FoD / State of Dowies / Shutcastle?

I’m guiding a few riders next Saturday. All my riding for the last year or so has been on the Staunton side. Think I’ve been to PAB twice! I have a route that heads out to Dowies and then Shutcastle before coming back finishing on Y2K.

I know Shutcastle was being logged and I think Dowies too? Any locals with the latest info on what’s rideable? Ta.

Oh I see, still a bit broken.

ooh, we’re off there in two week’s time, to be led around by someone called Alex, who also has some cyan shorts.

If they are good riders, there is more than enough stuff at Cannop Ponds which will save you having to pedal so far and allow more runs. My mates rode Dowies/Shutcastle last weekend (among other areas of the FOD) and got about 5 runs in there so something must be open.

EDIT: If you’re happy to take them down Y2K then you will be fine on the Cannop trails

It’s wet, especially Shutcastle (as always!), logging wise, Dowies side is pretty much all good, except Murdocks which is a bit messed up at the top, Shutcastle is ok in the most, but very wet unfortunately.

Is this an XC style trip taking in a few trails, or just commuting between trails, as there are probably better options for next weekend if you know the likes of Mallards, Pillowell/Lydney Woods or Wastelands?

Realistically though, should be a dry week, so Dowies/Shutcastle/Wastelands/Y2K and Elephant Man should be fine to ride, just a lot of puddles at shutcastle

Yeah I know the Swallowvallets area pretty well but it’s more of a tour of the forest kind of thing.  I was thinking of starting at Parkend and riding from there.  Not ridden Big Pig/Tramway from Parkend from about 2 years

I know the stuff in and above Mallards but not so much the stuff at Pillowell/Lydney. I keep meaning to go exploring there.

Think I’ll stick with the route I know then. Ta all.

called Alex, who also has some cyan shorts

Who is this imposter? He shall be hearing from my lawyer!

Dowies is back up and running after the felling with a few track changes around fallen trees. It’s very soft though and ideally needs some dry weather to firm up the new corners.

Plenty of new stuff up around the frying pan/wastelands area. I’ve put in a couple of tracks there and several other have also dug new stuff in the last year.

Mallards is running well at the moment as well, and there’s a good new track to the right of y2k.

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enigmas
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Dowies is back up and running after the felling with a few track changes around fallen trees. It’s very soft though and ideally needs some dry weather to firm up the new corners.

Plenty of new stuff up around the frying pan/wastelands area. I’ve put in a couple of tracks there and several other have also dug new stuff in the last year.

Did you do some work on the tracks up the frying pan next to the fence, starts with the two chutes and has the rock garden bit, nice run that one!

The new y2k run nearly had me on the initial descent, so focused on hitting that little gap I never noticed the little drop at the bottom ;o)

Lot of puddles everywhere well muddy Saturday think I will leave it for a while as April was amazing down there.

Both the areas in question are clear and rideable again.

However, it’s pretty much rained for a month solid now, so conditions are probably worse than they have been all winter.

Which wasn’t really an issue in lockdown as it was 95% locals riding the off piste, but now every man & his dog a back, everything is being thrashed.

Yeah I did Dowies and Shutcastle on saturday morning and it was all sodden. It may be a little nicer this coming weekend though if the weather clears up from tomorrow.

It was fine by Pillowell and Lydney yesterday, no rain in the morning and all trails rideable, quite a few didn’t even have any real puddles, FoD really is a place that has some areas that just have trails that don’t drain well (Shutcastle as an example), and those that do.

I’ll be out next weekend, either Mallards or Lydney Woods again as the weathers looking good and they’ll be running well i’d think, Wastelands does as well for a fair few of the trails, Dowies also does quite well after a few dry days so the OP will have enough trails to keep them going!

Thanks all. I’ve sort of fallen out of love with that side of the Forest. Mostly because the stuff over SY side (both sides of the bridge) is so good. Be good to ride it again even if it’s still a bit sloppy.

It’s weird, i’m the other way, i just haven’t been back to Staunton side as nobody seems to head up there in our groups and we just seem to stick with FoD, will need to get up there to do a recce at least in the near future, can barely remember much as FoD does always seem to be easier for group meet ups and so on.

If you are going this weekend, then Dowies will be fine, plus if you’re going round the hill to avoid Nagshead then you’ll be going through Fetter Hill, so loads of trails that side and then onwards to the offpiste then Y2K/Elephant Man/etc. Always amazes me that folk forget there are so many Dowies trails going down to the road further up towards Milkwall then over to Fetter.

May try and venture down this Sunday. Would be a year since my last visit. My usual route used to end with a Dr Johns finish into Parked. Anyone know if that rides ok now. Had quite a few trees cut last time. 👍

Not really done that in ages, i tend to start the trail just after the pub at moseley then head down and cross the road to then do a complete run of bigger pig, then down through the woods to Dean Forest Cycles and across to the parking at Parkend, if you’re going on a Sunday, when there’s sunshine as predicted then just follow the bikers and you’ll not go wrong, only annoying thing about trying to do Dr Johns for me is that there’s not much trail wise around there, loads of paths and stuff though if just XC’ing around the place.

Mallards was running well yesterday, much drier than the PABA area which was a proper bogfest the day before.

Pillowell was slick as yesterday.  Last time I rode Dowies and shutcastle it had been hammered by forestry, but there are better trails near by anyway, so I leave the dowies to the ebikes.

Dr John’s was hit by forestry a few years ago and I don’t think it has ever been rebuilt or cleared.

Dr Johns has been passable for a year or so now. Doesnt seem to be getting much traffic though.

Nothing wrong with DR Johns always thought it was a something of nothing trail now after so much other stuff has been built in the last 15 years am the same not been over to Staunton in years did see a local in forest Saturday not seen him in years he said they are excellent but not to bother at a weekend cheers Joe.

Yeah, best thing about FoD, lots of choices in small areas, lots of different conditions as well, so always something to keep people happy, i find it easy to just take the enduro, ebike or hardtail and ride the trails that’ll give me the most fun, but it does take time to know where they are, and even more time to remember what the hell is on the trails!