@markgraylish that video has a mix of both sides. Both are brilliant! I think the lower half of the Achnashellach descent has more of the relatively unique (for the UK) rock to ride which is what makes the trail so interesting. The upper section is real big mountain riding and should definitely be included in the rating of the trail.

Although starting from Annat I’m bloody knackered by the final descent after the demoralising drag from Coulags, so the Annat descent is probably even better than I realise!

Definitely seems like Torridon, Skiddaw/Ullock and Esk Hause to Cockley Bridge are the top 3 in the UK. Full agreement from me!

I love the Torridon descent into Achnashellach, it’s long, it’s got some steep technical parts and some faster more flowy parts plus the granite bits are great fun with immense grip.

If you are riding on granite in Torridon then you are seriously lost!

A Dales one: the summit of Buckden Pike down to Starbotton. Probably the biggest descent in the Dales, not technical but a blast.

I’m actually off to the Lakes in September and have never done Skiddaw/Ullock Pike. Does anyone have a route or gpx for it?

I may be odd but, I prefer the Annat descent over Achnashellach in Torridon.

I also have a slight preference for that one, probably because it rewards good riding a bit more and lasts longer with those little rises – but it’s like choosing between two supermodels.

Ben MacDui has to be the longest technical mountain descent in the UK. Only ridden it once, so need another go to properly judge its merits.

I wouldn’t be naive enough to select a “best”, but my favourite this year was one of the off-piste trails at Risca which had a bit of almost everything.

But then Seldom Seen was tremendous fun as well.

And that’s before we even think about the woods behind Nationwide in Swindon.

Definitely seems like Torridon, Skiddaw/Ullock and Esk Hause to Cockley Bridge are the top 3 in the UK. Full agreement from me!

Maybe…Maybe not.  Depends what you fancy on the day doesn’t it?. These great big long descents are fun, but I’d be equally pleased by cleaning a bit of techy in a 5 mins steep forest singletrack that has you scratching your head, and multiple attempts just to say: get around a tree and over a gap or drop cleanly. Both are equally satisfyingly. I don’t think you can point at any trail and say “This is the best”

A Dales one: the summit of Buckden Pike down to Starbotton. Probably the biggest descent in the Dales, not technical but a blast.

Definitions of best vary but that’s certainly a visually stunning one, I actually got vertigo at the top, which is rare for me in the UK. We approached from Walden Head which I wouldn’t want to do again as it’s a bit of a hike and as the lady in the cottage told us nobody uses bridleway so doesn’t really exist any more (there’s an alternative path parallel). There’s actually a track further back on Temple Lane which would be an easier ride most of the way up the Walden side, not marked as a RoW but I’ve been thinking of going up that way sometime.

continuity

Ullock is good because it is technical enough to be interesting, but flows well enough that you can let the brakes go and properly hoon down.

Now don’t get me wrong, Ullock is one of my favourites (ridden it twice), but you must be a fair bit better than me on a bike and have ridden Ullock a good few times. For it to flow you must have to know the lines as I found I had to double back a couple of times having missed the ridable line and there’s one section in the middle that I haven’t got the bottle to ride!

As for a favourite, don’t know, to many to choose from, but it’d be in the Lakes! Never ventured further North than the Tweed Valley in Scotland but it’s on the list to do in the next couple of years.

I walked up Skiddaw with my 7 year old (at the time) daughter via Ullock Pike a little while back. Conditions were horrific. I remember looking at a couple of sections thinking how on earth does a bike get down this? We used hands on a couple of bits to get up

Well above my skill level!

For me, the best descents are often ones that are full of memories or the situation. Weather, company, tiredness levels etc

One of my favourites is the three witches descent in the lakes. I’ve only done it once. I was bikepacking and the weather was atrocious, even the locals were saying how bad it was. I was knackered, hungry, lower half was soaked and really wanted to stop for a bit. Didn’t know the descent was coming, how long it would go on for, or that it would drop us at the pub we would stop at for dinner. Absolutely brilliant

It’s also not a steep nadgery tech fest that you’re worried about binning it on

We approached from Walden Head which I wouldn’t want to do again as it’s a bit of a hike and as the lady in the cottage told us nobody uses bridleway so doesn’t really exist any more (there’s an alternative path parallel). There’s actually a track further back on Temple Lane which would be an easier ride most of the way up the Walden side, not marked as a RoW but I’ve been thinking of going up that way sometime.

We went up from Walden Head – not something I’d wish to repeat TBH. The bit above the track that traverses the hillside was weird: a plastic netting nailed down on top of the heather, a bit like riding on top of a stack of mattresses.

Probably a better way to get up to the top would be up Raikes Wood from Buckden then just accept that you’ll be pushing up the marked BW to the summit.

Hmmm… Ullock is amazing, and on a late summer evening chasing your mates dust clouds into the setting sun it really is hard to beat. But I do think there are a couple of better ones in the Lakes (Whiteless is the first that springs to mind).

The biggest issue I have with Ullock is that there’s an inordinate amount of schlepping back on the road once you’ve ridden it which kills the buzz a little. Also, the climb up Skiddaw in the first place is an absolute ballache.

@pothead – this off piste descent from Whinlatter, is it easy to find?

I know of 2, both are a few trails linked together, 1 starts on the north loop and 1 on the south and has a climb in the middle on a footpath from near the blue loop, pretty sure both can be found on trailforks
In hindsight, while both are worth searching out, they aren’t actually close to the Skiddaw/Ullock Pike descent

South Wales has some of the best.
this is one of them.

For a mincer like me, Conwy Mountain or Llanberis Quarry.

The Lady Anne Clifford Highway is fast and long and totally mince. Lovely.

Slight part missing through the trees from the end but Heartbreak ridge was insane
Just awesome from start to finish

Beinn fhada (officially) goes from the pass (or bealach) rather than the summit, although I’m sure the summit has been done (in fact I think Mctrail rider has clip’s on YouTube with both!

South Wales has some of the best.
this is one of them.

That looks great, and really long.

I had a few days in South Wales this spring doing big rides at Afan Masts, Barry Sidings and Risca – I’m led to believe I only scratched the surface.

Did sprinkling tarn loop from Borrowdale this morning – definitely up there as a great UK descent – a lot of variability like Nobeer says upthread. Very testing but rideable with it.

Needed to be good, mind. My Gosh the hiking, 3.5 hours to go 14 miles 🤔

What is Grains Gill like?

Bottom of Ben damph is lovely as well!

Any descent that drops you at a pub on a summers evening is the best.

It’s all subjective to bikes company and weather plus how you feel on the day!

Rode Heart Break Ridge a few weeks back. It was so good I nearly rode back up, just for the pleasure of coming back down again. Best trail I’ve ridden in a long time, with my now favourite decent.

@Garry_Lager
Grains Gill has got one tricky stepped section, but is generally good. Definitely worth doing if you’ve not done it before

@pothead – this off piste descent from Whinlatter, is it easy to find?

well easy. just pops off the main fire road climb on the north loop.. you can pick it up a from a couple of places but best to climb to the very top and do the whole garbanzo. full on!

Quantocks for twisty, fast, stream crossing downhills that can be looped again and again. Smiths Combe always used to be a winner.

To justify Beinn Fhada, and depress me further, it’s 8.5km long (ish) drops something like 500m off the belach to sea level all on rideable flowy singletrack with spectacular scenery at the end of a fairly wild feeling circuit. At the top it’s got rocky nadgery, in the middle there is some decent exposed moorland valley side trails before the bottom flattens out into a faster meandering blast with drainage ditch hops before finishing through the fields.

Smiths and Weacombe have lost their charm as I’ve become a more skilled rider over the years. I’d not put them on the shortlist.

I thought this https://youtu.be/zb2CbA87V5E<span style=”font-size: 0.8rem;”>a Ws on the Annat side but I could be wrong!</span>

That in the video is mainly Achnashellach, most the funpark segment.

Some cutting and diving around on direction to confuzzle the viewer.

For me it’s the lower section of the descent to Achnashellach from Coire Laire. (The top section is gash)

As others have said, it’s a real mix of super grippy, loose, fast and flows really well. It’s just the right gradient that I’m able to get off the brakes most of the way down but is steep enough that I hardly have to pedal.

I’ll caveat this that I’ve not done any of the big Lakes descents.

For me it’s the lower section of the descent to Achnashellach from Coire Laire. (The top section is gash)

I really enjoy the upper section as well. What’s not to like about it?

I really enjoy the upper section as well. What’s not to like about it?

It has turned into a washed out rubbly mess recently.

Needs to be done on rigid singlespeed for the retro experience.

Ullock pike is special
Whiteless is also very fun
Sprinkling tarn and Sty head I didnt rate
Fairfield again a giggle
Warnscale and a return via RiggBeck is a day to remember 😉
Dalehead Maiden moor and down to Grange although cheeky is also a challenge on the alpine esk step switchbacks .
Ingleborough is a bit of fun too

I really want to get further north than Golife next month which in the wet 4 weeks ago tested my eyes in the woods I can tell thee. Ben Ledi and Vorlach are targets and like most i do steal routes from Andy (Mc Trail Rider )

Push up from Llyn Crafnant and descend to Capel Curig. Not super techie but lovely.

Oh and the descent of Moel Fferna near Glyndyfrwydy

It appears out of all the above descents, I’ve done one of them. Nan Bield. And the top bits were too hard for me, but once in the switchbacks and below it was pretty good.

I have niether the time nor inclination to read this thread but the title piqued my interest.

The fast fire road descent into Fort William, it’s never, ever Fort Bill unless your a James Hunt. Scottish people never say that, neither should you…

Needed to be good, mind. My Gosh the hiking, 3.5 hours to go 14 miles

I don’t measure days like that by distance, it’s kinda pointless, do it by ascent instead, ditto hillwalking days.

And very much this…

Scottish people never say that, neither should you…

@jonundercover
Full Member
South Wales has some of the best.
this is one of them.

I’m going to ride this tomorrow (or at least I’m going to try to find it), in fact I’m driving up tonight. Proper excited, this should have been our Golfie weekend but weather has sent us to S Wales instead, pretty sure we won’t be disappointed

But until I’ve tried that I agree with @boardinbob and @hainman, Heartbreak Ridge is the best ride I’ve done in the UK, we did Mastermind and another track on the opposite side of the hill that day then camped in the woods overnight and it was in the middle of the best bike trip I’ve ever done so it has a bit extra for me at least

My favourite natural trails are all in the lakes and my favourite homemadetrails are all in Scotland.

For the former in going with helvellyn… sticks pass onto seldom seen. Though I could have said whiteless or ullock pike.

For the latter is even harder but I’m going with waterworld at golfie. It has everything and it’s the one I always have to ride. Could have said anything on the Tweed or Dee though.

There’s also a popular trail at Atholl Hill in Dunkeld, which is one of the most-fun I’ve ridden in recent years. Lovely combination of tech & flow.

Not on Trailforks, but if you’ve ridden it you’ll probably know the one I mean.

There’s a couple of Lakes descents mentioned I’m not familiar with. Any pointers would be appreciated.

Rigg beck – is it the FP running alongside the beck? Follow it all the way from Buttermere?

Dalehead Maiden moor and down to Grange – From Dale Head down to the tarn, along to Maiden Moor then join BW past Black Crag?

It has turned into a washed out rubbly mess recently.

It’s been like that for a while, I still rather enjoy it as it contrasts with the lower bit.