You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
What are the best trails here that are a pure blast with perfect flow and engaging features?
Ahem* Nationwide
Shatners bassoon.
Thread closed.
A trail does not flow; you find the flow within yourself, Grasshopper.
Spooky Wood of course.
PS. the cleft on Beinn Doon is also a top notch descent
[img] 
[/img]
Top of Cadair Bronwen down to Cynwyd....all 7k of it.
That one that drops down from that place by that other place next to the mast, there's an old quarry near the bottom, but the bits through the gulleys off the moor leading into the trees are the best. There's a bouldery bit near the old quarry entrance, It's like riding over babies heads & goes on for ages & the beauty is that it changes every time there's a downpour!
The one that ends well!
Oddsox in Hamsterley.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
..
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Not really
Best = the last one that had you on the edge of control, scared you a bit yet had you smiling like a Cheshire Cat at the bottom.
Too many variables in what people class as good to have a difinitive answer for all.
The "secret" singletrack that Goes into, and out of, the cliff face above Armstrong house. or...
The nutcracker, in summer, in full, from the old fort. or...
Yogurt pots circa 1999, or...
Rangers path circa 2000 or...
Cadair Idris long desent or...
South downs "special" descent from whiteways, or...
The trail I finished putting in today, or...
Descending Pen Y Ghent in the 3 Peaks race on a cross bike with cantis and 33m tyres. Knackered after 4 hours of racing, trying to avoid the other riders who are on the way up and spectators. Nothing like it.
Kinlochleven grey mare's tail descent- destroys me every time but it is just relentlessly amazing. And better in the wet to boot.
(er- I might have the wrong name actually! The one they always use in the races, go up the mamore lodge road then turn right up the path that leads up the other side of the valley. The one with the countless lines, all of which are horrible)
Don't know as I've not riden it yet
The one you're not expecting in the middle of the ride, quite fast but enough technical rocks to mind your speed. You clean one tricky bit and grin from the pleasure and you roll straight into the next..
The next one.
McMillan way off the top of dunkery beacon. It goes on forever.
The secret one we rode yesterday in failing light in Dipton Woods near the end of the ride ..
Not including the countless fantastic cheeky trails that the good people of this country have made (list suddrnly gets a lot smaller)...then I reckon the best iv done is the descent from Grizedale Pike down Sleet How.
Has to be a perfect summers day and midweek with no one on it for it to win though. It really has everything...terryfying heart in mouth steep, gnarly, exposed, 'am i going to die' at the top...twisty flowy single track at the bottom and views to die for all the way. Yep that's definately the one for me. Hike a bike up but the best ones usually are and 100% ridable down. Do whiteless and skidaw on the same day for the win
McMillan way off the top of dunkery beacon.
Heading NE?
The one from Cam Head down to Starbotton.
Top of Cadair Bronwen down to Cynwyd....all 7k of it.
This interests me very much. Would you mind expanding a bit please?
Yes
The trail down to Achnashellach train station in Torridon is as near to perfect as it gets.
As above - Achnashellach decent is outstanding..
Which Achnashellach descent ?
From which direction ?
From Coire Lair down the singletrack towards the train station.
Described as ‘Torridon fun park’ on Strava.
Is it this one? spotted on youtube.
That’s the one.
Top tip. At 7:57 in the video, where the guy briefly looks left, you need to turn left there. If you don’t you end up in some poor old guys garden.
The middle long one half way down the Wall at Afan.
Achnashellach is definitely the best I've done. Did it solo on a stunning sunny day. Insanely good
That looks absolutely incredible. I started planning a trip as soon as the video was finished.
Ah yes, the poor guys garden: Found myself pushing along beside the railway track, head down so the cctv at the crossing wouldn't see my face... 😳
One of my all-time favourites is the trail formerly known as mangrove in the Surrey Hills. it's on private land where MTB riders are not tolerated but it's lovely, has a bit of everything.
Antur Stiniog descents but its suprisingly hard my legs get tired after two days there
I too missed the turning on the Achneshellach descent and ended up heaving my bike over a fairly high fence just as - yes you have guessed it-- one of the 6 trains a day appeared.I dived into the bushes on the other side and skulked
Is it this one? spotted on youtube.
This is also as featured in the Santacruz video with Steve Peat to promote the first iteration of the Solo a few years ago.
Yes
What a thoroughly nice chap......
The secret ones that we don't want anyone else to know about, obviously.
Achnashellach looks incredible, better buy my train ticket!
Edit: £203!
If you don’t you end up in some poor old guys garden.
He's very nice about it though, considering how much it must happen.
Also missed the left on the Achneshellach descent as well, didnt know about the CCTV though...
Edit: boys garden was padlocked when i was there last year
Anyone got a good route suggestion to take in the Achneshellach descent? Looks great!
Drop me an email Willy, I can sort you out a GPX or send some strava links
If your going for the Achnashellach descent be sure to go over the corie Lair route to pretty much double the length of the descent.
This picture is looking down corie Lair towards Achnashellach
[url= https://s14.postimg.org/l0yut5sc1/looking_down_corie_lair_7894.jp g" target="_blank">
This is looking back up, this is the point where the descent to the station begins
[url= https://s14.postimg.org/bgf86aifl/looking_up_coire_lair_7883.jp g" target="_blank">
Anyone got a good route suggestion to take in the Achneshellach descent? Looks great!
Ooo oo oo, me too
Some of the stuff above sounds ok, but to my mind the best UK descent is this little known slabby gem up in the north west of Scotland. It drops down from coire lair into a place called achnashellach.
But don't tell anyone about it it's not very well known
Anyone got a good route suggestion to take in the Achneshellach descent? Looks great!
Ooo oo oo, me too
Start in Torridon, climb up from Annat over Bealach Na Lice, make sure you turn left and continue up to Coire Lair, ride down to Achnashellach, ride the road SW down to Coulags, back up over Bealach Na Lice and back down to Annat. That's the classic Torridon Lollipop.
It's rubbish though, don't bother. 😉
I've been every which way on the Torridon loop but have yet to do that descent ( Achnashellach )..
I've done an Achnashellach descent down an old pony trail south of that ..but not that one.
It looks great..however I'm not a betting man but would bet against myself making it down there without at least one flattie..I ****ing hate water bars ..
I've been every which way on the Torridon loop but have yet to do that descent ( Achnashellach )..
I've done an Achnashellach descent down an old pony trail south of that ..but not that one.
It looks great..however I'm not a betting man but would bet against myself making it down there without at least one flattie..I **** hate water bars ..
Definitely worth firing on the likes of a WTB tough casing on the rear for up there, means you can enjoy the descent without worry, I friggin hate nursing a shit tyre down the likes of that, when all you wanna do is pin it!
Over 20 years ago,ish,,Kinlochlevin,from the dam,,,,not mare tail bit(didnt know it existed)new to biking,on a cheap crap claude butler with v brakes in the summr,on the main path,strait past devils bit,down and nearly going over on last bend due to brakes being sooooooo bad,i remember it well,as do some of the old dears walking up with there walking poles,with me almost out of control,dodging most of them,,,will be back one day,tho hated the way up,ah well,,,sure mares tail makes up for it
Are you talking about the Ciaran Path Neil?
I did the Coire Lair descent by starting up from Coulags, turning off left to circumnavigate Maol Chean Dearg clockwise (including a cheeky wee munro tick of that summit on foot) then then over Bealach na Lice, turning left via Coire Grannda. Didn't think the water bars were too onerous on the Coire Lair descent. Agree it's the best descent in the country.
There is only one trail behind the Nationwide in Swindon
[img][url= https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8279/29056149600_c5f5d8da12_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8279/29056149600_c5f5d8da12_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/LgAmYy ]DSCN1016[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/16702196@N03/ ]rick.campbell[/url], on Flickr [/img] This would be a five star descent if it actually existed on the ground like it does in photos! Monega hill north face down to Caenlochan Glen (Glen Isla)
[img][url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/723/22578378683_32a1971562_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/723/22578378683_32a1971562_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/Apb6n6 ]DSCN0659[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/16702196@N03/ ]rick.campbell[/url], on Flickr [/img] The lower bit of the mile of bedrock off Sgurr Ban.
[img][url= https://farm1.staticflickr.com/566/22577085374_b9d7187a07_k.jp g" target="_blank">https://farm1.staticflickr.com/566/22577085374_b9d7187a07_k.jp g"/> [/img][/url][url= https://flic.kr/p/Ap4sUE ]DSCN0662[/url] by [url= https://www.flickr.com/photos/16702196@N03/ ]rick.campbell[/url], on Flickr [/img] Just where it gets steep.
Yup my mistake meant ciaran path,dont know where mare came from,,,glad didnt know it existed on my cb v braked bike,,the dam was great tho,do you have to go over the dam to start it
Another Vote for Achnashellach. Endless rocky fast techy fun.
Special mention for Kidsty Pike down to Haweswater and Birkside to Thirlmere.
You don’t need to cross the dam to approach the Ciaran Path - you can come up Glen Iolarean past Ciaran bothy (it’s a hell of a drag) or alternatively there’s a path from the Eilde lochs through to it. The dam approach is probably the easiest, and the most enjoyable if you include the Devil’s Staircase descent too.
Ciaran path is one of the most over rated descents in the UK, Brilliant for about the first 30 seconds, then a bouldery pedal fest once down into the valley bottom.
As Northy rightly often says, it's not even the best descent in Kinlochleven.
Been saying that for years. Utter shite. It has been ruined by Trials bikes over the years. Not that it was that good in the first place.
The descent from Loch Etchacan past the Hutchy to Glen Lui has to rank as one of the best. Far too many to choose from.
+1 for Macdui down to Glen Derry, must be one of the longest too, must do it via Cairn a' Mhaim some time with the ridge descent looks great, then a mega carry up Macdui.
I'm going to put in a road one.
The Bealach na Bah, in lashing rain and wind, overtaking cars.
That's a real buzz. 🙂
(Best done with nice big fat tyres like Big Apples so you can corner and brake like a motorbike, the road surface is questionable at the edges)
Helvellyn down to sticks pass and onto seldom seen was my favorite decent last year, and repeat offender down the golfie is always a blast.
For me (45) at the moment its BPW - vicious valley, surfin bird or Bonneyville then insufficient funds, then back up again in the truck and repeat as many times as arms will stand, then 2x sixtapod for a giggle at the end.