Forest of Dean - like a normal trail centre?

Like a normal trail centre - has a blue and a red circuit. Then has DH trails that anyone can use for free. The uplift just effectively uses those.

Absolutely stacks of off piste stuff too - but it’s not on trail forks. If you’ve not visited before there’s plenty round the trail centre to do between the tracks mentioned above, plus 2 enduro downhill trails just outside the main trail centre (that are marked) plus the jumps and drops skills area.

The red loop is a bit of a pedally chore for me - lots of roots everywhere and the downhill doesn’t quite warrant the uphill sections.

Blue is a lovely flow trail - most of the red options of it aren’t worth it except perhaps the final one near the end. But the blue final downhill itself is nice anyway - faster and more like a rollercoaster than the red ending.

Yep, it’s just a normal trail centre (a pretty good one), a few trails that are loops and a load of more DH runs from top to bottom (all at various skill levels), good cafe, shop and lots of parking.

Ace ace place yes. I find it tough to beat in honesty.

At the top the trails use the dot system to signify difficulty.

Roots! In a forest! 😱

One of my favourites. You can just rock up and ride. Something for everyone with a flat family trail, red and blue xc, downhill, pump track, two skills runs with drops and jumps. I like the red xc but there is quite a bit of climbing. Decent cafe too. You can ride all the downhill trails. Either push up or the ride is actually ok. They all have a mid trail fire road split so you can session half the trail if you like. I prefer the top half in general

One of my favourites. In the dry. I like dry roots!

Awesome, thanks everyone!

@kelvin - you know what I mean about the red xc trail and roots! The DH trails are covered in the things and that’s absolutely fine - I think Corkscrew is probably my favourite one of the official trails.

Just the red XC one is a bit of a pedal fest and the roots ruin one’s rhythm and just make it less fun for me.

Maybe we need a bit of a forum ride to introduce Wood.

If you visit on a sunny weekend just make sure to get there before at least 10am since the car park fills up quick!

Yeah, I know exactly which bits you mean Jo. I enjoy them, but mainly because they remind me of when I started riding down in Herefordshire and sneaky rooty trails through FC land was all we had. The best/worst bit is easy to avoid by sticking to the double track for a bit. Which if knackered or with people I don’t want to put off I do.

It's a great place and at 20 miles away from me I'm properly spoilt so I don't really know what a "normal trail centre" looks like if it doesn't look like FOD. Other than BPW, I don't really go anywhere else.

Rode there earlier this year.
thought the red run was awful on a hardtail. Seemed like it’d been trashed by eBikes and was so rutted and so many exposed tree roots it just didn't flow at all.  Fekin good workout though!!

blue run is superb for a quick easy blast if you’ve kids or family in tow. Also if you park up near Canop Ponds i think it is you’ll bump into loads of locals riding local trails around the outsides of the trail centre and perhaps gain some “insider info”!!

The DH runs are fun and pedal/push up is fine.

The actual red and blue are not much fun in my opinion, the red particularly. Compared to the reds at Cwmcarn or Afan not sure it’s worth it. But you can have a good day out with few miles of those trails, various runs down the DH’s which suit all skills etc

Maybe we need a bit of a forum ride to introduce Wood.

Now there's an idea...

I like the red but it does feel like one of those "poor value" trails, you do some really nice riding but when you add it up the number of smiles compared to the amount of sweat isn't the best. If you're someone that finds that really important, it's worth bearing in mind- it doesn't bother me really, I rate the ride just by the smiles and it does really well for that, it's a really characterful loop.

The uplift trails add a ton of extra options though, and if they're doing single runs the uplift bus drops you near to the start of the final blue descent which is a really nice touch, it's not all gnar. Naturally the dh is a bit harder but I think most competent riders would have a good time- though you'd want a local or to do some research first, probably, as it's a warren of trails and some are quite a bit harder than others. But some of them are brilliant.

The blue is better on the cx bike.

The red climb is knackered and has been for years. The Adit extension is mostly traditional stuff run the wrong way so watch out for oncoming. The forestry road that splits the upper routes can be dangerous as certain dimwits feel that they can go straight across without giving way.

Generally the area around PABA is hideously over crowded and sadly this is spreading. Start early or better still later. It is quiet, even at the weekend by about 5pm and at the moment you can get a good half day ride in by 10.

Bring your gravel bike.

Generally the area around PABA is hideously over crowded and sadly this is spreading. Start early or better still later. It is quiet, even at the weekend by about 5pm and at the moment you can get a good half day ride in by 10.

Bring your gravel bike.

I don't even know what to say

I think PABA area and the man-made trails are fine. Facilities are good, blue is okay in so far as its a nice potter in the forest. Red carries some interest and is most rewarding on a hardtail, for all the rooty reasons people complain about. It does pretty well considering its poor elevation.

I've never actually ridden any of the uplift DH runs because the amount of off piste available dwarfs the official stuff and I always go there.

The blue is better on the cx bike.

The red climb is knackered and has been for years. The Adit extension is mostly traditional stuff run the wrong way so watch out for oncoming. The forestry road that splits the upper routes can be dangerous as certain dimwits feel that they can go straight across without giving way.

Generally the area around PABA is hideously over crowded and sadly this is spreading. Start early or better still later. It is quiet, even at the weekend by about 5pm and at the moment you can get a good half day ride in by 10.

Bring your gravel bike.

I assume with all that expert knowledge (and being a self proclaimed riding god) that you are one of the volunteers who maintain and build the trails?

IMO the blue trail is awesome, its a family trail for beginners and kids. My kids used to love it when they were smaller, now they head to the other side of the hill but we still finish on a blue descent when the mood takes us. It is a good giggle when you ride it flat out.

As for being overcrowded, the carpark and cafe can get busy on a sunny Saturday morning but a 3 minute pedal in any direction and you hardly see a person. If it really worries you then there are plenty of other places in the forest to park (and trails to ride) so you avoid the centre altogether. A quick look at the map shows how much there is to ride outside of the red and blue loop.

Generally the area around PABA is hideously over crowded and sadly this is spreading. Start early or better still later. It is quiet, even at the weekend by about 5pm and at the moment you can get a good half day ride in by 10.

Bring your gravel bike.

Utter S***! especially the bit about Gravel bikes - why would you spoil a ride with one of those? ;o)

I'm with @hooli - the car park can get a bit manic and on sunny days, you definitely have to be there before 10am (preferably 9.30), really lucky or after 3pm to get into the car park and you'll probably be up the fire road anyway. Once you get out of the car park the only places I see more than a few people are the top of the DH trails where people congregate before dropping in, the skills area and the cafe. Even on the blue/red trails I hardly see anyone and then it's nice to just say hi as you pass/are passed. Once you get out beyond the obvious marked trails it gets even less populated and I've had days where I've seen a handful of people all day and 1/2 of those will be dog walkers.

Massive lols over the gravel bike comment. Surprised for this place no-one has suggested binning off the mtb entirely and bringing a road bike instead.
Fod is even better on an eeb, huge amount of runs on the DH trails.
Excellent fun, haven't used the uplift there for years now.

Generally the area around PABA is hideously over crowded and sadly this is spreading. Start early or better still later. It is quiet, even at the weekend by about 5pm and at the moment you can get a good half day ride in by 10.

Bring your gravel bike.
Utter S***! especially the bit about Gravel bikes – why would you spoil a ride with one of those? ;o)

I love a gravel bike, and have ridden those and CX bikes for almost 30 years alongside MTBs, so will defend them to the end. But, I'd never bother taking one to FoD. There's far too much really good riding there to mess around mincing down the easy trails on 40mm tyres. 😀

5 mins away from PABA and it can be quiet. I said around it. Not a bloody mile away.

There is stacks of fun to be had a on a gravel bike . Who said that was all you could bring?

In fact you can have a great day or more on the road bike as well.

The blue is nice and easy so thus fun on the dropped bar bike. It is great fun for my commute.

You must admit that the red climb is worn out though.

And no I don't build and maintain as I would prefer that they weren't there in an ideal world.  Not my thing thats all. My work is done doing the things thats FE don't like unblocking the culverts on the family trail.

Google “Pedal a Bike Away”. That’s the trail centre area. The forest itself is MASSIVE with trails all over. Eg Shutcastle and Elwood / Doeys.
Uplift doesn’t run every day. Not too bad to push up.
I love it there despite the 200 mile drive.

I’ve never been a fan of the red run, now I think about it I reckon it would be much better with an ebike as some of the uphills were horrible.

I agree with Speeder and Hooli.

There is stacks of fun to be had a on a gravel bike . Who said that was all you could bring?

You should have said 'Bring a gravel bike as well' then, not 'Bring a gravel bike.'  Although normally that's not all that practical.

We did an afternoon at FoD on Wednesday. Had a great time despite me crashing on the first lap of the blue run! It was the prefect warm up before BPW Thursday and Friday

Even saw a gravel bike.

Even saw a gravel bike.

Probably gurning away in road Lycra not enjoying himself. Should have taken an mtb!

Or a checked (not actually made from flannel) shirt over his Lycra. 😉

Seemed like it’d been trashed by eBikes

🥱

@CheesybeanZ, the red climbs have almost always seemed like they were trashed by ebikes, even back before ebikes even existed.

It was one of our regular loops about 13- 14 years ago way before it was taken over for tha Freeminers trail . Its always suffered in the winter , I've not ridden it in a long time.