[Closed] Longest downhill trail in the UK

Off a big hill/mountain?

Guessing Scotland due to 'restrictions' in England/Wales.

We've plenty upwards of a mile long in the Borders, so there'll be far longer stuff up north.

great question. Lots of things to consider in that question. Legally rideable or otherwise? by downhill do you mean anything pointing downwards, i.e. not flat, so can include very gently declining land?
continous roll? i.e. you don't have to get off and open a gate.

As in Downhill or a downhill bit of a trail?

I believe the longest DH track is the red at Ft. William, it's 6km.

Climach-x in North Wales was always sold as having the longest unbroken downhill section on an official XC trail, but I've ridden longer ones, they're just broken up by gates to stop MX riders. I'd guess Terry's Belly as BPW is longer too, but is that DH or just a trail, BPW doesn't count itself as a DH venue, it's not really a DH track that's 4.5km

Surely Snowdon has to be up there? Is there a bridleway from the top of Ben Nevis?

Edit: Stupid boy, just cos it's high doesn't mean it'll be the longest!! 😳

There are no bridleways in Scotland.

Golspie used to claim to have the longest downhill trail in the UK. Don't know if that's been superceded.

The descent off Carn Ban Mor in the Cairngorms must be a contender.

You know what I meant.

[I]Is there a bridleway from the top of Ben Nevis? [/I]

Which is why I mentioned 'restrictions', pretty much any trail can be ridden in Scotland.

this has been debated before and there was some consensus that (in england at least) it was one of the drops off Helvellyn. It really needs sorting out into some resulty. Maybe there's a magazine somewhere who could take it, measure the disctances and communicate their results. With a top10 or something.

I've said on other threads that the descent from Beinn Fhada is probably the longest 100% rideable trail in the UK in terms of height loss, about 1016m.

[i]I've said on other threads that the descent from Beinn Fhada is probably the longest 100% rideable trail in the UK in terms of height loss, about 1016m. [/i]

Call me pedantic, but you can't have a longest height 😉

I think we did this and there is one off Scafell that is the longest in the lakes - its not very good either - not ridden it myself- if i am remembering correctly

Surely we want fun rather than just long?

Llanberis path is 7km long IIRC.. does that count? Did it back in the day - very very fast in places, and on a modern bike insanely dangerous for both you and the walkers I reckon!

how can you measure fun Junky? length however can be quantified. *speccy emoji*

Spin i remember you spraying about Beinn Fhada, Can't really picture this descent though, did you go down to the bealach.

Ben Lomond circa 900m trumps Carn Ban mor(600m now kitty litter and water bars oh the joy!)

did you go down to the bealach.

No, we did it as an out and back from Morvich leaving the track a bit before the bealach on the way up then heading up into corrie and onto the summit ridge by a zig zagging stalkers path.

Spin i think you have it, apart from being the longest IMO its also amazing fun. V Techy.

how can you measure fun Junky?

[quote=fergal ] Ben Lomond circa 900m trumps Carn Ban mor(600m now kitty litter and water bars oh the joy!)TBH, I was thinking length rather than height loss. I'll have to go and look at a few maps...

doethie valley - 7 km singletrack descent

Point the wrong way on an escalator?

Lochnagar to Loch Muick is quite long with plenty height loss.

I thought Glenlivet was supposed to be it?

That's certainly what I was told when I was riding up the bleeder!

How long is Glentress from the mast to the bottom of pie?

I think we did this and there is one off Scafell that is the longest in the lakes - its not very good either - not ridden it myself- if i am remembering correctly

Biggest vertical bridleway decent in England.

Depends what you define as 'fun', the top section is a flat out scree field, the middle bit is the same but with a long slalom of corners, then there's another duller bit interspersed with rocky chutes, then it's into the woods.

It's not particularly singletrack, but it's not completely without merit. Depends how fit you are as to whether it's worth the climb or not.

Ben Nevis to the car park at Torlundy (barely 50m ASL) should be rideable, so that pretty much ties-up the biggest vertical drop. Not sure on longest continuously-descending trail.

Where's the bridleway on Scafell?

As above!!!

Perhaps it was sty head- having just checked a map!!!- but i recall someone saying a descent from scafel was the longest gateless in the Lakes
If my memory is incorrect - at it looks like it may well be then - the apologies

Ben Nevis to the car park at Torlundy (barely 50m ASL) should be rideable, so that pretty much ties-up the biggest vertical drop. Not sure on longest continuously-descending trail.

Depending on route, getting down from the half way lochan involves sections that are unrideable for even quite skilled riders (possible for some I'm sure) or pointless bog riding.

Point the wrong way on an escalator?

doethie valley - 7 km singletrack descent

That's the sort of thing I'm after, you know, a downhill trail not a DH course.

but i recall someone saying a descent from scafel was the longest gateless in the Lakes

It's the other Scafell out towards Hesket Newmarket.

Where's the bridleway on Scafell?

It's the other Scafell out towards Hesket Newmarket.

Great Sca fell
Part of the Uldale Fells (a few miles north of Skiddaw House), its about 2.5 mile I'd say, claimed to be the longest natural downhill trail in the UK??
Its pretty much all on grass, if your local to it its worth a bash, can tie it in to a few routes, nothing to write home about though.

its about 2.5 mile I'd say, claimed to be the longest natural downhill trail in the UK??

England maybe.

Riding on the grass and ropey bits of surfacing along Cragg Vale.

hmm... there's Esk Hause to Stockley bridge which starts at roughly 750m and drops to 200m (ish) over the course of 4 miles or so. Best descent in the Lakes if you ask me, and then Helvellyn via Dollywagon and Grisedale Beck drops you from 950m to 150m over a similar distance and is just as good. No idea about Scotland, and I'd have thought that the Rangers Path off Snowden would be longer.

Lochnagar

Lochnagar

Which way?

Almost every hill in the Cairngorm National Park (slight exaggeration I know )now has a bulldozered track going up: Lots of potential for long boring descents there!
The descent NE off Ben Avon to Linn of Avon is about 5 miles long, not all downhill however!

Bowderdale (Howgills Fell) must the one of the longest in England.

The complete brinmore tramroad from Trefil Quarries to Talybont is 10km
The old road past the reservoir through the middle of the blacks is 6.3 km
Both the above are legal BWs
There are plenty of tracks to ride around South Wales which are well over 10 km of DH and constant descents of over 600m on single track are also possible

Braeriach down to Inverdruie must be kicking on for 20k and 1100m

Longest descent (a mile) continuously on bedrock; Wester Ross.
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There is a seven mile natural decent in S.Wales, but only ridable after about a week of sunshine in the Summer. For those few days, it is amazing.

Braeriach down to Inverdruie must be kicking on for 20k and 1100m

Not all downhill though is it? Once you pop out the end of the Lairig Ghru there's lots of flat and short uphills.

From a few years back - [url= http://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/whats-the-longest-downhill-you-can-find-the-lake-districtcumbria/page/2 ]Fizzer clocked this at 3.76 miles[/url]

For the record:

I clocked it at 3.76 miles LITTLE Sca Fell summit to gate at Longlands onto road. You have to pedal up from Great Sca Fell onto Little Sca Fell to begin descent so that bit doesn't count.

Height Loss:418m

Time descending: 8 mins (includes photo stop at signpost near bottom) & I am sure aomeone will be along shortly to say they have done it in a quarter of the time blindfolded on a fully rigid unicycle

Grin factor: 100%

Effort to get there: 99.9%

Gav, I have to add I made about half a dozen pedal strokes in total near the bottomto keep speed up but could prob just have got down without

Summit of Little Sca Fell looking down to Longlands

Postscript: I would say that at least 5km of Bowderdale is pedalling Not descending

Looks good fun that run does Chickenman

Descents to Annat and Achnashellach won't be far away...

Anyone mentioned the bridleway from Tees Head (Cross Fell) to Blencarn in the N. Pennines..?

Cheers
Paul

Don't we need some sort of objective measurement? "According to strava", UCI has a benchmark for climb categories - average gradient in % x length of climb. If the answer is > 80,000, thats a HC climb, cat 1 is > 64,000 etc. Minimum gradient to be called a climb is 3%.

https://support.strava.com/hc/en-us/articles/216917057-How-are-Strava-climbs-categorized-For-Rides-

Shouldn't this conversation have a similarly objective measure?

The top of Bheinn a'Bhuird to the Quoich Water is about 4 miles and from memory is all downhill with a lot of singletrack. About 11% average gradient.

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Look at most of those mentioned on a map and they aren't *that* long. The Lochnagar descent is 4Km, the Torridon descents are 5Km or so, maybe 6Km for the Coire Lair descent, the Great Scafell descent is just 3Km. Of course these are flat distances but even with a bit of Pythagoras and allowing for small bends in the track you'll only add a couple of hundred metres to those distances. The Tees Head - Blencarn BW mentioned above is about 7Km.

Then of course it's how you define "downhill". Is it a track where you don't have to pedal *any* of it or are some short sections of pedalling permitted. Much as I like both Bowderdale and The Doethie Valley, I'd be hard pushed to call them "downhill", yes the start is higher than the end but they are cross country tracks really.

I thought of Ben Macdui down to Glen Derry but that comes out at about 6Km before you hit the flats of the upper glen. It's likely to be one of the old roads like the Coireyairak Pass which aimed for a steady gradient to allow movement of goods.

The complete brinmore tramroad from Trefil Quarries to Talybont is 10km
The old road past the reservoir through the middle of the blacks is 6.3 km

Yeah neither are particular gems of trails though are they?

What tyres for the longest descent in the UK?

Anyone mentioned the bridleway from Tees Head (Cross Fell) to Blencarn in the N. Pennines..?

I've seen claims that Wildboar Scar is the longest uninterrupted (no gates or stiles) Bridleway descent in England. Or maybe its the highest? Its bloody good though 🙂

https://www.strava.com/segments/5623430

Pretty sure the Doethie valley isn't continuous downhill, nice though it is. Pretty sure there are some v small uphill bits. If you're going to disregard enjoyment, then rail trail descents will probably be the longest.

Great / Little Scafell as above clocked at 3.76 miles and you can get from the top to the bottom without a single crank rotation. Would have to be after a dry spell though.

Top of Y Das down to Mynydd Ddu in the Black Mountains must be around 7km, but hardly a classic DH ride.

Doethie Valley needs plenty of pedalling!

It doesnt count, but there's a trail the drops to Aosta from high above Pila that is around 15km and proper DH for most of the way. Blown to pieces now though.

I would like to suggest Golspie at 7km of unbroken single track in a descent is surely in contention.

If you're going to disregard enjoyment, then rail trail descents will probably be the longest.

Taff Trail descent is almost 9km. Biggest waste of altitude possible on a bike though. You have to pedal to go over walking pace, it's that shallow. Also straight, wide and completely smooth.

😐

I guess you can argue it's a 8km descent, but a good 4km of it actually feels like dh before it levels off.
Calf to Bowerdale.
https://www.strava.com/segments/6915293

Descents to Annat and Achnashellach won't be far away...

I think both have some uphill

shortcut - Member

I would like to suggest Golspie at 7km of unbroken single track in a descent is surely in contention.

The question should be the longest man made trail with a continuous marked trail going down. Otherwise you can throw yourself off any old mountain and 'ride' down.

Glenlivet must be up there as a contender.