F.O.D – Verderers Trail

Went to Forest of Dean for the first time yesterday (biking) managed to do two laps of verderers dispite the thunder and rain, just thought I ask what you guys think of it? 🙂

Buttery smooth loveliness. A group favourite round these parts 🙂

I take it you like it then! , I also tried a few of the downhill parts too, such as the Ski run, pretty good tbh

I like the final descents on verderers – fun to see how much speed you can carry. Would like to spend more time on the DH-style runs, perhaps when it’s less busy.

It’s great fun, and brilliant when there is a group of you – it’s a very sociable trail.

@wallop – yeah could quite agree!, Were a few of us that went down, quite funny too because some of us with brilliant at the climbs & awfull going with gravity haha

My experience of F.O.D is mixed, whilst the trails are fantastic and really worth the trip i will never visit at a weekend again out of choice.

My first visit taking my wife to show her what the welsh stuff is like started with some posh twerps making snidey comments about my orange five. Even my wife commented that they were ‘pillocks’, this was after i’d loaned Tarquin a track pump to sort his flat tyre out.

My second mid week visit with a mate was far quieter and more enjoyable but if i had to sum the Atmosphere up for both trips i’d say ‘judging’ is the term i’d use.

Give me Afan any day

It’s not in Wales.

Lummox i hate to say it you are dead right there are alot of people down there now who are up there own arse.Being parking there for the last 22 years have notice the change in the last couple of years.Down/hillers sound.Some of the trail people are very full of it.Blocking trails with bikes sat on tops of jumps eating when you are trying to do a run.Weekends are crazy down there now.Once out on the natural stuff you dont hardly see a soul anymore inless you cross the verdeerers.Hay Ho.

Although i’ve not ridden the ‘Verderers’ yet, from what i’ve seen on youtube it looks great and is on my ‘to-do’ list.

Is that actually true though that people block the trail and take snack breaks on the jumps?!?!

When I do come to do it and there are people on the trail and snacking on the jumps I will straight ride through them and jump over them, and that’s a FACT!

Lummox, that’s really sad that some dicks were making snidely comments about your bike. Maybe we should just let FOD to the bellends, keep them all in one place?

I’ve ridden it a few times and for the most part it’s great fun, there are a couple of dull bits in the middle, and as has been said before, the final run down is great. I’ve only ridden midweek and all the people I’ve encountered have been very pleasant and courteous both on the trail and in the car park.

Yes, you do get the odd ridiculous situation with a family stood in the middle of a corner, but it’s a price I guess you have to pay for maintained trails these days.

However, on the flip side, having finished my race today at FodD (the Enduro1 event) I bimbled down to the cafe to enjoy a well earned cup of tea and a piece of carrot cake (and a good letch at the superb looking ginger girl serving behind the counter today) and got chatting to a very nice chap called Alex – was nice to simply chew the fat and discuss bikes and biking without any wankiness.

They are out there, the sound guys, guess you just have to put up with a few bad eggs.

Yes it is true was using bit of the enduro course 4 guys sat chatting bikes all across trail no where to go so bunny hopped one of the bikes guy not to pleased clear the bike though.Coming down one of the old year 2000 downhill runs last year couple guys on the side with bikes eating fine another sat on his bike eating away on the top of the jump no way around him.Great F–k anyone else i will just sit here looking at the view.Some of these people are like Ramblers on wheels nightmare.

FoD isnt far from me. never had people stopped mid trail. ashton court & leigh woods were far worse for that.

oh yeh, love the trail. fast & flowing smoothness

Neil did you enjoy the race I did it to great fun! And yes she was gorgeous!

@Neil Bolton – that Alex person you said you saw, did he have a lapierre by any chance?

I rode the Verderer’s Trail just before Easter as a warm-up, before heading off-piste.
Hmmmm…
It’s o.k. (For a mainly Blue graded trail – pretty decent.)
I don’t like the new harder surface and extra width some of the old trails that have been incorporated into it have been given, although I guess that’s the only way to withstand the extra traffic a waymarked route is sure to attract.
The actual route itself is pretty good, passing through lots of different bits of woodland, with interest added by changes in elevation and some switchback climbing.
It’s all about the final descent though.
Great fun, but not really to my taste.
There’s too much of a move towards smooth, artificial trail features like berms and jumps in manufactured XC trails these days IMHO.
These trails probably keep a lot of riders off the more sensitive “natural” stuff though, so it’s all good! 😉

I ride the Verderers regularly. I do find on odd occasions, bikers pushing their bikes back up the final section to ride it again. I’ve had a couple of close calls in the past.

I love the Verderers, particularly for a group ride as it accommodates all levels with the quicker riders off to try and get as low-as-possible on the berms and the less technically competent still able to have rollercoaster style flowy fun without worrying about tackling trail obstacles.

It’s frustrating when better riders forget it is a blue graded trail though. You just gotta accept you’re not gonna get a clear run on a weekend unless you are lucky. I was getting photos on the last descent when a nervous lady (who wasn’t part of our group) came over the brow of the hill….next thing I know, two guys overtook her on one of the steeper sections and scared her half to death. They didn’t even slow down and it was so close to the end of the trail.

littlegirlbunny – Member
I love the Verderers, particularly for a group ride as it accommodates all levels with the quicker riders off to try and get as low-as-possible on the berms and the less technically competent still able to have rollercoaster style flowy fun without worrying about tackling trail obstacles.

It’s frustrating when better riders forget it is a blue graded trail though. You just gotta accept you’re not gonna get a clear run on a weekend unless you are lucky. I was getting photos on the last descent when a nervous lady (who wasn’t part of our group) came over the brow of the hill….next thing I know, two guys overtook her on one of the steeper sections and scared her half to death. They didn’t even slow down and it was so close to the end of the trail.

One word why they didn’t slow down….. STRAVA!!

The final downhill and the one before it are both Strava segments, I know a couple of guys who go there just to try and beat the KOM time…..

queues on the down hill cost me 30secs on my strava time 😈

it is like an artificial climbing wall vs the real thing…

meanzbeanzx

I went there last Friday (20th) for the first time. I normally ride Llandegla but as I was in Gloucester thought I would try it out. Got to say I thought it was a really good track, fast and sweepy with plenty of jumps, probably helped that the place was basically empty 😀
next time I am in Gloucester (parents live there) I will definitely be bringing the bike to go again.

The downhill section’s pretty fun, but I’m not a fan of the few uphill sections in the final bit. Sort of kills the flow and pump track style of it.

That’s the price you pay by owning a five 😉

The up hill bits are there to slow down a bit as to keep the final section classed as blue, but when it came to signing the track off as a blue run the authorities classed it as red so it couldn’t be signed off as blue, so Rowan Sorrell (back on Track) had to put an extra part in on the final section (where the track splits into two) . This was enough to class it as blue.

I think the verderers has done alot for the pedalway centre.May not be everybodies cup of tea.But is a good safe trail for newcomers and fun for others.Like the D/hill uplift has meant loads more bikes on the d/hill runs so wearing out quicker so people are making more trails cant be bad greater choice.

Buggered if I can tell the difference between the blue bits and the red bits.

Buggered if I can tell the difference between the blue bits and the red bits.

There’s a sign at the start.
HTH

Two places first after the zig zag climb.Then near the end of the final run spilts into to.Think the blue bit is quicker at the end.

(First post…Hello!)

I’ve ridden the Verderer’d quite a bit at weekends and, whilst I haven’t seen people taking picnics on the racing line, I always expect it to be busy. It’s very rare it stops us having fun though. There are plenty of breaks in the trail where it crosses fire roads etc followed by long stretches where you can see on to the trail, so holding on for 60 seconds while the traffic clears is never an issue. It’s a small price to pay for great trails, a good trail centre and a lovely cuppa served by a hot girl (I’m sure I’ve seen her there before this weekend!)

It’s been mentioned but if it does get a bit hectic out there I just remind myself it’s a blue run with some extra challenges thrown in and actually we’re lucky not to be avoiding trailers and kids on tricycles!

Was back at the FOD yesterday, they’ve done a huge amount of work on the car park which looks lovely but not sure how it will cope on busy days. Luckily yesterday was quiet, and despite the conditions the verderer’s was just sublime to ride yet again. Also, the cheesy chips were served with a beautiful smile…which always improves a trail centres appeal!

I was there on Sunday, and loved it. It was very busy but I was lucky to get a clear run on all but two of the faster sections. 1 bloke had his bike across the trail, but he moved it pronto when I have him a friendly shout.

I think a lot of people read the description and think they’ll give it a go expecting it’ll be a slightly harder, faster version of the family trail. There were quite a few people looking unhappy about the climbing and discombobulated by the berms, rollers etc… No harm done, as there’s nothing that could be dangerous.

I’m definitely going to do it again (it’s only 10 miles from home) on a weekday, and it should be a hoot in the dark.

I like it. I normally combine it with bits of the Freeminer’s (FODCA?) plus the two enduro routes that are in the area. You can get a really good mix that way.