[Closed] Elland Woods

Elland Woods are best left alone over winter. Wait until a spell of good spring weather has dried out the trails. Then you will enjoy your day out.

I hope you like taking mud naps, not much grip this time of year.

Loads getting done in there at the moment. I'd avoid though its a complete shit-tip zero grip and slop everywhere! I nipped down 'Get yer pedal on' and 'rattlesnake' which are probably the two main trails Yesterday.

As above, avoid over winter. The dirt is a weird mix of shale, clay and at this time of year 10" of leaf gloop. In fact once a year when it gets properly dry it goes from winter slippy to summer slippy with plumes and plumes of dust.

That said, last year we had months of fun in there.

My end of the valley lacks the rock that you find out Hebden way.

What others have said. Its good fun but not much to gain by going through winter. The steep stuff you cant ride as its just mud.

wait till summer.

Or not at all, in fact its rubbish. Dont go there ever. 🙂

Interesting - didn’t know this place existed until very recently, when my dog walking sis in law pulled us out there for a few walks. Thought it looked potentially good, but yeah pretty muddy at the moment. Also lots of dog walkers!

Responses like a Shenanigans/CMBC who's who!

Your only hope at thiim of year s to hit it on a nie frosty day when the ground is firm. Otherwise I think I'd save for the dryer weather. Great fu to be had in there and new trails have been created over LD. You can easily extend routes and head to norland or the woods near William Henry smith school on the otherside of the valley.

Cheers all, sounds like one to put on the back burner for now.....although I’ve just popped out and it’s trying to snow so all that slop might be frozen by the weekend!

Wait until spring when all the blue bells come out and the trail dries.

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This was from December 2020

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We left half a ton of mud by the wall in the park

Just as a bit of an extension to this - is Norland Moor also worth a look? I searched for some thoughts but all I found was a thread about lost sunglasses (from 10 years ago 🤔).

is Norland Moor also worth a look?

Yes, when you drop down out of Elland woods you can join the canal and go over to West Vale, climb up through the woods (there are various ways) and go over norland Moor, drop down via the old railway line and come out in Sowerby Bridge and come back on the canal. They link up well and it's a great ride.

The only problem is Calderdale council who own Norland Moor are trying to stop cyclists at the moment. I think it's because it's not officially a bridle way and they are looking for solutions. Not sure they are against cycling, just trying to sort the red tape out.

Google norland Moor cycling and there's a pdf doc from cmbc. Sorry, can't link to it.

Off the back of Pete's heads up about fresh trails I made the mistake of riding through today at the end of my ride. Most trails I chose were semi-frozen but as predicted, Elland Woods were wet and the drop to the swings was the worst I've ever seen it. Avoid.

Yeah, Norland requires common sense. I've been going over there for 25+ yrs & never had an issue but 'pinning it' past walkers never helps things. Same as everywhere I suppose.

I found that if its borderline frozen around there, Elland Woods would always thaw first being south facing whereas Razzy Woods could still be frozen solid on the other side of the valley. As has been said, avoid it at this time of year.

Norland is decent but no steep/mad stuff - just nice singletrack. North Dean Woods is well worth a poke about. Generally more rocky than Elland Woods so theres stuff rideable all year round as well as quite a lot of off-piste stuff thats been built over the last year.

@steel4real is shenanigans still going? 😉

Yea as others have said. Norland they arnt stopping bikes but theres a couple of grumpy folks. Id say your ok riding it. Its generally good riding but its sandy so you can feel it grinding money off your bike.

North dean is excellent and there has been some new trails built recently. Some are well hidden. Some are absolute deathtech that you have to be mad to ride. Some of the rocks are slippery which always catches me out.

Rastrick woods was very slippery last week. more so than elland.

my suggestion would be to get up to norland and then pick a direction from there.

@andybrad …… I don't think we should let Covid kill it off! Maybe we can even get Cubby back on his bike once it's all over !!

I've never really seen the draw of Norland Moor tbh. Always seems like a bit of a pedal-fest, and like Andy says, you can feel it grinding miles off your drive train. Might be popular mainly because it's pretty easy riding down that edge of the valley.
Elland Woods i think I've only ever managed to ride once in the dry, every time we head there at least one of our group spanners either themselves or their bike 😂
I'd be looking for some rocky bridleways this time of year, get some miles in and leave the woods for spring. Or get a road bike.

On a side note, what's the score with the connected woodland (I think it's Binns Wood on the map)?

I pieced together a nice route from my in-laws in Skircoat over a few exploratory rides in 2019 and rode it extensively in the summer of 2020 several times. Taking in Elland Woods, Binns Woods, Strangstry Woods, Elland Woods (again) through to North Dean Woods, Greetland, Norland Moor then descending down into Copley and along the river and canal until climbing back up to Skircoat. Anice big loop with plenty of fun bits.

The last time I rode there someone had gone out of their way to block the singletrack traverse through Binns Wood (I think a wall had been rebuilt too). Is that now off limits? Is there a decent alternative (when heading to Cromwell Bottom Reserve and Strangstry Woods)?

Wrote a massive reply but then the site logged me out.

Binns Wood above the nudey camp. Privately owned and the owner isn't too bike friendly. Signs went up a couple of years back and lots of logs etc appeared over that trail which linked the BW through Elland Woods with the one up from the nudey camp to Southowram. Sacked it off after I couldn't be faffed dealing with traps.

Alternatives. Cromwell Wood but similarly affected by self righteous pricks who think booby trapping trails is a decent thing to do. Plus the farmer at the bottom is known to be a bit of a dick so I used to ride it as a down to the bottom of the wooded section and then a spin back up. The little singletrack by the side of the stream in the dry is lovely though.

Otherwise from Copley I used to:
- climb up past Park Lane school and then into Ellland Woods by the house on the corner
- right turn immediately upon entering the woods for a fun little section
- back up and do something else in there before dropping down to the canal
- canal to Brighouse
- up through Rastrick Woods and some of the stuff Mugboo kindly built and down to the railway
- over the railway/river/canal/road and then straight over to the top of Elland Woods again via the path/BW to Southowram and then more fun stuff back to the Colliers Arms

Then I'd head over to North Dean and/or Norland before heading home. Shit, why did I move away 🙁

Don't forget you can link it with Judy Woods via the canal to the red rooster, up through the woods to Hove edge, cut down old coach Road, down the back to the old white bear and into Judy Woods.

The good thing about Norland is that there's some good descents back to the canal, even the trails on the Moor are quite enjoyable and seem to drain quite well. Judy woods is interesting but again this time of year its sloppy.