Starting to think about taking the little one on something more adventurous. From the door for us is mostly gentle, tarmac bridle paths and the park. Very little bumpy stuff and no gradient at all.

Thinking about where to take her, I’m wondering if philips park nr MCR would be a good start? Never been myself but it looks smooth and fun as a gentle introduction, but I think it’s graded red?

Obviously there’s the fire roads round gisburn, grizedale etc, I don’t think we any where near being able to ride any of the graded trails there yet.

Anyone got any good destinations for some fun, easy going trails for little ones around the North west? The nearer to Blackpool the better!

Happy to tow or push where needed.

Ride up and down the promenade dodging pedestrians and dogs! It’ll build plenty of handling skills.

🤣🤣 gotta do plenty of that in time for ride the lights next year, probably more dangerous than any red run!

Trying to think where we took our kids when they were young:-
Various bike paths around Lancaster (Conder Green – Lancaster – Crook O Lune)

Preston Guild Wheel. Maybe park at Walton Le Dale or Avenham and then Brockhole and back along the river.

Blue at Gisburn. Bits of the skills area.

Forest at far end of Longridge Fell (fire roads).

Dunsop Bridge up the tarmac bridleway – only a short out and back but does feel a bit remote and a playground and ice cream back at the village.

Roddlesworth woods.

Lower stuff at Rivington.

Tilberthwaite (maybe including the bw from Coniston).

Whinlatter blue.

Keswick – Threlkeld railway path.

Claife shore bw, maybe using the ferry to get there.

We started at Phillips Park at the back of the NCC, it’s pretty gentle, the red/orange sections can be easily missed out, IIRC there were just some rock drops not much larger than a big kerb.  Main problem was occasionally encountering broken glass.  The skills area is pretty good.  We also did Llandegla blue, I’d probably go to Gisburn over Llandegla now, as that first climb can be off putting.

Local parks with woods are good training grounds as well!

If you mean the Philips Park in Prestwich (there are two, @twistedpencil mentioned the other): if you aren’t ready for Gisburn then the reds there are not what you are looking for. The blues (officially down in adjacent waterdale) might be. But I don’t think they are worth you travelling for!

Why have you ruled out Bottoms Beck at Gisburn though?

Also Quercus trail at Whinlatter might be perfect. We used it for this, but full disclosure I think it’s attracted disagreement in this context here before…

We never liked the stuff around NCC. Bits of trail were OK but the place was depressing shithole. *

Visions of pulling shards of dogshit coated glass out of the kids if they ever fell off. Thoughts of punctures from hypo needles etc etc.

Blue at llandegla is the obvious option. Instead of doing the usual start, park in the top carpark and then tow the wean up the fire road to the nessie bumps at the end of 3 mile climb.

Then do the blue. Then add bits of red on each time they progress.

Loved llandegla with the kids

* I appreciate this is a very subjective opinion. If someone has a more positive view then I’m totally happy to accept my skewed view is wrong.

Philips Park mentioned above… Note there are 2 Philips Parks in North Manc, both with mtb trails and near enough to each other to cause confusion.

1: https://goo.gl/maps/tQr4pQULqq7EDckT7
2: https://goo.gl/maps/54YBMCQF2ax81HXg6

No. 1 in Prestwich/Whitefield is great but not for a 6yo first timer, features are too big. There is the blue XC trail in Waterdale next door though, and loads of paths in the local area around cycle route 6. Lots of nice stuff between Drinkwater Park and Clifton Park.

No. 2 is actually not in Philips Park itself but mostly in Clayton Vale nature reserve.
Park at the NCC and behind it there is a small pump track and skills area on the edge of Philips Park, the main trails are in Clayton Vale and there’s lots of choice.
It’s pretty good for kids and would suit you much better IMO.

This is all from the point of view of someone living very local! I wouldn’t travel from Blackpool (or anywhere, really) for either.

Thanks for all the ideas so far 👌

I was thinking no 1 as above, bit nearer to us. What I’m after is a smooth, flowy run which isn’t technical and is just good fun for her. Basically to dupe her into thinking that it’s all easy and fun!

I’m gonna take her somewhere during half term in a few weeks. At the moment, i’d say her skills and confidence are lacking a bit in order to ride something rough. I think blue at Gisburn would be too tricky.

Looking at YT vids of Philips park, it looks smooth and easy going, the features seen to be avoidable? Never been though, so obviously I get it will be very different in real life.

@richardkennerley Gisburn Blue would be fine, took my daughter there at 6 and we finally got round to doing the red together yeasterday!

Guild wheel at Preston and then ride around Brockholes. You can come off at Junction 31a (you’re in Blackpool or thereabouts?)and park up near the crematorium and ride down from there.

If you fancy a drive to the lakes, park at the bowness side of the chain ferry, take the ferry across windermere and ride the lakeshore north to wray castle (national trust, big playground, cafe), returning same way. Or elterwater to skelwith bridge (cafe) and back along the river, very flat well made path.