Best Trails UK?

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Wasted?

With every pedal stroke, youre getting fitter - hardly a waste.

With every pedal stroke, your body is taking on board the minutiae of body positioning, bike geometry and behaviour, how the surface below behaves and reacts, and reading the terrain. These lessons will also make you a better downhillist.

Time in the saddle actually riding a bike is never wasted in the advancement of your fitness, skills and abilities, or all three.
Nah. I had limited time there, and paid money to go downhill, not to get fitter riding uphill. Spent well over an hour riding up and less than half an hour riding down. If there had been an uplift I could have had a couple more rides down to learn more about those things.

The trail up is a smooth, wide trail, which I get loads of experience on most rides, and no preparation for the rocks, twists, gullies and jumps etc. I also used to ride around that area for free growing up, when there were no bike trails, on adapted bikes before the days of mountain bikes.

I have long since given up manufactured trail centres and prefer riding forestry commission trails, cross country or single track, when not on the road.
 

Jody

Stubborn git
We get somewhere between 8 and 10 runs using BPW uplift.
 

LJR69

Well-Known Member
I think we're all big and ugly enough to decide for ourselves what's a good use of our time on a bike. Riding up a hill on a mtb is a means to an end for me. I save my uphill challenges for my road riding (which I do twice a week). I do love riding natural trails and so inclines are part and parcel of that experience, but when I go to a bike park I'm only really interested in the dh trails.
 

Brandane

Legendary Member
Location
Costa Clyde
If you had a preference, which ones would you choose?
From memory, I liked the 2 near Innerleithen... that was Glentress and Innerleithen itself. The one at Newton Stewart (Kirroughtree) too. But I am not a black trail hero! Red at a push. So others may not agree with my preferences.
 

Jody

Stubborn git
From memory, I liked the 2 near Innerleithen... that was Glentress and Innerleithen itself. The one at Newton Stewart (Kirroughtree) too. But I am not a black trail hero! Red at a push. So others may not agree with my preferences.

Looking at going next year and i'm not black trail rider also. Glentress was on the cards, so if Innerleithen is nearby then it looks like a 2-4 day tour north of the border.
 
I'm pretty new to biking on trails, but went BPW last week and loved it

What other places would people recommend that are similar with BPW and ideally have an uplift pease?

I really like the collection of trails throughout Forestry England. I can't promise they have uplifts but they are a good mix of easy - hard trails so should have something for you. 2 of my fav's are Winlatter and Grizedale in the lakes and have lots of pre-defined routes and general trails to follow.

If the OP is still looking for the best MTB trails in the UK, have a look at the 7 stanes routes. Mostly in the Scottish borders area, and on forestry commission land. I have done most of them, but not for a few years now. Hard work but well worth it, if that's your thing!

I can recommend the Big Country Route at Glentrool. It's a 36 mile long route, it's more of a cross country ride than dedicated MTB trail but it's very pretty.
 

ChrisEyles

Guru
Location
Devon
Can't believe no one's mentioned Cwmcarn yet - probably my favorite trail centre and nice and easy to get to off the M4.

There is a proper DH run, but it's quite a lot of climbing if the uplift isn't running as has been the case for a while now.

However the two main XC trails are both excellent - perfectly do able on a XC hardtail, also great fun to blast around on a bigger bike.

The trails also hold up really well in bad weather, much better than FoD.

Was out riding Cafal today, it was ace!

624561
 
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