New to mtb

[Hacienda71]

Trailforks can be good if a bit patchy in parts of the country.
Ridewithgps lets you search and download other people's rides. Include mtb in the search box and there are loads on there, you can download in the appropriate format for your garmin.

 

[johnblack]

I certainly will once I get off these long night shifts at weekends.

Just need to find some nice tracks near me. Anyway of finding this out?

You could try you local County Council website, my local one has an interactive map that shows all bridleways and byways for the county, comes in really handy, doesn't tell you what kind of state they're in but part of the fun is finding out.

 

[figbat]

Agreed - my local council has their 'definitive map' online - this map is the absolute arbiter of the status of any right of way. I'm a bit of a stickler for the rules and avoid riding on footpaths or other routes that are not permitted.

In terms of which are the good tracks, that needs local knowledge. I found a like-minded group on Facebook who I now ride with regularly. Otherwise plot yourself a route and give it a go. I use a combination of Google Maps (including use of Street view where available), OpenStreetMap (which has a Cycle routes layer), Streetmap (which zooms in to OS map detail) and sometimes Strava (which will use route popularity to help planning). Or just head out and see where each track takes you.

Using the above planning methods I have generally been OK when riding in unfamiliar areas, but it has led me into some very muddy/boggy/overgrown places which only local knowledge will tell you.

 

[johnblack]

If you get a bit more adventurous there are some nice routes on here https://www.mtbepicsuk.co.uk/gps/