Hi, I’m off to Gisburn tomorrow as I’ve heard good things about it.
Usually ride Cannock / Degla.
Is it a mud bath with the recent rain or is it in good nick ?
I’m on the hardtail tomorrow. Are the orange lines suitable for one ?
I could possibly get to the Marin at Betswy instead but a friend reckons Gisburn is the better trail.
Any advice appreciated
Thanks in advance

It’ll be wet, but not muddy slop

The hope line is one of the orange lines, you’ll be fine with that. The leap of faith/dh trails, up to you…

There will be puddles, but it is mountain biking in winter. Ive not been for a few months, but I imagine Hully Gully will be a bit of a mess in the wet (and less fun than it should be), so take the new Long Way Down section instead.

Gisburn is mint, a lot of the trails feel natural (if that makes sense) and as it’s a figure 8 you can loop sections if you have more time.

Unless you’re unfit I’d suggest doing two laps, by the second you’ll know where to cut bits off, if you need to.

There will be puddles, expect to get cold too

Is it any good? It has its moments. Let us know what you think after.

Hully Gully will be a bit of a mess in the wet (and less fun than it should be), so take the new Long Way Down section instead.

Nah do Hully Gully AND Long Way Down

Brilliant, thanks for the replies.
I’m going to give it a bash

I went for the first time on Friday and I thought it was pretty decent.

Yeah, defo do both Hully and LWD. Make sure you don’t miss the Hope line too.

Compared to the Marin trail I prefer Gisburn as it’s got more good bits between the not so good bits. Marin felt a bit dull until the final ace decent.

There today and it is riding really well considering the amount of rain we’ve had in the last few days. Lots of puddles but the rocks are all surprisingly grippy. It was quite busy so some puddles noticeable emptier on the second lap due to passing traffic 🙂

Rebuilt boardwalk after the quarry is open again and much improved. Only one short section shut for repairs with the trailbuilders doing good work today. It gets a lot of use and generally feels like the trail fairies have done a lot of repair work this year (thanks folks).

The only problem I have with Gisburn is that it’s so short at just 20km. Yes I could do two laps but then that is just repetitive.

The short length would be okay if it was local but its an hours drive.

It is also one of the wettest rides (more puddles per KM than almost anywhere I can think of) its hard to not get wet feet so 20 km feels like enough before at least a change for socks and shoes at the carpark for a second lap.

On the positives there are a lot of features and tech with not so many boring parts (the long fireroad climb adjacent to the Hope Line is the only prolonged section of boredom that I can think of)

(the long fireroad climb adjacent to the Hope Line is the only prolonged section of boredom that I can think of)

Longest thats ever taken me (including a fair bit of pushing, back when i was mega unfit) is 12 minutes. Quickest, without an ebike, was 4m 30 iirc. For reference, the first climb at Degla takes me 25 mins

Really enjoyed it, thanks for the replies. It was technical in places and you were right that there aren’t too many fire roads. I didn’t think the Hope Line was orange graded to be fair. I thought there were much harder lines on the loop that were red graded.
It was wet though but I doubt there’s anywhere in Britain that’s not wet with the recent weather. Not much mud and the rocks were suprisingly grippy.
Loved the boardwalk section with the stone climb up to it.
I’ll definitely return

Quickest, without an ebike, was 4m 30 iirc

Just checked my Strava, fastest I’ve done it is 3 min 50, slowest 6 min 12, so yes not that long really for the longest section of pure boredom on the entire route. It just feels longer.

Thats what I like about Gisburn it is packed with features, there aren’t many rides where nearly every climb, descent and flat section has got tech on such a consistant basis. All too often you see trail centres where only the descents are on techy singletrack, everything else on fireroad or featureless track.

Nice to see some Gisburn love , I really liked it from the first time I went. It’s everything Dalby forest could’ve been to my mind.
Got some time off in the new year so I’ll have to get over there again.

Gisburn was my first trail centre. A lot of the other centres have disappointed me just because there are so many boring parts. At too many places, only the descents are good, and the rest of it is very boring, while Gisburn is techy singletrack over most of the whole circuit whether its uphill downhill or flat.

I didn’t think the Hope Line was orange graded to be fair

The Hope Line is more like a red than an orange. Don’t understand why it’s got Orange “extreme risk” grade. It’s got jumps but they aren’t gap jumps or anything and they aren’t that big. No bigger than jumps you’ll find on reds.
The other Orange trails (Leap of Faith – Both Left and Right side) at Gisburn are very Orange though!!! They are harder than the Double Black at Antur Stiniog

Don’t understand why it’s got Orange “extreme risk” grade.

Considering the number of people who manage to spanner themselves on it, perhaps the grade is there more for deterrent purposes?

Glad the boardwalk bit is back open. Just in time for it to become an icy deathtrap! 🙂

Is it the flow with the Hope Line? Easy to go in to the table tops etc with more speed than skill and clear the first couple before getting in bother? The drop off’s are bigger than the red bits too. Not mega difficult so not black but more chance of catching you out than the red?

It’s really bloody hard to take enough speed into those table tops!

Don’t understand why it’s got Orange “extreme risk” grade.

Once sponsored riders are in wheelchairs for life having come a cropper on the Hope line. The features aren’t massive, but you can hit them REALLY fast…

so yes not that long really for the longest section of pure boredom on the entire route. It just feels longer.

It certainly felt longer when I rode at gisburn one February about five years ago. It was a sheet of solid ice and had to be shuffled up on foot, never actually lifting the soles of my shoes off of the floor. Hully Gully was also ‘interesting’.

I’d like to ride it again, but it is too far away from me to make a special trip and if I’m up that way there’s too much epic ride potential to make me go to a trail centre.

BTW, what was the bit at the top called with the barbed wire fence nearby and the slabby stone berms? very distinctive and, along with Hully Gully, the descent I remember most.

Whelpstone crag?

Orange is meant to be harder than Black.
The Black sections at Gisburn are Hully Gully, Dragons Teeth, Bigfoot Slab including the Black Graded climb up to it, and the Log Ride harder option.

Orange is The Hope Line and Leap Of Faith. Leap of Faith is much, much harder than anything else here. Certainly aimed at the more advanced type of rider.

The only other thing here which is really hard is the Black option on Log Ride. Only a short piece of tech but it looks very difficult