Toughest trail centre climb?

For a real challenge qecp red in the wet….

not ridden it in the wet for about 15years but ”tis a slippery bugger from memory. I love qecp, so much fun 🙂 more natural feeling than others

I love the Twrch trail climb at Cwmcarn, especially the last bit up to the fire road. Hated it the fist few times when I wasn’t fit on knew the climb. The fitter you get the more fun its is. The last singletrack section up to the fireroad is probably where I can get my heart rate up to its highest, proper heart pounding out of your chest stuff.

Lactic Ladder at Golspie for me.
It’s not massively difficult to ride other than a few tight switchbacks and a few awkward sections. The difficulty comes from it’s sustained nature, the 750ft of climbing you do to get to it and the 400ft of climbing after it.
I’m sure there are places where conditions will make a climb harder than Golspie, but Golspie is just hard every time.

Anywhere with no warm up where you just climb straight from the car park.

Always just destroys me if I’ve not had a nice spin first.

Tower ride to the radio mast at Glentress straight up the hiking trail is an excellent climb – very aerobically tough. 1.3 miles, 12% average, 800 feet.

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Keen climbers will love it – you can really get stuck into it. All rideable but there’s a steep part just as you come off the bike trail that will ask a few questions. Tackling that with a hangover Sat morning has had me off walking a few times.

Mystic MTB park in Bright. The fireroad climb up to the top in 40 degrees is something I never want to repeat.

Of the places I’ve ridden it’d probably be the Raven at Brechfa, some of that is pretty brutal. There’s one long old climb that’s also quite unrelentingly steep.

I don’t do trail centres much but I have been round Sutton Bank and trying to think which bit is K2, I think it’s the bit up through beech trees just out of the vale floor. I had to walk about ten metres of it as it was somewhat slape due to it having chucked it down the previous day.

Have done the Glentress climb mentioned above – I think it used to be on the original black route (going back fifteen years or more) so might not be on an “official” route these days. The first/main climb to the summit of Minch Moor on Innerleithen Red is fine, just keep plugging away.

There’s a difference between climbs you have done before and those you haven’t as it’s quite hard to pace yourself on the latter plus if you know that there’s a technical section round the corner you can get in the right gear for that, etc. Conditions also make a difference – if the trail is wet and slippery then you might have no chance.

The first/main climb to the summit of Minch Moor on Innerleithen Red is fine, just keep plugging away.

Yep, did this with one of the worst hangovers I’ve ever had during a stag trip the other year – only struggled with the first bit as my body unsurprisingly tried to talk me out of it, after that it was just a matter of tapping it out.

I must be a diesel engine as there are a few other long climbs mentioned that I find no problem at all – it’s the steep, punchy ones I come unstuck on.

Just remembered – not a trail centre but the toughest climb I’ve ever done was on holiday in Spain a couple of years back. Was stating about an hour from Marbella and online suggested some good routes straight out the back of Marbella. Found a bike shop that hired me a bike and Garmin gps – they downloaded a 32 mile ride off-road for me and off I went. Didn’t really think it through 32 miles, not kms and 35 degree heat. Apparently it was do-able in 3.5 hours (maybe by an elite cyclist perhaps).

Luckily I took a 2 litre camelbak reservoir and a large water bottle. The halfway round place to get more fluid didn’t materialise, and 5 hours in I got to the lunch stop at a village. Had pretty much run out of fluid about 30 mins before then. Never been so grateful for some tarmac to cycle on at that point either.

Turned out from there it was only another hour back to the hire shop. Beautiful scenery all round. It was more concentrated on surviving!

The hardest climb is always the one your not prepared for

+1 for golspie

iain1775 – Member

The hardest climb is always the one your not prepared for

Ooh I dunno, sometimes with me I talk myself out of it first. Preparing for the one at Kirroughtree definitely puts me off.

Must be just me that thought the fire road climb on whinlatter north loop was hard work, I had to have a break half way 😯

Whytes – hate it.

Hardest traiL centre climb I’ve done is the CYB road shortcut from the cafe to the top of Adams family (so not really on the trail)

I did that bugger yesterday. Started from down by the Mawddach river bridge doing the MBR and cranked my way from there, left at the fork (right is pink heifer) which eventually comes out above the cafe, then up the road until the Adams family descents without stopping.
Was quite pleased with myself but knackered!
The descents then all in one were totally worth it! 😀

+1 for golspie.

I know this might be a bit of a stretch and technically it’s still part of one of the trails on the chase – albeit the blue route, but the climb out of the valley from the stepping stones to the trig point is nearly three miles of gradual climbing ….finished off by a bit more 🙂 I have past a few people in tears going up that one ! Old kitbag is still one of my favs for a warm up too

Lee

Is there anyone who’s ridden Golspie and thinks there’s a harder trail centre climb?

Is there anyone who’s ridden Golspie and thinks there’s a harder trail centre climb?

I’ve ridden……..here we go…….. Golspie, Balblair, Learnie, Moray Monster, Pitfichie, Glenlivet, Laggan, Glentress, Innerleithen, Kirroughtree, Dalbeattie, Drumlanrig, Kielder, Whinlatter, Grizedale, Dalby, Gisburn, Llandegla, Coed-y-Brenin, Penmachno, Marin, Cymcarn, Brechfa, BPW………and probably some others I’ve forgotten about.

Golspie is the hardest.
A little section at Balblair is next.
Then the steep bit at Kirroughtree, only because it is loose.

timbob78 – Member
Must be just me that thought the fire road climb on whinlatter north loop was hard work, I had to have a break half way

Not just you. I really don’t like that climb. Fine on the south loop and the lower, singletrack part of the north is great but as soon as I hit that fire road my resolve totally evaporates. Not a hard climb by any means, but there’s just something horrible about it…

Golspie

Whytes – hate it.

thing i don’t like about Whytes climb is it’s balls out right from the off, most times I’ve done it I end up with horrible cramp by the first switch back. I like an nice easy fire road climb to warm into my riding 😳

I’ve ridden every trail centre in the UK apart from Halden.

Golspie is the hardest.

Blaengarw black or Whites.

little section at Balblair is next.

I forgot about that bit, perhaps because it is so short. Probably technically harder than Golspie but over quickly.

Although I’m not a good climber, whites is my favourite. I do like cafall and twrch too.
Hate the climb after the black on whites level and the short cut from the end of y wall back to the jump park area.

Yeah the black section on whites is great but you lose a lot of altitude quickly & the whole way down I’m thinking “**** I’ve got to ride back up again now!”

Cafall is good but knackering although I think twrch is harder technically (not done it yet without dabbing)

Innerleithen, worth it though.

+another for Golspie, it’s not too long but the technical section of lactic ladder really does me in before the final stretch to the monument.

I find Inner’s fairly long but just keep grinding away and it’s easy enough

Just want to say in defence of the Raven that actually there is no fire road descent on that trail.

Also that Legburner at Nant yr Arian should only be 15-20 minutes of hell.

Toughest climb in my book is BPW, because you end up doing it 5-6 times…

But I really fancy a trip to Golspie now. Sounds ace.

I’ve ridden a fair few trails, both natural and at trail centres.

Assuming I’m ‘on- form’ and feeling OK, this is my version of hardest trail centre climbs, starting with a classic non-trail centre route.

Llanberis Path (Snowdon)- I’ve never met anyone who has ridden it all, let alone done it myself. The road bit is doable, so is up to the half way station. Beyond the railway bridge- so help me God, it is hard enough to push/ carry…

Lactic Ladder, Golspie. ‘Hell yeah, no problems’ I thought at the bottom, looking up to the tower a LONG way above. Playlist on, earphones in and off I went. Gentle pootle up through the forest and then I met a deer gate. It got a bit fun and serious and technical and steep and relentless after that. Lactic Ladder- it really is aptly named.

Cwmgarw Black- An innocent little community built trail with the most intensely steep climbs that I have ever done at a centre. There is even a sign at the top to congratulate you on getting there.
Penmachno 1 in the wet, esp. from Plas to Graig Wen. Normally I find this a good workout but in the wet it is a horror show. The very top section when wet is slippery and so uneven, if I lose my flow it is close on impossible for me.

Cwmcarn- always a bit of a challenge, with a lot of tedious fireroads and tricky climbs in places.

Whytes. Worse now than when it was in the trees because it is in full view of the café. This means that people can see if you ‘pause, to take (another) photograph’… So there is no let-up whatsoever. Some of those switchbacks and steps are there for giggles, some are there because if they weren’t the trail just wouldn’t make it up the hill. Steep.

Raven. Horrid in the wet and dank that so often graces my local trail but hey ho, just dig in and get on with it, it is over and done with soon enough. To be honest though, there are alternative ways to the same place.

Legburner (NyA)- It just goes on and on and on… Ignore the little detour to the left, it really isn’t worth the effort.

Y Wal, Afan. Just a boring loooong slog. My first ever trail centre, back in 1990/91?

Kielder. An awful lot of non-technical climbing.

Marin. Plug, plug, plug. The top is up there in the trees somewhere.
Glentress. Nice and varied, a climb that I actually enjoy. Happy days.

Laggan. Smiles all around- but a bit more singletrack would be nice, the early fire roads are a bit tedious.

Llandegla. Well- it’s just another forest climb isn’t it? What more is there to say. Some nice views though.

Lady’s Edge (Quantocks). Not really a trail centre (yet), this is a really lovely ride up to the ridge through the woods with a real sting in the tail. Once at the top the rewards are numerous.

Cwmrhaeadr. 20 mins of fire road, followed by some steep switchbacks. I must admit to having to struggle on one of these, I just find it awkward. Mea culpa. The view from the bench close to the top is sublime.

Nine Foot.com- now rebranded as Blue Scar or whatever it is. Only 30 mins from home, I’ve not ridden it for a while. A smooooooth and gentle rise to the top.

Trallwm. The trails there are a means to an end- the ride up and over to Claerwen.

I have a deep seated hate for Goliath on the eastridge red, it’s slightly less objectionable now the trees are gone but not much.

Lady’s Edge (Quantocks). Not really a trail centre (yet), this is a really lovely ride up to the ridge through the woods with a real sting in the tail. Once at the top the rewards are numerous.

thats the easier of the two options 😉

the steep bit at the end in shepherds combe by bicknoller post once you’re out of trees passing ladies edge is a sod, its a grind going up though at this time of year as part of it is a river. despite fitness improvements i’ve not managed to ride up it for several years as when i am on form the ground is too slippy!

the other option is from holford up ladies combe past holford edge (which mirrors ladies edge but is on the southern edge of the ‘five combes) by the fort.. its a much harsher climb. my goal this time last year was to do it all from the holford green car park to DWD car park without stopping. still on the fitness bucket list!

another really good quantocks climb is the one from staple plain car park up to the trig point above smiths combe. its the only one of the three i can sometimes do without stopping.

Rostrevor hurts and keeps on hurting for about half an hour.