1) Coed Llandegla has to be my favourite trail to visit, it boasts the most fun to be had from any trail I have ridden so far.
From the car park it is a steady climb of around 3-4 km that isn't too technical or demanding, once you reach the top depending on your fitness level you can either head straight on down the first set of slightly downward table top jumps and steady berms or stop and gather you're energy again so that you can attack them for max fun.
After that set its a full on RED route descent over perfectly crafted tables/ whoops and berms, all the descents are obviously gonna come at a price so be prepared to have to do a little climbing to gain the height back up to the next set of BLACK and RED route Descents and Ascents.

A couple of the last few descents have compression type berms which hold you into the trail as they descend and curve round and back up again spitting you out with a great big grin across you're face.
The last BLACK route descent where you start on top of the bridge has two sets of doubles and you need to get you're timing and speed dialled or you will be going too fast for the second set and balls it up! its not too bad a thing if you do, its a good excuse to have another go at the run again (the trail comes back up and goes under the bridge you just started at where you can retry).
Watch you're speed and keep you're brakes covered, the way the trail is designed you gather speed on the berms rapidly and before you know it you're launched into the air off an unassuming but perfectly placed jump on the exit, you then need to be straight on the brakes for a tight twist past a tree trunk or two.
This is pretty much the order of the day at Llandegla, after all the fun is over its a steady ride back along single track with a few short or steady climbs and a leg burning section of north shore style raised wood track (the track is made of upturned round logs with chicken wire on it, you need to keep you're momentum up or its easy to loose you're speed and stop then you'll find it difficult to get going again).
Finally, the Cafe at the trail centre has to be one of the best, they make great food and huge cups of tea/ coffee especially good during winter time when you're freezing cold.
There is also a bike shop at the trail centre with a pretty good stock of parts/ clothing/ accessories and you can also hire a bike or Demo one of the many demo bikes they have to offer ( you would be advised to call in advance during busy periods to book one to avoid disappointment).
There is a bike wash which you see as you return from the trail (around the back of the cafe) the car park is a pay and display type which you can purchase half or full day tickets for but it isn't that big considering how popular this place can get although there is an overflow car park! best get there early and avoid disappointment.
It takes roughly 2 - 3 hours to get round for an average fitness rider but can be completed a lot quicker if your up for it, and a lot slower if your nursing a hang over.

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Tarw Trail, Coed y Brenin

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2) Tarw trail at Coed y Brenin, Tarw meaning 'Bull' hence the horns at the trail head which is at the lower end of the car park, it starts off pretty technical joining up with the very last section of the 'BEAST' trail then you have to travel under the road via a tunnel.
Once your on the other side of the road its not entirely clear as to where the trail then goes next as the tarw (horns) trail markers are missing but you will see the old trail head start point with an orange sign, just follow that and you'll soon pick up the tarw trail markers again as you climb, climb and climb some more.
Don't worry its not all climbing you will soon be rewarded for your efforts and once you have reached the bottom of the first descent you'll have forgotten all about the climb from the trail head, the descents are pretty much like the trail at the start of the trail at the car park.
That being very rocky with some very tight switch backs with different height rocks on the corner that take a lot of balance and are especially hard if your clipped in, non the less the sections are well made and are all weather proofed, sometimes with water running down them (winter) which adds to the experience.
The climbs are a mixture of fire road that you can just keep plugging away at and there is a fare amount of single track rocky and loose stone climbing, most of the trail is graded as RED but near to the end is a Double Diamond BLACK run which has a chicken run built to the side.
If you have a level of riding ability and can balance fairly well on uneven ground then you will be fine on the BLACK double diamond section as I don't think it really deserves this rating at all, although to a Sunday afternoon canal path rider with little or no experience then yes this would be pretty scary stuff! Don't get me wrong I'm not saying it is boring in any way, its a great piece of man made trail made up of carefully placed stone with no gap between each piece from start to finish and no way of riding off until the end (you can dismount and step down).
When you reach the end of the last descent you come to the bridle path which you rode up at the start and are given the option of taking a short cut to the trail centre, DO NOT take this route even if you have little energy left! instead turn right and follow the trail up another km or so and finish the trail properly you will be glad you did as the last section is really good technical stuff but mostly just fast flowing and undulates up over and around rocks and roots AWESOME!
Drinks and food are taken care of at the trail centre which serves up an excellent brunch and Large cups of hot tea, There is a bike shop down stairs which to be honest isn't all that big but does have the essentials in case of an emergency (tyres etc) and includes bike hire which I think are Specialized hardtails and there are showers and toilets on the same floor, outside there is a bike wash.
The pay and display car park is huge so you should not have a problem finding a space at any time and the price is reasonable.
It takes around 2-3 hours to complete for a rider of average fitness.

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The "Beast" of Brenin

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3) Ahh the "Beast" the first time I rode this was in summer 2006 and my bike had been in my LBS for about 8 weeks following an annoying creak/click whenever the back end flexed, we had already decided that we were going to Wales way before the problem with my bike had happened so I really needed a bike to go on.
Luckily the Cannondale roadshow was at my LBS and I managed to blag a bike off them until mine was fixed (excellent!!) only problem was I was so unfit from not riding for so long, after around 6 miles of the Beast my legs really started to burn due to the long fire road climbs that connect you to the awesome descents. After around 11 miles the muscles in my legs were sticking up twice their usual size and in completely the wrong place on my legs!! I had crippling cramps in the front and back of my upper legs and I was feeling really bad about holding up the other lads so decided to tell them to go on without me and I would find my own way around and at my own pace.
From here on I pushed my bike up every climb no matter how easy it was as I could not manage more than around ten pedal turns before the cramping came back and this went on for the remainder 11-12 miles or so! all I wanted to do was give up and find an easy way back to the trail centre (which without a map wasn't gonna happen).
The second time we rode it was at my stag doo in Febuary of 2007 and the best sections of the trail starting with Gomez were closed due to repair work, as a result we could only ride 15 miles of the trail and I was a little dissapointed as I really wanted to nail it this time. Hopefully the trail should be fully open come the trip to wales 22nd, 23rd, 24th June 2007 and I will post a report soon after so please keep and eye out.
The trail-
Right from the off the Beast gives you an idea of what to expect as your thrown straight in at the deep end on man made rocky sections very similar to the double diamond black section of the TARW trail, then your spat out onto a fire road climb which is what the majority of the Beasts climbs are about with the exception of a few later on, the descent are of a steep rocky and rooty affair which take a lot of balance around some of the tight switchbacks, but are really fun to ride and once you have reached the bottom you'll be grinning from ear to ear and eagerly anticipating the next descent. Midway through the trail you come to a woodland type section which is slippy and rooty and is a great change from all the rocks with not only technical descents but also lots of technical climbing up and around tree trunks and up over rocks plus lots of step ups over the roots of the huge trees. This trail has huge amounts of fire road climbing which can really sap your energy but the descents are really worth all the agro, my favourite descents have to be the five ADDAMS family named sections called 'Gomez, Pugsley, Lurch, Uncle fester and Morticia' as they all flow into one another and are fairly flowing then rocky then flowing again. I also like the last sections called 'Beginning of the end, Glide and life's good. If your after a jumpy/ fun trick type trail then look elsewhere as this is not a trail for BIG bikes, at 38.2 km long you will be better of on a mid travel all day dual suspension bike, or a flexy back ended Hardtail with a good fork and a comfy seat.
The car park and cafe, toilets etc are the same as above for the TARW trail as they share the same start point.
Only riders with a level of skill and slightly higher than average level of fitness should attemp this trail if they know whats good for them, dont kid yourself that you can do it and you'll be ok its a very long way and some of the way marking isn't fantastic down near where the trail runs along the river and you could end up wasting energy/ daylight re-doing sections the trail you have already done.
It will take most riders at least 4 hours with the lesser fit (inc me) around 5 hours, Take plenty of spares and water/ energy bars and snacks and due to the very unpredictable Welsh weather some wet riding clothes.

Coed y Brenin Beast Trail Update June 2007

We rode this trail again and I am pleased to say that it was fully open, Although quite a few of the sections had been altered in the later stages (Namely the ones that were closed in Feb 2007) But this is definitly a PLUS as these new section are an absolute blast and are more and more flowing in there design. there design shares a resemblance to those at Llandegla in both there construction and materials used (smaller grittier rather than hardcore sized stones) dont quote me on this but I imagine that the IMBA has had a large amount of input into the way the new sections have been built, lets Hope that All new trails built are using this type of building guidelines including the new Phase 2 at Cannock Chase in staffordshire.

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Marin Trail, Betws y Coed

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4) Marin trail at Betws y Coed trail is AWESOME with fire road climbs that are not too hard or technical and dont sap too much energy so you are fresher for the descents, which are mostly narrow singletrack which have good lines and slightly cambered corners to help give your tyres some purchase as you rail it. Most of its sections are of a technical but flowing and very rocky twisty nature ( saw more people with punctures this day than the whole of last year put together ) I got a slowy half way around the trail, I think it was a thorn or other? not a snake bite as I am running tubeless tyre's which don't snake bite.
Most of the climbing is done on fire road for ease but there are a few single track rocky climbs to practice your climbing technique on, Basically the Marin trail is the same all the way round with lots of sharp edged rock sticking up at odd angles, BUT it never gets boring as there is always something to keep you concentrating on the trail ahead. There is a section where you have to get off and shoulder the bike to get up an unridable set of rocks which is mid way round the trail but its only a a short distance, The last few descents back down to the car park were the best on the trail with 5-6 jumps to get some great air. There are some great views at the highest points on the trail and the trail is in really good condition, probably due to there not being a trail centre and therefore not as many visitors? We didn't see any other riders on the trail while riding and only a couple of cars on the car park.
Car park is plenty big enough and its only just a short distance from town, trail marking gets a little vague on the way around shortly after the first few descents but if you keep on along the main trail fire road you soon pick up a car park next to a road and then the trail marker again.
A rider with average skill and fitness should finish it in 2-3 hours allow more time if the weather is poor.Trail distance,( we clocked)15 1/2 miles long in total.

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Dimmingsdale, Cheadle, Staffordshire

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5) Dimmingsdale, Cheadle, Staffordshire. This is My local blast only 10 minutes drive from my house in Stallington, first introduced to me by my brother in-law and one thats always fun to ride. It is technically challenging almost right from the off.

Park at the spare ground with the bridleway access gate in front of you (See below for directions) go around the right hand side of the gate and head down the bridleway until you come to the first left hand bend up ahead, look to the Right about 25 yards or so before the corner, there is a wide path used by the forestry to access tree felling areas, branch off here and follow around the left hand corner and after approx 20 yards the trail splits off and goes UP to the right, try and ride up the steep climb (only 50 yards or so) and at the top branch left and cross over the deep tyre grooves cut by the Diggers etc and head towards the back end against the trees. Head left at the trees then follow along a thick forest single track trail which is quite brambley in the summer, go up and around several toppled trees and over a few that fell during the destructive high winds in May of this year (2007), then its down a short slippery rocky descent into a valley and a short climb back up, you're riding in a water erroded gulley where you have to time your pedal strokes to avoid grounding your pedals on the sides. Once at the top gather your speed for a quick roller coaster descent into a dip (winter time water splash) and a steep climb back up again the other side, follow the woods to the end of the track and take the trail down to the left, its a slight sandy slope which comes to an open patch of muddy ground which gathers water/mud (stick to the right hand side next to the tree) follow the trail down and when the trail branches take the left downwards (the righthand trail goes up to nowhere) there are a few fallen trees down here again so look to the right and if you're quick enough you can take newly cut paths around a few of them. follow trail until you get to the moss covered large boulder rocks, stick to right hand side and ease off the brakes and roll down over the rocks threading your front wheel in between them then brake again once through them (easier said than done, especially in the winter) follow the trail to the bottom and take a left on the bridleway. Follow the bridleway up keeping the stream on your right until you see the path crossing the stream down in a small valley with a concrete pipe in the middle (approx half a mile from where you came back out onto the bridleway) there is a steep off camber descent of about 20 foot into this small valley, but if you roll down it from a walking pace without using your brakes and then brake near the bottom you have plenty of time to stop before the pipe and your wheels wont slip away on the off camber bit at the top, there is a dip just before the pipe so just before you hit the pipe compress your fork and pull back on the bars and you'll pop right over the pipe without problem. Make a left up the trail once over the pipe and follow it forward, the stream you just crossed (pipe) crosses the bridleway again twice (water splashes) and when you get to the end go straight forward up Greendale Road at the top make a Right onto another road and follow for approx 50 yards, theres a house on right and just after you need to leave the road branching off to the Right, keeping the newly built Bus stop on your left follow bridleway up until you get to the top of the climb, at the top go straight forward past a wooden old style sign ( keep it on your left ) and then go in between the big tree on left and bushes on right up and over two small but thick roots follow path into and out of bomb hole type dips and then the path splits into two. Choice 1) Take the right hand path for an easy descent over a rock garden (built by local Downhill youths) and emerge onto the road at the bottom (Beware Cars!!!!) or if you fancy a more challenging ride, Choice 2) Take the left Path and follow the technical trail with small berms and tight steep twisty drops around old tree stumps ( Also Built by local youths, thank you!) and finally down a very steep drop of around 12 foot with roots diagonally crossing its path and onto a bridleway take a right and follow down onto the road. turn right onto the road and head up to the top of the bank ( you are now where the other trail comes out if you took option 1). Turn left OR go straight forward if you took option 1) and head up the road with the fantastic views on both sides and up the short but quite steep bank and follow the open road with a cattle grid and cow fields on either side, as you drop down the other side there is a turning on the left which looks like somebody's house, turn left here and after 10 yards turn left around the mini pool and onto a grass covered path with a fence on the left side and a stone wall on your right follow 30 yards and go through the gate. There is a choice of three paths here, the left path is easiest of all but can be fun as it is a gentle descent but smooth so you can get some speed up on it. For more technical fun take the middle path straight ahead and follow down hill the path branches again, take the left path and follow down (again quite technical with steep twisty drops off exposed roots around trees) follow this very loose path down and you'll come out onto a road (Beware Cars!!!) take a right and follow along to the Ramblers Retreat Forest Tea room (bike parking outside) go past Ramblers Retreat keeping it on your left past the bike stands and follow the bridleway all the way back up to where you parked your car.

There are numerous different trails through the woods (too many to mention and even describe) but if anybody is interested just Email me and I would be glad to guide you around the woods and surrounding areas. There is usually easier routes around all the technical trails described above, including a bridleway system that novice riders could get to grips with around most of the woods.

Getting there,

From Cheadle town centre follow signs for Tean, go past the Millenium Destistry on your right then, take a left at the round about onto the Ashbourne Road opposite the Lamp Lighter Pub, go past fire station and follow road up to the top, its a bit narrow in places then it opens up wider, keep heading up then desend back down again on the other side and just before the old Highwayman Bikers Club which is on the right take a left up a narrow lane (Farm type looking Business on the left, turn here) the lane is steep and narrow in places so beware. As the lane drops back down again approx quarter to half a mile there is a small piece of land on the right with a forestry access gate, further back on the Left is another small piece of land to park on if that one is full. Park on either but do not block access through the Gate!

Time to ride this trail, Approx 50 mins to 1.5 hours depending on your fitness and trail conditions ( these trails are NOT way marked so allow plenty of time if you do not know the area as it can get pretty dark when the sun goes down)

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Macclesfield Forest and Surrounding Area

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6) Macclesfield forest, Macclesfield, Cheshire. This is where I discovered Mountain Biking, my 1st ride was on a Jamis Explorer which I paid £275 for and though was as good as mountain bikes got! how wrong was I, on that 1st ride the free wheel in the rear Hub/ cassette gave up and the bike felt so out of its depth, Even though, I knew I was hooked on mountain biking and went out and purchased my 1st Proper Mountain bike (2004 Rockhopper Disc). Anyway...........

I would say that there are only two directions in which to ride Macclesfield forest Bridleway, and in my opinion the best direction to ride it is to start from the Leathers Smithy Pub and ride UP the lane next to it, when you get to the top of the road there is a short road descent about 50-75 metres then there is a bridleway gate on the left. Go into the Forest here and follow the bridleway up and up and up until you get to an old brick/stone building in front of you, (a) keep it on your left and follow the main bridleway UP further (it gets steeper here but only for about 20-30 metres) then it levels off and you come to a gate, pass through it and turn RIGHT and go up the Very steep road, keep going dont give up, it is only about 200-300 metres at its steepest. Once you have reached the top it levels out and on the right before you get to the corner ahead there is a sandy/ stoney double track unmade road, turn up here (its named 'Charity lane') it gets quite exposed near the top and is cold/wet and windy on a good day! but you can forget about that as you start to descend back down the other side, you will need all your concentration for the trail ahead, its a mixture of exposed rock, grit, water and loose rocks and more loose rocks and even more loose bloody rocks (just kidding) ranging in sizes from baby heads to small dogs, its great fun and fairly technical but can be ridden by anybody with a degree of riding ability (those with less experience can just take it a little slower and pick their way down). At the bottom of Charity Lane, (b) go straight over the road (watching for cars) and up the road ahead, follow this road to the end (again watching out for cars at the bottom and check your speed also its steep, and there is a barbed wire fence stopping you from plunging down a 50 foot drop into the field below) at the end take a right and follow that road around until you meet another road junction, directly in front of you is a gate to get back into the Forest.(c) Pass through this gate and follow the bridleway again, go along the flat exposed section and when you come to the small pool on your right there is a lightly worn path in the grass on the left of the bridle way, you can if you fancy a change? follow this path (it gets a little muddy half way accross) its not that exciting but at the end there are a set of steps that are ridable and a little fun challenge if youve never ridden steps before?. OR where you branched off by the pool instead carry on down the bridleway at full speed and riding like an idiot, finding the slightest lip to get some air off then try to hold a line around the left hand loose hardcore corner at the bottom, then its a short lung burner climb upto the steps that are ridable (mentioned above) from here just follow the bridleway all the way up and up then it starts to go down again with about three small lips to drop off at the last one branch off to the left (there is a gate in front of you if you try to go straight on, walkers only path) and go up the short steep twisty path, keep going its only about 20-30 metres long. follow on and you will come to an opened up section on the right of the trail with great views over Macc Forest (d) from here its a fast descent (watch your speed at the start of this descent on the first left hander and second right hander as the trail is very loose and its easy to over shoot the corner) but from then on its flat out along the straight around a slight righthander by a small pool on the left then again flat out top gear along a really long straight, there is a lump/ undulation in the bridleway half way along this section that you can steal a little air off (feels bigger at speed!) then be cautious around the next few corners as there is ALWAYS dog walkers here?? down to the gate at the bottom (face splattered with mud) make a left out of the gate and go about 50 metres and through the narrow bars opening by the gate in front of you follow this all the way around and out the other end. You are now back at the Leathers Smithy Pub.

An easy ride in terms of technical content, but fairly challenging in terms of fitness and probably not one for the family, The route can be added to, to make it a little or lot longer, at the point in my review above marked (a) you can add in an extra section onto the basic Macc Forest loop OR a little later on (b) branch off and and do a much bigger route upto the 'Cat n Fiddle' then rejoin again at (c) and finish back in the forest. also at point (d) there is a little extra hidden info.

Add on route (a)

After you get back to the Leathers Smithy go back up the lane and into the forest, BUT this time when you get to point (a) branch off to the left keeping the building on your right, follow this along to the end, its a nice little flowing piece of forest trail with the odd little tree root to boost of and catch that so hard to find 'air'. Carry your bike over the turn style and head down the road, at the bottom branch off left and follow the path all the way down and through the stream, up the other side then left at the end and down/ up the short road, at the end turn left onto another road after 40-50 metres branch off to the right and go through the gate follow this bridleway down (another gate half way down so be careful) after the gate there is lots of steps to drop off and a splash through the stream, up the other side and follow along past the fishing pool (catch a little 'air' again into and out of the Concrete overflow), then its out onto the road and at the end make a left back onto the main road back up to the Leathers Smithy Pub.

Add on route (b)

At the bottom of Charity Lane take a left and head slightly up along the only path available on the left, it then descends and is very loose to ride on as its is all hardcore surfaced. once at the bottom make a left on the short road , at the junction make a right turn and follow that road (Ankers lane) all the way to the top (its a long boring road, approx 1.5 miles or so but necessary to get up to the Cat n Fiddle) at the junction make a right (be careful of traffic, its always busy) folow this road half a mile or so until you get to the Cat n Fiddle pub.

Opposite the pub there is a bit of spare ground where cars park cross over here and head accross the open ground following the trail, you come to a gate pass through it and follow that trail of to the left, you can now start to get a bit of speed up down here (Dane Bower Hollow), at the bottom of the trail there is a gate and a road (A54), pass through the gate and turn Right onto the road, follow this road approx 3/4 to 1 mile until you see a road on the left branch off to a property (dont turn here), after this the road you are on starts to sweep slightly to the right look to the right and you will see a double track path on the right which goes uphill slighlty to a large farm type gate, pass through the gate and follow the double track trail up, after a bit the trail turns in your favour and starts to descend, this is a great bit of natural trail with rock drops and gulleys to hop over and lots of loose rocks to test your skills. At the bottom of this section (Cumberland Brook) you come to a slight junction in the trail with a large water fall on your left and a gate pass through the gate and follow the trail down to another gate, go through this gate and cross over the wooden bridge as per gallery pictures. follow the trail to the road, Dont go left or Right on this road but rather Pass straight over it and down the road oppposite the trail you just came out of. Follow this to the end (approx 150m) and turn right then follow this road along (approx 1.5 miles) ots an easy flat piece of road, you will come to a road that branches off to the left, take this road and follow up (its steepish, but me and my riding buddies have middle ringed it, so its not that hard) once at the top of the hill you are now back at point (c) so look to the left and you will see the gate to the bridleway opposite a junction in the road.

Extra Info at point (d)

Leave the bridleway and head towards the bench at the viewing point, if you stand with your back to the trail at the viewing point looking over the forest, then turn left so the trail is on your left and the forest on your right, now ride towards the forest in front of you (not going via the bridleway, but via the lightly trodden grass path from the bench area) in the corner of the trees there is a hidden trail, you are not allowed to ride this as its owned by the Nessit Hill DH mountain bike club, there are Notices stapled to the trees and chains and wooden beams accross the trail to try to stop you from riding it when they are not there! its is a pretty gnarly trail and definitely not designed for XC bikes, BUT I dont see any harm in getting off your bike and walking the trail if you know what I mean, just to see what these nutters ride at high speed. Half way down the course crosses another bridleway, you can turn left and it takes you up to the main bridleway, or go straight over and carry on down the course and it eventually brings you out in a clearing follow down where there are signs for the Grit stone trail, carry on forward/left slightly and you will come to a gate to get out of the trail and onto a road take a right on the road to the end junction then take a left and follow this road back to the Leathers Smithy pub going past the Ridgegate Reservoir on your left.

Getting there.

From the north, head into Macclesfield on the Silk road (A523) go past Arighi Bianchi on your left by the lights, go straight through, then straight through the next set of lights. At the next set of lights turn left onto Byrons Lane and follow along, eventually you will come to a pub on the left with an old stone bridge going over the road just a little further on, after this bridge take the next left onto 'Jarman' follow this road all the way up and up through 'Langley' eventually you will come to the Leathers Smithy Pub, Park on the road side along the Ridgegate Reservoir just accross from the front entrance of the Leathers Smithy, Additional parking can be found all the way along this road also follow the road around to the right and the main forest centre with parking is available (it is a Pay car park so you will need some cash)

From the south (Leek) on London Road (A523), After you have passed through Fools Nook you round a right hand bend and then the road opens up a little, on the right further up is the Retirement homes and approx 50m after the entrance is a road off to the right (Robin Lane) make a right here and follow, it evntually becomes Walker lane, follow further on right to the end where you will come to a junction, make a left then immediately take the first right onto Church lane, follow church lane to its end, at the end dont turn left instead go straight forwards and follow this road through Langley and on up to the Leathers Smithy Pub, Parking as above.

You could call in the Leathers Smithy after a ride for a drink if you like (Bombardier on tap) but be warned, take a clean set of clothes/ shoes to change into as they do not like Muddy Bikers/Walkers in their Pub. When I lived in Macc I went up the Smithy for a bite to eat on a couple of occasions, and the food was spot on.

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Manifold Valley trail

7) First off, this is a very steady and almost completely flat ride or walk along an old disused railway track which follows the mostly dry River Manifold (it disappears under ground for most of its length). Its great for kids as it is wide and almost comletely traffic free (there is a section at the beginning leading to a tea room that occasionally has the owners car travelling down, and about 2/3's of the way towards Wetton mill there is a quiet road you have to cross and a short car park section which is part of the trail, and usually has an Ice Cream van parked on it) the good thing is that most of the traffic that you will encounter is aware that the trail is used by pedestrians and drive with caution at low speeds! Park at the car park and Cycle hire shop at the Old Station Car Park, Earlsway, Waterhouses OR if you dont have your own bike, carry on another few hundred yards towards Ashbourne and on the left there is Brown end farm Cycles hire where they let you park if your hiring a bike from them. The trail is used by walkers, runners, horse riders, cyclists and Families with push chairs, it is tarmac for its entire length with a few sections that are widened by grit/ dirt extending from the sides of the Tarmac. During the summer it is a fantastic ride and very picturesque with brilliant valley walls extending several hundred feet high either side of the trail, about half way to Wetton mill on the right hand side is Thors Cave which is an enormous cave entrance high up in the Valley side, also at Wetton mill there is a smaller cave entrance to look inside. At Wetton Mill they have a small Cafe, Tea room which sell a nice selection of Cakes and biscuits, toast, tea cakes, crumpets, chocoalte bars etc not to mention Tea and Coffee and Ice Creams, Lollipops and the likes during the summer. If its not busy you can sit inside the small seated area but if the weather is good you will want to sit outside by the river and watch the Ducks or dip your feet in the river/ cross the stepping stones. It can get very busy on a hot day so get there early to get a parking space if you're parking at the Old Station, according to their website it says that parking is free but there is a ticket machine and I am sure that you need to display a ticket or risk being clamped/ towed (I am unsure of prices as I have not been for a while but it is reasonable from what I can remember, I will update as soon as I next go with my daughter). Also if you are parking here there is the main road that you have cross BUT the limit is 30 mph and there are speed cameras so the cars usually are doing 30mph.

There are toilet Facilities at The Old station Car Park, and at Wetton Mill, The cycle hire at the Old Station and Brown end farm is NOT open all year round but do open most of the year during the summer months plus the Old Staion do open additional days if they have a Group booking, See the Links above in Blue for more info for both venues including opening times, bike hire/ drag along trailers Hire etc. Also they both offer bookings for schools trips. Drinks and Snacks can be purchased at the Old Station Cycle hire Shop and as mentioned above there is also a tea room near the start of the trail which has outside seating and free range Hens and the likes wandering around, the owners are freindly too, along the trail there is plenty of places to stop and take a breather or have a picnic if you have brought along a backpack with snacks. There is also Parking at Wetton mill so you could if you had your own bicycles, park here and ride to the tea room near the other end of the trail nr the Old Station.

The trail is approx 4 miles from Old station to Wetton Mill, there are as I mentioned a few roads to cross but only one is a major road the rest aer Quiet roads with little traffic on them. Depending on the speed you travel at (worth concidering if you have young kids) you should be able to make it from one end to the other in approx 1.5-2 hours, Longer if the kids stop frequently through tiredness and possible in a lot quicker time if your kids are older or you're riding by yourself (Be Aware that there are lots of other people using the trail to, so slow down and give others plenty of room especially young kiddies, and above all be courteous to walkers).

Parking prices update, as of 15/06/2008 for Old Staion Car Park.

£1.20 1 hour

£2.50 4 hours

£3.50 All day

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Cannock Chase, Follow the Dog

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8) Follow the Dog Trail, Cannock Chase, Rugeley, Staffordshire.

I rode Cannock Chase and a few of the early built sections of due to be named 'Follow the Dog' with my Buddy Dom in 2004 before it was officially opened by Gary Fisher. Back then it was not bedded down properly and was very loose and broke away very easily ( Which I found out the hard way on a negative camber corner of an early section, I think they called it Clear Fell?, front wheel washed out and tucked under causing me to fall and gash my knee badly ) But then through the hard work and efforts of the volunteer trail builders at Chase trails the Follow the Dog trail was opened and has become hugely popular, The sections that are built are constantly being erroded away by the huge number of visitors each Day/Weekend and are often closed off one or two at a time with diversions set in place to get you to the next open section. This is probably due to the inexperience of the Volunteers in the beginning when the trail was first built and the lack of good local material and Funding for equipment and Materials ( So with respect, the volunteers have done a Fantastic job considering what they achieved, Thank You!! )

The first Section Was a twisty short section through the trees and was and still is very skitty and slidey due to the large pebbles compressed into the surface, However the trail has received new funding towards enhansing it and for a new trail (Phase 2) to be built, so the first section is now a lot longer and has improved one hundred times with berms and smooth tail ended drops to jump off or pump to pick up speed without pedalling. Section Two used to be similar to section One and was also twisty through the trees and ended by going through a long boggy set of puddles that were a nightmare to ride BUT now section Two is gone and is replaced by the longer section One which now finishes by the pools on the bottom bridleway near Swinnerton cycles forest centre bike shop. From here the new section two splits, you have a choice of the normal trail to the right OR if you are brave? take the left route and tackle the 'Black' Graded fallen tree to balance along. The trail then joins back up again and passes over a wooden bridge then across two very short railway sleeper skinnies which cross the stream again and climbs up and across open ground and then eventually joins a short section of bridleway to take you to section three. Section Three, which is F.T.D's only raised boarded section starts off over flat ground then dips down slighlty and offers two routes, to the left is the raised boarded route which is approx 40 metres or so long and which then splits into two take stick to the left which twists left then right and has gently banked corners (it is approx 2 feet wide), or where it branches off to the left you can carry on straight ahead and take the narrow technical boards (approx 10 inches wide) over the Bog of Eternal Stench, this technical section is only about 20 feet long but has a slight kink to the left and a drop of approx 2 inches half way across, just to make you think twice about taking that route!! OR if you don't fancy any of the boarded section you can take a chicken route to the right and bypass the boarded section completely. once past the boarded section it is pretty much flat then a gentle climb which snakes up around a few tree trunks and in and out of a few dips and troughs untill you are finally out and at the beginning of the longest section of fire road on the entire F.T.D route.

Follow the fire road up between the trees and at the top you are faced with two options, to the right there is a fairly low speed switchback bermed run down to another bridleway BUT this route shortens F.T.D. Option two at the top of the long fire road is to take the section off to the left, it is pretty much an easy and short grind through the trees and then over a bridleway and back into another section, which is similar to section one in the way that it snakes its way tightly through the trees and over a few drops and around a few pretty good but tight berms, the fun soon runs out though as the trail turns upwards and it is a series of switchbacks all the way up till the end of the section which ends with a steepish but easily ridden downwards log run of approx 7-8 feet long, just keep moving at an normal pace and you will clear this easily (and with time be getting speed up to catch a little air of the top) after this its a short section of fire road which then leads you back to the trail sections.

The next four or five section are pretty straight forward to ride ( the usual trail twisting its way through the forest, lots of undulations and tree roots/ shiny pebbles ) but there are a couple of really good berms, one has really high sides and is the perfect shape and size to really rail it around, and another has a drop off, of around a foot high into the berm just to give you something to think about! Near the end of the last of these four or five sections there is a very short rise up in the trail next to a tree with a thick root that needs hopping up, from here it is a long flat fire road approx 300 metres long until you get to the best section on the F.T.D trail! This is a fast section with a long straight at the beginning then there are tree roots sticking out of the sides into the trail for you to avoid ( on blind corners ) then its is a high sided left hand berm that you can really crank your bike over on followed by a few more good downhill corkscrew type berms ( if a little rutted, but this only adds to the thrill/ challenge ) lots of peaks/troughs in the trail all the way to the end. This is probably only about 30-40 sec's long at speed but very exhilarating and will leave you totally stoked when you get to the bottom!

Once at the bottom it spits you out onto a bridle way, 50m then its a left turn up a short sharp and tricky climb on loose pebbles/stones. this next section is pretty good as it has quite a few high sided berms from the start to about mid way through! BUT then it all turns ugly as you have to gain some of the height you just lost with some grueling climbs back out onto and up another bridleway. Turn right at the top then its straight back into the forest for another section this time more traditional rooty/ dirt and mud section, as opposed to the previous sandy pebbly sections! the next few sections are like this then its back to the Car Park Via a forest road which takes you underneath the newly built Go-Ape tree climbing course that spans the trees above in the Canopy.

Parking is £1 for an hour so if you're a XC whippet then this may be a good option to blast around at a super fast speed to get back before your time runs out! Or if you're a mere mortal like me then parking is £2 for I think 4hours which is more than enough time to complete 1 or even 2 laps of F.T.D! The food in the Forest Cafe is pretty darn good and they have huge Polystyrene cups of tea or coffee to wash down those lovely Saus/Bacon/egg/mushroom/tomato whatever sandwiches with!

There is bike hire at the Swinnerton Cycles Forest Centre shop and it is also a rather brilliantly stocked shop to, with pretty much everything (maybe not the brand you want but something that will do the job) you may require to get you back out onto the trail should you have a mechanical.

(See Gallery/ Cannock, pages 1 , 2, 3 and 4 for some pictures)

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Glentress

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9) Arriving at Glentress in the Tweed Valley Forest Park, I had butterfly's in my stomach as I didn't know what to expect? we parked at the Osprey Car Park by the HUB then rode up the trail following the signs for the RED and BLACK routes. This was uphill from the word go, with a few little skills sections thrown in on the way up in the shape of skinny logs to ride along and test your balance! We pretty much rode in the easiest gear as we knew that we still had Innerleithen to ride as well and having looked at a pdf of the height gain/loss at Innerleithen we knew it was uphill for the entire first half of the trail! Back to Glentress:- the first piece of action at Glentress that we came across was the Orange graded FreeRide park, we stopped here and had a play about on the Jumps, Berms, Drop-ins and rode 'Close to' the wall rides ('Close to' was enough on my trail bike, trust me!) Click here for Video footage from my fork Cam Non of the features here are unridable (save the wall rides!) on any decent trail bike with a good fork and non race/xc race geometry! the only thing that may stop you from trying the biggest drop-in will be your nerves getting the better of you! I did the Middle drop-in which was like a 'Sunday afternoon walk in the park' but I wouldn't do the biggest drop-in as it just looked too big! However when we got to Innerleithen the Last section had slippery rocks to drop off that were the same size as or bigger than the wooden drop-ins at Glentress and I rode off them with a second thought.

From here at the FreeRide park the trail splits off left for the Black route and right for the Red route (which we took) the first descent section was called 'Pennels Vennel' and was a great little introduction to get you in the flow for some nice twisty/rocky singletrack. From here it is a climb again back up again on a mix of singletrack and forest roads. at the top you reach a few picnic tables and the start of the Fantastic 'Spooky Wood' Descent, If you have taken a Camera along? the start is a great place to get a few pictures as you can session the starting rock drops as many times as you can be bothered with plenty of room to branch off to the side and head back to the start for another Piccy before you head down the section proper!

'Spooky Wood' was totally Awesome!! Click here for Video footage from my fork Cam at a comfortable but fairly fast pace (remember this was our first time and we didn't know what to expect?) we took around 4 minutes to get from top to bottom of this brilliantly built section, we were spat out with big grins over our faces from the first proper descent under our belts! once at the bottom its pretty much straight over and into the next section called 'Super G' and then onto 'Hit - Squad Hill' again brilliant grin inducing sections all of the same type of nature as 'Spooky Wood' (that being small but perfectly formed berms with undulations in the trail and lots of tables/ rollers/ jumps) From the bottom of 'Hit - Squad Hill' you are supposed to branch to the left and follow the forest road up a climb to the 'Matrix' but we did a little short cut section instead called 'Pie Run' whwich was a very technical section deep through the trees with so many roots and drops, tight switch backs that really took all your concentration in order to just stay on the bike and not fall off, at the end was two choices of exit 'Red' was a short little steep shute out onto a forest road and 'Black' was a Log drop of around 12 inches or so onto a steep but short shute also onto the forest road!

From this forest road we doubled back up the forest road and did the 'Matrix' as we should have done originally, The Matrix was a single track affair similar to that which may be found at some of Wales' trail centres but with a twist! every so often the trail would branch off and then re-join back on a little further down? we eventually realised that these were short sections of 'Black' with 1-2 foot drops and berms added in! out the bottom of the 'Matrix was the next section called 'Lombard Street' which was pretty much like the 'Matrix' without the little extra sections. From here you should turn down the Forest road and pick up the next section called 'Magic Mushroom' But instead we headed back up the forest road as if we were heading back to the 'Matrix' But instead branched off left and took a short cut to the 'EWOK Village' to try our hand at a little Northshore and skills type riding! despite being very wet in this part of the forest due to heavy rain fall the wooden sections were all very ridable and grippy, it was made up of upturned log sections which undulated and grew narrow then wide then narrow often with a very steep but not very high (1-2 feet) exit that could be ridden at a slow pace or jumped off at speed, there was a See/Saw which was great to have a go of, just getting to the point when you are waiting to pivot the balance point is quite unnerving (especially if you have never ridden one before and are riding clipless pedals to!) from here we rode down the 'Black' sections 'Double X' and 'The Bitch' which were fantastic lots of really big logs and north shore type riding then finally the last 'Black' section called 'The Wormhole' also a great section.

The last sections 'Magic Mushroom' which was a really good 'Red' graded section on kitty litter type surface was fun to ride then a little bit of forest road back up past the climb where you first started this trail and a branch off into the last section which takes you back down to the HUB and Car Park, part way down this last section is a really good table top jump that is low and long and hit at the right speed will see you take off adn land perfectly on the transition on the other downside. Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!

Back at the Car Park there is a Cafe, Toilet and showers and a bike hire/shop. Parking is £3 for all day and there are plenty of Car Parks to choose from should you not wish to start at the HUB. With all the messing around that we did stopping off to play around on the Orange FreeRide bits and taking Photos then the EWOK village etc, it took us around 2 3/4 hours to complete the ride and we didn't change out of the easiest gears on any of the climbs to help conserve our energy for the rest of the day!

last update 17/07/2008

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Innerleithen

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10) We set off from Glentress down the road to Innerleithen (its only a few miles) then we came to the trailhead, its basically a large gravel Car park with no trail centre on it! the only clue is the understated sign at the road edge and the trailhead marker board (in the little picture above) otherwise you would have no idea that this was Innerleithen at 7Stanes. when we pulled onto the Car Park we felt really out of our depth, the Car Park was totally full of Downhillers and their Massive bikes! Oh! I think we may have come to the wrong Trailhead we thought? I asked one of the guys in a van and he said yes, there is a XC course here to! Brilliant we thought, we parked out of the way slightly so we wouldn't stick out like a sore thumb amongst the Big rigs and got our riding kit on. while we were getting ready we were looking around the Car Park and noticed that everybody seemed to be quite relaxed and in no hurry to get riding? We also noticed that the average age of the riders was around the mid fourtees! A few minutes later a cattle truck and a coach pulled up onto the Car Park, great I thought! now a farmer is gonna start to unload his cattle right here! But no cattle came out of the back? Also I noticed the downhillers starting to get a move on andstart heading for the cattle truck..............Bingo! then it clicked, this was the bike transport and the coach was the riders 'Up-Lift' service to the top of the downhill course. (Innerleithen is gonna get a cable car/gondola service up to the start some time in the future from what I can gather).

We set off up the XC trail following the signs as we went, it starts off along side the downhillers course which looks Awesome! you wind your way switching back to and fro then the switchbacks get further apart (Stell Burn Climb) but now there are little rock formations every so often that you have to step up! these wouldn't have been a problem if our legs weren't already tired from riding Glentress before hand. Eventually you come to a section (Taniel Hill Contour Trail) which is slightly downhill and therefore a bit of a break for the old and tired legs! its winds its way down and around the outside contouring (would you believe?) the hillside, just near the end before you hit the next section of fire road which was a relief as there was no step ups to contend with, there is a very fast and very steep descent (Quarry style, smooth and perfectly shaped) its about 40-50 foot drop then along the flat for about 20-30 metres and then at the end the trail rises back up with an absolutely brilliant step-up jump that launches you up onto a slight uphill without the hassle of having to try to land a jump to flat or downhill! If this is too scary looking there is a chicken run to the left which stays high and rakes you around the top edge to the same point of the step up jump! From here it is a little descent which is fun (the trail sign say's 'Skids are for Kids' which help keep the trail in better shape and also force you to actually ride a section with less brakes are a good idea, and you can actually ride it without brakes as it is a very well built section) this brings you out onto the fireroad climb I mentioned above.

Still climbing and climbing and climbing so more!!! Then its back into the single track for some wooded sections with more blimmin rock step-ups to boot (Lead Mine Climb), this is pretty much the case for a while untill you come out of the woods and it opens up! Great you think were near the top! Not so fast, every time you think you've reached the top you still have more climbing to do! At section 21 there is a short cut link across to section 27, whatever you do, DO NOT TAKE THIS ROUTE carry on up the trail (Minch Moor Climb), you only have to get to section 23 then its WooHoo downhill pretty much all the way! At the top of the climb you get a really Great feeling of achievement (welll we did anyway!) and there is a pile of rock that look like a Monument, I think riders that complete this climb for the first time see it as a right to place another rock on top of the pile as though they have just landed on the Moon and are placing the Stars and Stripes on the lunar surface, I know we did!

Ok from here on its pretty much downhill all the way back to the Car Park! It starts at section 23, which has just received two brand new sections (Minch Moor Descent) these really are the kind of dscents that really get you fully stoked when you have reached the end! they consist of easy but very exciting jumps (due to the natural flow of the trail) which are marked by rocks either side of the jump and the jump itself is made of smooth rocks! also there are lots of flowing berms and compressions once out from here it is onto a short section of fire road then the rest is made up of more brilliant descents ((Enduro Trail) which is a fast descent on narrow single track the there is another forest road. From here its onto a steep technical section of single track with tricky rock section (Plora Craig) then onto a little bit of climbing (Razor Rock), nothing hard or too long its just nessasary to get up to the start of the Bloody Awesome 'Caden Bank' descent back to the Car Park! Ok how to describe Caden Bank? its like, Have you ever been on a Roller Coaster ride (like the Big Dipper at Black Pool)? where you gather speed into a descent, lots of it! then its up again the other side BUT when you get to the top you can jump as the top is fairly short and you feel weightless! and before you loose too much speed you're back on the downwards side again doing the same thing over again! Then there are the rock drops in the trail, they start off at a fair size and keep getting bigger. This isn't a problem as non of them are stupidly big and if you're comfortable with drops then you can ride everything at Innerleithen if you have the Balls?

We rode the trail on Trail bikes with around 130-140mm travel front and rear and everything was easy enough, the only problem with the rock drops was the landing wasn't to flat! the drops themself were big Black rocks that were flat/level across the top but then there would be a drop onto another descent which plays with your nervs a little, on the last and biggest drop (around 2-2.5 foot high) i rode upto it and could spot the landing so I knew it was bigger, I stopped had a look then turned around and rode it, Pheww brilliant! glad I did it as it really wasn't that bad at all, you just land further down the trail than you would on the smaller drops.

The Car Park isnt free, I can't remember exactly but I think it was about £3-4 for a day, the trail took around 2 hours 20 mins to ride and we didn't take it out of the easiest gear from the Car Park to the summit. There was a Sandwich Van on the Car Park next to the trail head so if your hungry you can always grab a snack (we didn't as we had eaten at Glentress)

All said, the Trip to Innerleithen was the highlight of the the trip! even with the un-relenting climb from the trailhead to the summit (around 6 miles) this didn't matter as the quality of the descents was just Awesome!! So good in fact that we didn't even stop to take any photos on the way down, we just didn't want to spoil the descent! (It really was that good) If you are planning a trip to Glentress and have a little time and don't mind a climb as long as you're rewarded with excellent descents then I would recommend popping over to Innerleithen to ride the XC course, Brilliant!!!!!!!!!!

Last updated 10/08/2008