Before You Hit The Trails
Posted on 25th June 2024 at 16:15
Summer is here and the Forest of Dean is the perfect place to get out and have some fun, whatever your ability on the bike. Here’s some info to help you get the most out of the Forest.
Before you hit the trails, there are a few things you can do to make sure you and your bike are ready for a hassle free day on the bike.
Plan Your Ride:
Have a look at the list of trails below or the trail map at Cannop cycle centre to get an idea of where you would like to ride.
Get your bike ready:
make sure your bike is safe to ride, get it checked out by a mechanic if needed and if all else fails rent one from the hire centre at Cannop :-)
Get yourself ready:
Helmet, pads, basic tools in case you need to fix your bike.
Ride with other people:
If possible, ride with a friend. It's safer and more fun.
Respect the Trails:
Follow trail etiquette, respect other users, and carry out any litter you bring in.
Where should I ride?
The Forest of Dean has too many trails to list, but here are some of the favourites that start at the Cannop cycle centre:
‘Friendly’ trails - great for a fun ride or for progression
Colliers (family) Cycle Trail - Forest Road, 9 miles (14.5 km) Perfect for beginners and families, this trail offers a gentle ride through the forest - perfect for families and beginners.
Verderers' Trail - Blue trail, 7 miles (11.3 km): Different surface types, switchback climbs, flowing descents, rollers and berms. There is a gentle uphill climb through the forest with some easy techy bits along the way.
Freeminers' Trail - Red, 6.1km (3.8 miles) / Long loop - 11.3km (7 miles) / Adit loop - 17.3km (10.7 miles) This red-graded trail has 3 loop options and features varied singletrack, some switchback climbs, rooty drops and boardwalks to tabletop jumps and tight descents through the trees. A red-graded skills area can be found along the short-loop.
Downhill trails - skilled/experienced riders only! Ride with other people and within your limits.
Countdown - a brilliant introduction before you take on more advanced downhill trails. Fast and flowing with rollers and berms leading down the hill towards the top of Launchpad - a fun downhill trail with rollable jumps, berms and smiles for miles.
Flatlands Black - Sheepskull’s little sister, this is oodles of fun for a really short run - fast straights into flowing corners.
Corkscrew - Black - Fast and rooty, followed by turns, jumps and slab drops finishing with a super narrow and technical group of rooty corners. Great progression opportunities.
Endo - Black - start with fun and flowing corners that drop you into some steep and rooty sections, followed by tabletops and jumps almost all the way back to the centre.
Mr Rooty - is Ian’s fav - flowy corners that get more challenging as you descend on the trail across and over large rooty sections. The trail merges with Twisted Sister (Will’s favourite trail) so you can enjoy the jumps and berms all the way to the end.
Ski Run: Double Black - A fast and flowy trail with some jumps and technical sections. It's both Jo and Phil’s favourite, so it must be good.
GBU (Good, Bad, and Ugly) - Double black - fast and flowing with big jumps, tabletops and drops finishing with the largest tabletops and road gap. Olly’s favourite trail at Cannop.
There are loads more to check out, but these are a good start!
Thanks to the Dean Trail Volunteers for these awesome trails.
These trails are maintained by the brilliant Dean Trail Volunteers and supported by the Forestry. The DTV dedicates countless hours to ensuring the trails are safe, enjoyable, and in incredible condition - MASSIVE thanks to them.
Have fun on the trails, hope to see you on them soon.
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