A friend has offered to take me to Staunton (FOD) but has said its steep and techy.

Ive watched a few you tube vids but cant really tell from that how steep it really is?

Am I likely to be well out of my comfort zone riding there??

What is your comfort zone? What’s your previous experience with steep stuff? There are some absolutely gnarly trails at Staunton, as well as some less extreme ones. Usually you can walk down or around the worst of it. It’s an amazing place to ride.

Only one way to find out.
Go and see for yourself.

Depends, what else have you ridden in the FoD? Also depends what you define as ‘steep’.

There is a decent amount of normal stuff there (if you know where you are going) and some fairly steep stuff.

There is steeper, harder trails around. But they arn’t what you would consider known.

Oh, and don’t go there in the rain.

Staunton has some good progression if your mate knows where to look

Oh, and don’t go there in the rain.

Certainly not for your first visit anyway. 😀

I’m no local and don’t profess to know it all. I tend to hook up with some southern based riding mates once a year there and I tend to have a family break down FOD way too. The immediately obvious trails at Staunton aren’t that steep. There is some stuff a little further afield but still accessed from Staunton, which is pretty darn steep. Very effin difficult if wet.

There’s a real mix of trails at Staunton, it can be as flowy or as steep and techy as you want to make it. It’s a superb place for ride progression, anyone who knows the trails well enough can make a progressive loop to start with the less challenging trails and build up to the techier stuff as the ride progresses.

Echo everything everyone else has said already, especially about not riding it in the rain preferably. It does add a certain extra dimension, given how rooty some of the trails are.

Climbs are mostly smooth fire road climbs without too much gradient too, which is nice for a more sociable ride. There’s the odd short sharp one, but mostly it’s long smooth ups I find.

There’s a real mix of trails at Staunton, it can be as flowy or as steep and techy as you want to make it. It’s a superb place for ride progression, anyone who knows the trails well enough can make a progressive loop to start with the less challenging trails and build up to the techier stuff as the ride progresses.

Rich has offered to take me, think he just wants to see me smash myself up 😉

As others say, it varies massively, if you park up at the normal lay-bys then the trails that start there aren’t that steep, some have features, some are flowy, lots of choice, there’s a couple up near the Suck Stone that have some steepness at the very top and biggish drop offs and techy bits, same with a couple that go down to the river.

There’s a good bit of distance between them all though, i’d guess you’ll do an area and focus rather than moving from the easier ones near the lay-by and the harder ones towards the river, as also stated, it will depend on the weather as well, not the nicest area in FoD when it rains!

Personally, i prefer other areas around FoD for ease of moving around and trails that are more my cup of tea, Wastelands is decent, as is Lydney Woods, and of course Parkend area.

There is some steep stuff around Mallards Pike too as said above some steep stuff around the suck stone do not add to much details or they take your post offf.

It all depends what you like, i like Mallards as it’s got good support (car park, toilets, cafe, etc), trails are quite good as well, a good range from beginners to some bigger stuff, same with Staunton, but i find Staunton more widespread to get to stuff, you need a guide as you will have, but knowing where the big stuff is means you’ll be more aware when they start leading you to the steeps ;o)

Rich has offered to take me, think he just wants to see me smash myself up 😉

Trust me… He doesn’t!

He wants nothing more for you to actually enjoy riding your bike rather than whinging about not enjoying riding it on the internet…

Given what I know of where you’re at right now, personally I’d suggest parking up by the Stone Works @ Cannop Ponds, then riding the trails served there by the “Rubber Duck” climb… They’re generally not as steep and techy as at Staunton, certainly shorter, and on an eBike you’ll get several runs back up that climb and ride most if not all of the trails there at least once on a battery charge. There will be some progression over and above what you’ve been riding already in the Wyre and the trail centre stuff @ FoD, but without the fairly significant step up that Staunton poses IMO. If you get on well there and don’t find it too imposing, you’re probably ready for a run @ Staunton or Mallards Pike, if not then keep practicing the trails @ Cannop Ponds until you’re confident on them I’d suggest. 👍🏻

Or head over to Park End and ride Dowies/Shutcastle trails… Much more flowing, less technical, but plenty of fun for all abilities and a lot more natural feeling than the stuff nearer Pedalabikeaway.

Looks like I’m stopping just over the river from here at the weekend, should be easy enough to pootle down to the wooden bridge and then follow my nose based on Strava. Or is there anything worthwhile on the west side of the river off Great Doward?

There is stuff to the west of Biblins bridge. Not easy to find, and the best bits consist of a major jump line followed by a very steep and technical drop back down to the river.

I wouldn’t touch those trails west of the bridge as they get steep, rocky and techy, yes there are easier ones, but easy to go down the harsher ones!

As MBoy says, Wastelands is decent, but again, you could end up down a bad one unless guided, there’s nice simple ones with decent chicken runs, but a couple that can catch you out with a feature.

I’m up FoD once or twice a week, give us a shout if you are out on any day i’m up, as stated earlier, Staunton isn’t a place i go to much, due to logistics and so on, i prefer the other areas, much easier to do supported runs without too much worry, but they don’t have the pub to finish at!

He wants nothing more for you to actually enjoy riding your bike rather than whinging about not enjoying riding it on the internet…

I’m actually enjoying riding at the moment mate. Was out with Zippy at the weekend up the Wyre. Lovely and dry currently.

I’m all for testing myself but know Rich is another level of braveness to me currently 😂

It’s how you’ll improve, always nice to have a local out front showing you the way down, speeds and the actual way to hit some of the features, but unless you’re going before Friday, i’d look elsewhere, as rain is coming, and there’s better areas to ride in the wet, and worse ones of course ;o)

Not sure if it’s still the case but a few of the trails out at Mallards had been blocked by some pretty vicious felling by the FC, they’d made a real mess. This was a few weeks /a month or so ago now and as I recall it had affected all the trails that start with the numbers on the trees. Sorry, can’t ever remember their names.

I was up Mallards on Sunday and the only trail that I rode that was affected was Viper. The steeper stuff on the Staple Edge side is all fine and running great.

Minor tangent: I did a few trails at Staunton with some other clueless riders near the end of a longish ride through the FoD from Monmouth. We ended up with a steep slog back-up to the main road to get back to Monmouth. So, is there a way to get down to Monmouth or the riverside other than climbing back up to the main road? Are there any trails that take you all the way down?

On another side note I know Staunton fairly well parking at the lay-by but is there any acces/places to park at the bottom by the river? There is road access to the campsite I guess but clueless as to the lay of the land down there. Would be mint to end with a swim next to the van!

Staunton steeps are the only tech trails where I have seen smoke coming off my xt 8020 rear caliper at the bottom.
Its pretty full on

Got guided at Staunton for the first time a couple of weeks ago.

Lovely, more naturally flavored trails that made Dowies/Shutcastle feel like a trail centre.

We ranged all over from the stuff in the north down to the river to the stuff further south.

It’s easy to see the steeper stuff would be more difficult in the wet.