was far superior and better value than the new one 😉

    It certainly was! Were you in charge there when they had that charity MTB film night @colp ? I’d never done night riding in the forest before that, lost my bearings on the way home and got horrifically lost. Still not sure to this day where I actually popped out onto a road!

    Rich_s
    Full Member

    It’s a well known and completely indisputable fact that the old visitor centre cafe was far superior and better value than the new one 😉

    😁👍

    ThePinkster
    Full Member

    It’s a well known and completely indisputable fact that the old visitor centre cafe was far superior and better value than the new one 😉

    So true. Miss the fire during winter too.

    colp
    Full Member

    Cheers everyone!

    I took it over at the end of 2005 and ran it until we closed 2 years ago. Always tried to keep the prices down. Just didn’t want the hassle of the new place so we didn’t go for it.
    It was great being able to take my bike and digging tools to work, the FC never could prove it was me who always built the road gap back up 🙂

    It certainly was! Were you in charge there when they had that charity MTB film night @colp ? I’d never done night riding in the forest before that, lost my bearings on the way home and got horrifically lost. Still not sure to this day where I actually popped out onto a road!

    Ha! That was a good night, the film was by a young lad who lived in one of the cottages on the railway bridge.

    shinton
    Free Member

    @Mugboo happy to show you around as I’m now retired so just PM me.

    Question for the locals – why are there so many railway bridges through the forest. There’s 4 with only a couple of hundred meters gap but the only roads are fire roads. Weird or what?

    Mugboo
    Full Member

    Thanks Shinton 😎

    tthew
    Full Member

    why are there so many railway bridges through the forest.

    Delamere was where the Victorians developed the first railway bridge plantation. Originally there would have been one every 50 meters, the optimal growing distance. The remnants are ones that never reached maturity.

    Of course, such plantations were superceded once reinforced concrete was invented because these are grown vertically and as such the planting density is greater, so more efficient in terms of space.

    HTH.

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