Southerner with a day free in the NE – Hamsterley, Kielder, or somewhere else?

Thanks

– M

XC, singletrack and vistas/environment my thing, not so much jumping/freeride etc. Bike is an XC hard tail.

The weather forecast for the weekend is poor, so maybe staying low and in the forest is better than out on the moors.

Today?

It’s gonna be wet 🙂

either really, if you’re just following the waymarked routes they both have some good bits followed by some boring bits

Depending where you are in the NE, there’s also good routes out of the Dales Biking Centre that can easily be followed or Dalby

Hamsterley is much less exposed than Keilder, and is much more weatherproof than it used to be so probably your best bet over the next few days.

Black (but more like a red) route is much better than the Red (mostly boring fireroads) route although it is definately worth taking in the ‘Transmission’ section of Red.

over the weekend or Monday – thanks

Blanchland: http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/2628805 (pretty exposed though, so don’t try it in the wind/rain)

The Hamsterley Black won’t take you long; took me about 90 minutes last time I did it – in the wet, with only one working brake, in the middle of a longer ride, on a rigid singlespeed 😉

Get yourself to Dales Bike Centre and buy a route map off Stu.

Try the hamsterley trailblazers website for some good rides in and around hamsters. I can recommend the doctors gate route, it is better if it were dry but still good.
There is a very good route around Gunnerside Gill over in swaledale, but probably best left until better weather as it can be pretty exposed on the tops.

One thing to note, its the glorious twelfth tomorrow so the moors will be full of hoo-ray Henrys sporting plus fours and shooting under the influence.

You lucky fella, Ive got a great route for Hamsterley – its only 13 miles long – starts and finishes at the visitors centre , it takes in the hidden singletrack along the picturesque river – the rooty climb up and along the dry stone wall – it takes in “transmitter” and the brilliant “section 13” – and also gives you the option to loop section 13 for another go around (add 1 mile for each loop)- then drops you back to your start point via the bombhole –
Alternatively DALBY also rules and would be arguably better in the wet (coz its sandy)than Hamsterleys claggy mud
– But if your “ooop north” none of these man made rides come close to the awesome majesty of the wild and wooly NORTH YORKS MOORS mile after mile of tough climbs – meandering sheep track – bouldery descents and technical moorland singletrack that spawned the likes of Steve Peat – Orange & Ragley.
I heartilly reccomend anything round by rosedale abbey. Or my own fave TAN HILL britains highest Pub. (sea level not whacky)
OOOOH Nearly forgot Whinlatter , whinlatter in the lakes is dead good in the wet – due to the shaley trail.
message me for route if you get stuck.
OOOOOH GISBURN FOREST How could I neglect to mention Gizburn – ride the roller coaster that is HULLY GULLEY ? And if youve got the balls for it THE SLAB !!!!!
We are totally spoilt for shit hot stuff mate – bettter you go home wait for it to dry out – take a week off work , come back up , give me a shout and we,ll ride the lot !!! owsat ? All are welcome.

Hexham common probably not a good idea after all the wet and certainly feels exposed in bad weather. Cheviots also for the same reasons.

I find trail centres dispiriting at the best of times so can’t in all honesty recommend them. Dalby would probably be the nicest in the wet.

Swaledale/Reeth/Dales MTB centre has some very good trails but again can be exposed but probably more weather proof than Hexham common.

+1 to what twedspeed said. Pretty much all of it is ace to ride and we are v lucky.

There is plenty of good stuff to ride at Hamsterly and is a bit less exposed than some of the the other stuff. Even though it is way marked you will get a bit more out of it with someone to guide you..

Am not far away and potentially free monday pm if you want a blast? (assuming am not too brken from my stag do this weekend). email in profile.

Either way have fun…

this guide may be worth a look http://www.beyond-hamsterley.co.uk/%5B/url%5D

i’d recommend route 14 – nice ride round edmunduyers/blanchland with some mixed singletrack/upland moors/fast descents. if you have more time mix it up with route 8 (slaley forest)

alternatively just go to hamsterley and follow the arrows as the black and red are worth doing

Route 14 is best done by riding the moors from Edmundbyers on the way out as well as on the return leg. You drop down to Blanchland on the Bridleway the turns off the moor above the farm called Belmount (incidentally the scene of an infamous murder).

On the way back head up the road towards Rookhope instead of the one in the guide so you can ride the trail over Bolts Law.

Where exactly in the NE are you going to be Matt? There’s loads of good riding on the North Yorks moors 🙂

neninja – that route sounds interesting i’ll give it a go next time i’m heading that way. cheers 🙂

I’d not seen that guide before, anyone know of anywhere which has it in stock?

Lemony – you mean the Beyond Hamsterley one? if you are in Newcastle LD Mountain Centre on Dean Street has them in stock

I have the Beyond Hamsterley GPS files uploaded on mapmyride.com under the username legolam83. Fairly sure you can search for them on there. I did the Edmundbyers/Blanchland ride a couple of weeks ago and it was great fun.

The trail over Bolts Law is marked as footpath on some OS maps but it is a bridleway on the Co Durham definitive map.

thx all, lots to peruse there. Hhave just arrived at Great Lumley from the sunny south. Have I missed summer or has it not arrived yet?

Summers been and gone. April and May I believe?
From the above suggestions the Bolts Law loop is probably the best nearest proper ride. There is also some little gems on your doorstep if you want a couple of hours local riding.

Check out the woods near the recycling centre at Pity Me, known locally as the chicken run (across the rd from a chicken farm). The locals have cut some good runs with drop offs, jumps and doubles which is entertaining for an hour or so, then use the back roads to get to Waldridge where there is a very good section of singletrack through Congburn plantation down to Chester le street. Bit overgrown atm but very fun.

@legolam no joy finding you on mapmyride, it’s pretty crap for that, do you have a link to your profile or the route

thx

+1 for neninja’s route, but only if its not howling a gale. Fantastic ride.

Neninja – by the law of probability we have to bump into eachother at somepoint. We ride the same trails and there arent many Nicolai’s in the NE!

Theres a mtbo score event at Hamsterley tomorrow. Hamsterley is pretty slippy in the wet, but you stick together the red and black and its quite fun.

Kielder – personally not one to recommend it. Its a long way out the way and a bit dull.

Dalby is a good laugh if you like a very much ‘built’ trail centre.

Seeing the weather, maybe do a made up verson of Hamsterley and go out to Doctors Gate.

Check out the woods near the recycling centre at Pity Me, known locally as the chicken run (across the rd from a chicken farm).

I still need to go and find this

Given the week it’s been weather-wise, quite a bit of the good singletrack on the moors recommended above will be pretty filthy, hard work and easy to damage, so probably best avoided for this weekend unfortunately 🙁 . I’ll be out putting some miles on the road instead, so not all bad.

The forecast has improved a little though, looks like the odd shower and not too strong a wind at the moment.

Given where you are, Hamsterley would probably offer the best all weather riding options and is in easier striking distance than Kielder. Any Beamish Oddsoxers or Hamsterley locals would be able to give you more info on best options down there though.

@ twedspeed

You lucky fella, Ive got a great route for Hamsterley – its only 13 miles long – starts and finishes at the visitors centre , it takes in the hidden singletrack along the picturesque river – the rooty climb up and along the dry stone wall – it takes in “transmitter” and the brilliant “section 13” – and also gives you the option to loop section 13 for another go around (add 1 mile for each loop)- then drops you back to your start point via the bombhole –

You don’t happen to have this route mapped out do you?

Cheers.

If your near Guisborough there’s some great stuff to be found in them there woods. Needs some local knowledge though..

I’d avoid guisborough until it dries out a bit – I attempted to have a ride through there last night and riding conditions are on a par with what you’d expect late november rather than mid august !

If you’re in Great Lumley, you could easily head up the C2C from Chester, then round Beamish, Causey, Waldridge fell etc riding from the door. Or head for Finchale Abbey then Durham, on to Lanchester valley way (or whatever its called) up to Consett then back down the C2C- not technical but a nice ride out.
Could possibly show you round Sunday, but Im at a party Saturday night so will not be in tip top shape Sun 😳

@mattjg

http://www.mapmyride.com/routes/view/43808806

OK I wound up doing Hamsterley black and a chunk of the red, including some unfurnished bermed trail I found in the woods,. I took off across the moors at the top too but it was so boggy I turned back.

Couldn’t work out how to load these MMR routes into their iPhone app, lord they don’t make it easy. Anyway next time I’l take a topo and aim to get off the prepared trail.

Thx all for your suggestions, I am keeping them. I live in Surrey so if you want a guide for the Surrey Hills/North Downs, get in touch.

– M

Note to anyone reading this in the future: the Hamsterley trail map doesn’t show that the black is ridden anti-clockwise, the red is clockwise – this is material if planning to link them!

Neninja – by the law of probability we have to bump into eachother at somepoint. We ride the same trails and there arent many Nicolai’s in the NE!

Lol – yes I’ve never met another Nicolai on a ride yet. Be sure to say hello if you do spot a grey CC on the trail.