johni you lucky so and so – helibiking is in my dream category – was that dh bike only?

My Old Local in Exmouth…

Would get faster and faster and more twisty and tight was awesome only 30/60seconds of it but could beat any man made rubbish!

Another vote for my local trails here. No doubt there are plenty of places that are more exotic, not to mention weatherproof, but they have flat and steep bits, rocks and roots, mud and hard pack, fast bits and twisty bits, everything you need, and it’s all 15 minutes from my door.

Stanage packhorse?

absolute terror the first time you try it fast, even the bottom grasy bit has some good kickers.

Local – Prince Phillip Woods, anticlockwise loop. But only in summer, cos in winter it’s minging. And it’s only 15 minutes from the front door to the rooty swoopy loveliness, and in a most surprising location where you wouldn’t expect to find a few miles of singletrack – had lived near it for 4 years before even bothered looking. Shame about the smell of chicken and pig units when the wind blows in the wrong direction.

Manmade – Glentress Black. Love the views, the long climbs and descents and the high proportion of singletrack.

Scottish – Lairig Leacach bothy to Meanach. Remote, isolated and beautifully flowing techy singletrack. Stunning views and hard to get to, but well worth the effort.

Too hard to have a favourite abroad, ridden so many great trails.

ohh, and cannock in the mud, section 13 turns form a quick set of berms to a tobbogan run!

a section of very, very secret singletrack at Hamsterley, well away from the trailbuilders and the hordes.

Good – ultimately seems to be the ones where I go too fast and may die, but somehow didn’t. Most of these are really just snippets compared with other stuff.

1) Natural [sic], in no specific order:
Qs: Smith’s Combe – every time I go much too fast into the steep, rocky, rooty bit
Mendip: Stoney lane – how fast before your eyeballs fall out
Mendip: Crook Peak – brakes unnecessary, until you get to the gate – arrghh!

2) Manufactured
Brechfa Gorlech, last couple of downhill sections, cos it’s rad
Nant Y Arian, Mark of Zorro, cos its so much flowy fun.

’Cos it’s about 200m from my front door…