Is Sherwood Pines (notts) any good??

Is Sherwood pines trail centre any good. I'd probably be going on my own and wonder whether it's worth the trip. Honest answers on a postcard please!

I used to go whilst I was staying at Centre Parcs on business.

Well worth it for a half day or days (with a break) riding – lots of hidden stuff to reward perseverence (it's easy just to end up stuck on fireroads lookign at gaps in trees thinking 'I wonder if that ones any good?'

pretty flat though so its very pedally.

Were going Friday I think, it's there or dalby.

Certainly worth the drive from Belper. Expect some mud if you're going to do the Kitchener trail.

I don't think of Sherwood Pines as a "Trail Centre" though… But it does have a cafe and a bike shop 😆

depends how far you have to travel, what your localility is like. It's as flat as Holland, grid network of wide road well used by walkers and old people with loose dogs, If you like hills or seek hills it might be a let down, however the woodland is well manicured and there are plenty of bits of waymarked and find for yourself singletrack that is often quite tight, because of the races some of the informal stuff is well defined once you find it. It's not the Peaks and it is not the kind of place trail gods 'pine' for. If I was ever passing the front gate or lived in Peterborough I'd probably pop in for a ride

Aah I'm not so sure then. I do like a good section of rapid downhill etc, any other ideas locally that I've not sorced yet? I'm between Matlock and derby in a place called belper!

I presume you've ridden the excellent Chevins stuff – the trail along the golf course, and the Midshires Way near Blackbrook. And if you want a challenge, try riding down the steps down into Edgehill on the Centenary Way 😀

expect some mud and standing water on the kitchener but other less traveled parts are holding up ok. Pines is more about old school woodland trails that reward fitness/effort, if gravity appeals stay in the peaks.

map linky
http://www.mountainbikerides.co.uk/routes/sherwood.htm

i have been thinking of driving up there one day for a ride and see

I like it up there – its fast pedally twisty singletrack. At the mo its very muddy. Being in Belper – I presume you've been up to woods around Shining Cliff.

Aah I'm not so sure then. I do like a good section of rapid downhill etc, any other ideas locally that I've not sorced yet? I'm between Matlock and derby in a place called belper!

The Chevin & Midshires Way as above are both in pretty good condition at the moment and you can ride em from the door in Belper (I sometimes fit in the Chevin at lunchtime or as a long way to the shops – it takes 42 minutes as a loop from Belper Mill).

I would only bother going to the Pines if I lived in Worksop or Mansfield (god forbid) or if there was a race on. It certainly isn't worth travelling to from pretty much the edge of the Peak District at this time of year unless you really love flat very muddy singletrack. You could drive to the Dark Peak in a pretty similar amount of time.

Much of the stuff up at Cromford / Riber etc. was dry and riding lovely at the weekend too, assuming you know where the trails there are?

Or if you want to travel further, over by Bakewell, Rowsley & Darley Dale looked surprisingly okay given the time of year (I was on a walk), loads of nice routes round there.

Oh yeah, Shining Cliff was *very* muddy last time I walked there, I wouldn't bother for a bit personally. Crich Chase was okay, but a bit minging too.

Joe

I had a lad working for me who said some of the trails had been shut coz of too many offs? Is that urban mythery and am I right in thinking there's a bit of north shore stuff in there somewhere?!

Some pictures here:
http://sherwoodpines.yolasite.com/pictures.php

Went on sunday just gone, was gangster muddy. there are some shore drops and dirt jumps 3/4 way round the trail you can session

two videos here….

me and my mate

STW group ride

Also, if you want to drive to a trail centre type place, Cannock is probably equally quick to get to, and has much the same sort of stuff, but a bit hillier, almost certainly better drained, and there's way more downhilling (the downhills are pretty short, but there are quite a few runs)

I didn't really rate Cannock when I last went – wouldn't mind going again for a look around

AT the moment, most of the really popular trails are a complete mudfest. I live 5 mins ride away from Sherwood pines & am avoiding it unless its frozen solid. It's slurry like in many parts & just not fun to ride, unless you just look out for the 'unofficial' tight & twisty bits, they seem ok as don't get used as much.

Ditto to goldenwonder. We've been avoiding The Pines all winter. The Kitchener Trail is the worst thing that has happened there for years. What was once pristine singletrack in places is now a 5 foot wide mudfest! 🙁

There's still good off piste singletrack to be had (with local knowledge) but to be honest the other woods to the south are better these days….

ditto and ditto again.

the Cotic trail i rode a few weeks ago was TERRIBLE. i mean literally actually properly awful.

MASSIVE holes everywhere, filled axle deep with mud, then in other places the track was motorway wide where folk had ridden into the trees to find a dry line.

Too flat to get any momentum, just an hour or so of churning mud through my bike while moving at about 2mph.

Honestly one of the worst loops i have done in a long, long time.

Put me off Cotics frankly. If i was them i'd pull the signs down!

Cheers for the replies. Regular up at shining cliff and black rocks, but did again notice some strategically planted big branches again this weekend. Someone Has the hump! Not done the chevin yet, from the mill where do you head out to, obviously not along the a6 to duffield

I'd do the Chevin as a quick anti-clockwise ride from Belper centre – go south on Midshires Way from OS 329 498, go L then R at Blackbrook and onto the bridleway at Farnah Green down to Duffield.

I also agree that Cannock is a better bet if you want to avoid mud – I rode Follow the Dog the week before last – dry, fast and fun. But there's no artificial play area at Cannock unless you want to find the DH stuff. Pines has got the dirt jumps bit and other fun bits just near there.

What Tracknicko says is bang on I have said I will not be going back there until summer. I did a solo night ride before xmas and it was the worst ride I have had in years.

So Jedi if I were you I wouldn't come up until we have a dry spell.
But looking at what you normally ride I can say you would ride the wooden stuff,downhill trails and get to the bottom and say WTF!

Rob.