What's the best UK trail centre?

Gisburn
Llandegla
BPW (would be a long day though)
Cannock chase/stile cop
Stainburn

Laggan for me.
The black is so fun and has sections that I'm always surprised exist in a trail centre.

Maybe not a day trip mind.

I don't know about 'best' as I've hardly ridden any, but Llandegla is pretty good fun and doable in a day from you. Not sure it's got more fun to pedalling ratio than the average decent Peak / Win Hill / Wharncliffe day though. It's nice for a change especially when everything is wet and you want a burger at the end of the ride.

Leeds Urban Bike Park - not big but fits the bill for a razz, jumps, drops (and a pedal) and cake
Gisburn - plenty of pedalling, bit of fun, with a couple of flowy DH sections and the HOPE line
Stainburn - rocky tech

> Maybe not a day trip mind.

A days drive.
Each way.

Farmer John's is pretty fun. Just don't leave your bike unattended.

For a genuine trail centre I really like Nant Yr Arian, it's not the biggest but great fun. Not many jumps or drops though, sounds more like a bike park that you're after

Farmer John's is good but I wouldn't put that as a trail centre neither is bpw .
Gisburn I haven't ridden in over 12 years so unless something miraculous has happened there I wouldn't travel.
Laggan is the best I've ridden
Dalbeattie is also a favourite if I'm up that way
Llandegla is fantastic for the winter months as it rides really well all year but gets very busy in summer.
Stainburn is fantastic for hoaning yours skills for a couple of hours or longer if you know your way across the road .

And how can I forget the last rocky descent at afan.....mega id travel from Yorkshire just to ride that last descent lol

Is Lee Quarry still a thing? That's surely the closest trail centre to Sheffield?

But deffo recommend Laggan as others have above. Also Comrie Croft is an absolute gem and very slightly closer to Sheffield.

Personally, I think of
the Welsh Trail Centres - Coed Y Brenin has the most to offer, Nant Yr Arian is a good
option too - both Afan and Llandegla suffer in comparison. Dalby is good, Gisburn I find a bit dull, Wharnecliff is fine, I quite like the Forest of Dean and Cannock though. North of the Border, Innerleithen and Glentress are good. Ae wasn’t as good to me, Mabie was good.

Ae wasn’t as good to me, Mabie was good.

Kirroughtree for me if heading north west! But Laggan for the win. Worth the drive.

I went back to the climachx trail recently. I'd forgotten how good the final descent back to the car park is,it's an absolute belter.

The rest of the trail is a bit meh though, but if you're in the area it's well worth doing purely for the final descent

Greno/Warncliffe are much less than a days travel from Sheffield for razzing and jumps n shit! Lady Cannings/Blacka more on your doorstep as well. And that little one in the park I can't remember the name of.....

Stainburn is great. LUBP is pretty much just jumps with a couple of drops. I always think Gisburn is fun. Haven't been to degla or Hamsterly for years and I used to love Hamsterly.

Mini Marin or is it Gwyder Mar now, apologies for spelling, 100% better than Llandegla.

Biggish peddle up though but hey ho.

Penmachno

Underrated, proper red trail IMHO. Can easily be combined with the Marin trail

Only good thing about Llandegla is the Cafe. Poor riding and the grading is pants YMMV 😃.

Lee Quarry is trashed nowadays- avoid.
Gisburn winds me up - no flow whatsoever, Hope line is worn out, ballache of a road to get there.

'Degla for me if I want an easy quick blast.

I wouldn't make a big day out of Nant Yr Arian. With the continued closure of part of it, it only takes about half an hour to ride around! (It's an excellent half hour mind you!)

I will only goto penmachno when it hasn’t rained for at least a month unless you like wet feet. Warncliffe is great and super close to Sheffield

Llandegla is a bit meh I think - I did it a few years ago and was underwhelmed. The only good bits were the ‘black’ graded bits that were at best Red bits. And there weren’t enough of them and not easily repeatable without loads of boring pedally bits. All the stuff I’ve done is in wales but I’m not sure that’s easily do-able in a day from Sheffield. Coed Y Brenin has a lot of stuff in North Wales - I didn’t mind it but found black / black loops back to back either side of lunch was pretty hard on the body.

South Wales is epic but that’s hours and hours from you.

Leeds urban bike park is ok for a few hours playing - I’d take a hardtail there as it’s pump track / jump track / mild downhill sections that aren’t very steep.

I’m guessing if you’re in Sheffield you’ve already done a lot of Grenoside / Wharncliffe?

Cannock I’ve not been to but it sounds like Swinley on a slightly bigger hill unless you find the off piste stuff. That’s about all my knowledge apart from South Wales though - love love love Cwmcarn, Brechfa is pretty good. Afan a bit underwhelming for me - Afan Masts off piste is good though.

Gisburn can actually be pretty good for a few hours razz. Just don't do the full loop!

Instead from the car park go straight across past the farm house, up to the Hope line and session all the variations till you get bored. Then move on to the Leap of Faith DH lines. Again session all the variations until bored, then go down to Hully Gully, maybe that new bit and call it day. It links together nicely and you get to do all the best features multiple times!

Personally, I think of
the Welsh Trail Centres – Coed Y Brenin has the most to offer,

So I've had a bit of a [late] epiphany about trail centres recently. I used to think that they were about sustained grade, some challenging tech, long miles & interesting rocky riding.

And hence CyB was my favourite trail centre south of the border.

Went back to CyB last weekend and it was an absolute revelation ( not in a good way).
We avoided the Red Bull as I recalled it actually being a bit shit when we did it in October. So we did the Dragons Back, or at least most of it. OMFG it is dull. Soooooo dull. Fireroad hell. No flow at all really.
Did the MBR the next day. It was a bit better, but not much. Bubble well and truly burst.

CyB has aged terribly, as evidenced by the almost empty carpark at half term (YSHTMV).

It used to provide excellent endurance riding, and also a tech challenge on old bikes. With modern bikes the tech challenge has disappeared, and there's nothing else there. There's no flow, very little jumps, just mile after mile of rocky, unflowy filling bashing.

Contrast that with the insanely well built 'Accelerator' at Hamsterley, or the lovely black and red sections at Whinlatter, which had the kids grinning from ear to ear and raring for another lap.

For me these days there is no way traditional trail centres can compete with natural trails for techie challenge ( unless they ban bikes like my skills compensator 😉 ) . They really produce the goods when they are fast, flowy fun and jumpy.

I can't see CyB surviving long as it currently is.

From my limited experience Coed y Brenin is a good option. Loads of trails. It would be hard not to find a couple of days good riding

Langdegla didn’t seem as good

The trail at Penmachno is fab. But you don’t get the options and cafe

Of the Scottish ones Dalbeattie and Kirroughtree left me with the feeling that probably the best trail centres are in Scotland. I was with younger teens so didn’t get the full experience

Laggan for me, or Glenlivet is great for a family ride, that's another half day further from you than Laggan though.

I think my bikes got less travel than the Generalists

Only ridden Laggan once but remember it being great. Marin (Gwydir Mawr) is my favourite trail centre though. For jumps, drops, etc... I can't imagine many trail centres topping what's around Sheffield anyway though.

Are we all riding the same CyB? @thegeneralist sums it up nicely. That place is dining out on nostalgia, the trails are terrible, even more so with the huge variety on offer around the country.

I don't get all the CyB love either. Gwdyr Mach and Penmachno are far better trails.

So if I just want a quick few hours razzing around riding jumps, drops and tech stuff, where’s the most entertaining place to go? I need some fun to balance out all the pedalling I’ve been doing.

Ideally doable in a day from Sheffield.

Leeds Urban Bike Park.

Disclaimer: I don't do much in the way of MTBing these days and haven't been to any other trail centre in years. But I do like LUBP. Easy to get to, lots to do for a few hours (it's not worth an all day visit IMHO), decent cafe, good flow to the trails.

Marin trail. Love it. Rocky, fast descents, feels a bit wild in places. It's ace.
I liked CyB, just goes to show really, horses/courses. It's a different kind to some but a lap of The Beast just feels like a nice day in the hills.

A few years ago I'd have said Afan or CYB but they're both really suffering from lack of investment and being left behind by modern bikes and the push for Enduro. Cwmcarn has good stuff but not enough of it (especially after the uplift ceased) and needs a bit of updating. I'd probably go with FOD having the best offering right now with it's DH trails, blue and red and the honeypot that is the off-piste the locals are constantly building. Although:

So if I just want a quick few hours razzing around riding jumps, drops and tech stuff, where’s the most entertaining place to go? I need some fun to balance out all the pedalling I’ve been doing.

pretty much describes my days at Windhill, Tidworth and Rogate. Neither are trail centres but, especially at Windhill, you can pedal up all day and just smash out multiple laps all day and never get bored.

At the end of the day we have a massive choice here in the UK and we do seem to take it all for granted!

So if I just want a quick few hours razzing around riding jumps, drops and tech stuff, where’s the most entertaining place to go?

Like I said, Farmer John's ticks all those boxes and is only an hour away from Sheff.

Apologies submarined, I'm going to argue with you....

It’s a different kind to some but a lap of The Beast just feels like a nice day in the hills.

It's really not. On both counts.
Yep, it makes a great brainsout thrash if you need some exercise for two and a half hours, but that's about it.

It's not really a day in the hills. Or maybe it is, but they're dull as **** hills. Covered in tens of thousands of identical 20 year old sitka spruce. Views are nothing special, although I suppose they do compare well against most trail centres south of Lancaster.

Compare that with Laggan for example. The Scots pines spread about. The rocky slabs, absolutely gorgeous.

Back to the OP, in approx order:

The Good:
____________
Laggan
Golspie
Hamsters
Whinlatter
Kirroughtree
Dalbeattie
Gisburn
Comrie
Glentress
Inners
Llandegla
Dalby
Cannock

Indufferent:
___________
Marin
Afan
Penmachno ( apologies, its been 15 years since I went. It may be good)
Grisedale
Mach

Then the dross:
__________
Mabie
Nevis (sans remontees)
Haldon
Newcastleton
Kielder
Glenlivet ( deserves last place not simply because it is so bad, but because it is so bad despite being so new and being in an enviable position where they could have taken a look around and recreated the best things about lots of trail centres. )

The Good:
____________
Laggan
Golspie
Hamsters
Whinlatter
Kirroughtree
Dalbeattie
Gisburn
Comrie
Glentress
Inners
Llandegla
Dalby

You can't put gisburn,dalby and Cannock in a list of good trail centres, they're terrible 😔

The Good:

Cannock

Err...

Also, FoD is missing off the list altogether.

Echo the CyB comments I rode it in October, Dragons Back in the morning/MBR afternoon. Seemed to spend all day on fireroads (Nice views though and a nice cafe, was a lovely day though which helped!)  Old Marin AKA Gwndir was good though!

Wharncliffes the obvious one for me though from Sheffield.

Anyone enjoy some of the less-rated trail centres on a hardtail? Seems like an obvious compromise if the trails are too tame for an enduro sled, for example.

The best trail centre is the one you like going to I guess. I really quite like the old Marin although I know loads of folks actively hate it. I don't mind CyB but you have to be in the right frame of mind, and the weather needs to be nice. Did a loop of Llandegla a couple of weeks back and it was heaving in the CP, but it's still a nice enough trundle round, even if it is v short. Of all the Scottish ones, Glentress is my least favourite I think, I never seem to get any flow going,  but places like Dalbeattie and Kiroughtree suffer from the same thing as all the older ones in Wales do; they're just not really built for easily pedal-able 160mm enduro bikes.

Wharncliffes the obvious one for me though from Sheffield.

Aye, the new Alec & Thora at Deepcar end was a delight today.

Admittedly not in the OPs list of requirements but to me the benefit of a trail centre is fun, non-heinous climbs and flat bits. Wharni is fun sure but winching to the top certainly isn't. The black climb at stainburn is an example. In the same vein, sure Cannock is shite if you're on 150mm travel but it's still good fun on a hardtail.

Anyway, I have asked myself exactly the same question and farmer John's seems the obvious place to try but I can never bring myself to drive over when there's so much locally. If you've never been then definitely try stainburn, it's got jumps and drops and rocks on the official trails and the stuff over the road is pretty obvious for more modern enduro trails.

You can’t put gisburn,dalby and Cannock in a list of good trail centres, they’re terrible 😔

I may be biased living 10 mins from the place but Dalby has some of the best unmarked trails of anywhere in the country. Sandy subsoil and decent trail fairies makes them rideable year round too. Spoilt!

Surprised nobody has mentioned behind the Nationwide in Swindon.

I’m amazed that the Marin has so much love. That was the definitive hated trail centre for years. Presumably the “new” bit has helped

You can’t put gisburn,dalby and Cannock in a list of good trail centres, they’re terrible

Dalby is good if you don't just ride the entirety of the red (or just treat it as a nice xc loop) and cut the dull sections out and add on some of the off piste. I'm guessing that was the intention as Hamsterley was on there too which just taken as a red route is utterly dreadful as there's 14km of entirely unnecessary fire road before you get to the fun bits.

The most enjoyable I've been to was Learnie red rocks as it was still fun after a 7 hour drive whilst suffering from flu.

Bit far for you OP but I think I’m a similar type of rider and I really rate FOD, can spends hours on GBU.
Bits of AE are good too, fast singletrack and a few decent lines of tables.
You won’t like Kirroughtree.
Degla is ok with the B-line jumps

From Sheffield - Dalby / and Sutton Bank.

No one has mentioned the pines yet. Am disappointed!😂

I’m in Sheffield and don’t tend to ride trail centres. Why would you drive someone when there is great riding from the door. Cycled from my house in s10 to wharny via the rivelin steep stuff in just over an hour last Sunday. DH3 over in greno just been reopened.
Mates have done bpw for a day trip from Sheffield and say it was just about worth it

DH3 over in greno just been reopened

Ooo has it now. Any good?

Looks quite tasty 

That tree stump is gonna muller a few I'll bet!

Degla is only worth a trip if you add Worlds end in.

Gisburn I wouldnt go back Once was enough .. same with Cannock.
Whinlatter north and south is OK and better when you Head up Grisedale and add some all mountain riding.

Golfie and Inners must win as all out best

Thanks for all the suggestions. I've been watching this thread get bigger and bigger all weekend but I haven't had time to take it all in.

Yes I live in Sheffield and we're surrounded by great riding. I still need a change of scenery occasionally and I was wondering what I could squeeze in on a solo trip in either 1 or 2 days without going into the back of beyond and being rescued by helicopter.

At the moment I have one riding mate who will ONLY ride his little corner of the Peak and another work mate who will ONLY ride Wharncliffe. Both are amazing but it's the default, I can go there any time.

Mixed reviews of Degla but it's 2 hours away and easily doable. I might take a day off for it and do it on a weekday. Farmer John's is on the shortlist but I don't know anyone who is up for that kind of riding.

I've got a free pass for the weekened after next. I might try and do FOD and BPW or go north for Golfie, which I've never ridden.

Lots to think about.

Can I ask why you specifically asked for a trail centre?

Do you not fancy a bit of wild riding?

Yeah I don't mind wild riding. Sometimes I just want loads of interesting features packed into a small area so I can have a quick, fun blast. My knowledge of these things is years out of date.

When I want hours and hours of bridelway bashing, gate opening and whinging dog walkers, I can just ride West from my house.

If you go to Llandegla on the Privateer keep the fast rolling tyres on, it’s a bit of a slog on a bigger bike. I find that I have more fun there on my Scott Scale XC hardtail.

As for best trail centre I think that Balblair and Golspie in the same day is a good mix of everything. Shame they are miles from most of the UK.

Sometimes I just want loads of interesting features packed into a small area so I can have a quick, fun blast.

When I want hours and hours of bridelway bashing, gate opening and whinging dog walkers, I can just ride West from my house

Makes sense 🙂

Of your shortlist

Golfie wins!

Llandegla isnt the longest 20k, (so you might want to do it twice to justify the travel) , but still lots of fun, especially if you make the effort to use every feature, and the food in the cafe is great.

If you’re happy to take time off to drive a bit, give Llandegla a miss, it’s really not worth it. I was riding a 150mm front / 130mm rear Bird Aether and even that was too much round there I’d say. Maybe it’d be more fun on a downcountry style of bike on fast rolling tyres.

BPW is pretty unbeatable for an uplifted trail centre - there is so much variety of trail - all colour grades have either tech or flow trails specifically detailed. So you can blast blues full of berms and rollers - then the next run you can ride a black tech trails full of roots / drops / gaps etc.

Forest of Dean is very different - the hills are a lot smaller but there is so much good riding there. The trail centre bit is ok - but it’s the off piste that’s the gold bit. If you can time it to meet someone local off here who can show you the best trails that’s how you’d get most out of it.

In the same region is Dirt Farm (formerly Blsck Mountain Cycle Centre) - I love that place. It’s uplifted on a trailer behind a tractor - it’s more jumpy / bermy than BPW - all dirt trails and flowy - even the blue tables have steep lips. Waaaaaay more chilled and casual than BPW - if you’re lucky there’s a burger van in the car park - which is just a field.

Cwmcarn is also pretty good down there - probably my favourite trail centre - both red laps are good, the downhill runs are decent and the off piste off the back at Risca is easily findable - it’s proper steep tech - you can ride down hill for 3-6 mins or so solid.

@sharkattack

I’ve got a free pass for the weekened after next. I might try and do FOD and BPW or go north for Golfie, which I’ve never ridden

Give us a shout and I'll show you round Golfie/Inners/GT/Yair.

I’ve got a free pass for the weekened after next. I might try and do FOD and BPW

BPW 12th 😀

Mixed reviews of Degla but it’s 2 hours away and easily doable. I might take a day off for it and do it on a weekday.

Park in Llangollen, ride up the old horse shoe pass to the Ponderosa to warm your legs up, then up to the masts the into Llandegla, joining the trail at the top of the long climb, ride around the trails, stop at the cafe (is or was always excellent) which is now about half-way, then head up the climb and then out towards Worlds End, before descending down the fairly exciting path. Good day out.

Park in Llangollen, ride up the old horse shoe pass to the Ponderosa to warm your legs up, then up to the masts the into Llandegla, joining the trail at the top of the long climb, ride around the trails, stop at the cafe (is or was always excellent) which is now about half-way, then head up the climb and then out towards Worlds End, before descending down the fairly exciting path. Good day out.

A great suggestion, but the OP is often saying he barely rides so that might be a touch ambitious.

Personally I'd skip Llandegla entirely and go to Gwydir (trail centre & off piste) instead.

If you go to Llandegla on the Privateer keep the fast rolling tyres on

The Dissector combo is a dream in the Peak! I felt like I was on an e-bike for a while. It has been bone dry though.

Give us a shout and I’ll show you round Golfie/Inners/GT/Yair.

I'll keep that in mind. The only thing scaring me about the Golfie is my lack of fitness. It's a bloody long drive for 2 laps of what looks like a massive hill. Wharny is had enough at the minute but I'm working on it.

BPW 12th

I'll see if I've got any spending money for the month after fixing both a knackered van and car.

A great suggestion, but the OP is often saying he barely rides so that might be a touch ambitious.

I'm coming back! I've been out more in the last couple of months than the last 4 years.

Do-able from Sheffield in a day:
- Hamsterley I need to try. Used to ride the DH trails back in the day, probably knocking on for 20 years ago now but never done the trail centre stuff. Have watched a few videos recently and it looks decent though with some mega looking off-piste.
- Dalby is my local and the red is generally a little bit shit. Apart from a few sections, the Dalby trail builders seem to manage the impossible to build almost no flow into many of the trails - even some of the downhill sections feel like a slog at times. Best way to ride Dalby if you know where you're going is to use the red simply to link up the good bits of off-piste/red/black/old-black. Following the signs has just become a race track for e-bikers.
- LUBP is nothing more than a glorified BMX track with a load of scratters razzing around everywhere. Someone mentioned keeping an eye on your bike and Farmer Johns... handcuff it to your wrist at LUBP. To give it its due though, the red (?) XC type trail through the woods is pretty good fun but only a mile or two long.
- Penmachno not done in years but remember it being "ok" and nothing more.
- Marin we did at the end of last year. Some good bits but what felt like mile upon mile of fire road.
- Llandegla not done in years and rarely read anything good about it so no rush to go back.
- CyB would be my choice although it'd be a bit of a schlep from Sheffield and back in a day. I really like CyB, always have. Don't think the first trail out the visitor centre is a great introduction to the place as its got less flow than Dalby but once past that, all the trails are decent - from riding the Minotaur with my kids on balance bikes through to the Beast with mates on the big bikes, its a good place with some cracking descents. Thinking about it, I might plan a day and back ride there (or a kip in the van somewhere discrete) sometime myself...

And yes, you need a trip to the Tweed Valley.

CyB would be my choice

Despite the moaning about CyB on here, it's still really enjoyable IMO. Needs a light-ish bike to carry speed/cover gorund and a bit of aggression to attack the descents - but there's flow to be found and it's quite engaging.

Great in the wet too, there's zero mud there and not many puddles.

I’m coming back! I’ve been out more in the last couple of months than the last 4 years.

Awesome. Keep it going pal.

Despite the moaning about CyB on here, it’s still really enjoyable IMO

yeah I went back to CYB last year having not been for maybe 10 years, it was a sunny weekend and the place was dead - presumably everyone goes to dyfi bike park these days?

Anyway I thought it rode pretty well with one exception (see below) ,the 3 adams family sections on the beast are excellent.

Dont bother with the old red bull trail on the other side of the road though - it was like a scene from some apocalypse movie, like it hadnt been ridden by a soul for decades, really over grown, trail surface completely battered, and not much fun.

– Hamsterley I need to try. Used to ride the DH trails back in the day, probably knocking on for 20 years ago now but never done the trail centre stuff. Have watched a few videos recently and it looks decent though with some mega looking off-piste.

Hamsterley is really good but we were riding there 20 years ago so all the 'trail centre' stuff just gradually developed in between our regular favourite bits. I don't think I've ever done an actual lap. There's too much fun, steep tech stuff hidden away to bother with the bleak fireroad slog.

And yes, you need a trip to the Tweed Valley.

I haven't been there for nearly 10 years and then it was Glentress laps with a group of mixed ability workmates. Golfie looks mint but it's a bit of a trek since I moved down south.

Dont bother with the old red bull trail on the other side of the road

Agreed, an hour or so of disappointment with 30 secs of suprisingly gnarly DH track thrown in.

Golfie looks mint but it’s a bit of a trek since I moved down south.

Go. Golfie and the off-piste bits at Inners and Glentress are superb. Being able to ride from the shed at the top of Glentress pretty much all the way back into Peebles town centre on amazingly crafted trails has to be done.

Are we all riding the same CyB? @thegeneralist sums it up nicely. That place is dining out on nostalgia, the trails are terrible, even more so with the huge variety on offer around the country.

I love Brenin, live between Penmachno and the Marin. Day out from sheff (OP said a "days drive") is doable - better with an overnighter.

I think people want smooth jumps and drops and easy pedal nowadays. Brenin's great on a hardtail or short travel full suss - enduro rigs kill all but the most tech and steep trails IMO and with 150/60mm now counting as "trail" then it's no wonder.

I think people want Bike Park Wales level of descending without the actual pedalling anywhere nowadays. And if you're into jumps then Wharncliffe's on sheffield's doorstep (worked in sheff for years) if that's more of your thing.

Someone put Cannock Chase in above Brenin. Lulz. It just goes to show that people have wildly differing tastes, and that they change over time.

But Brenin, rain, shine, snow, wind, whatever - I always have a nice day out. Helps that it's not that far from me too.

I love CyB too. Its a long trip from down here though. Last there October 2021 (and nearly got stranded because all the petrol stations were dry) so dont rely on me for anything on temporary closures or overgrown trails.

All the trails are fun, (never tried the green). Theres some overlap if you can understand a basic map so you can add or skip sections.
Only two bad bits - the mid section of the beast, theres a long old fireroad slog, which is fairly pointless and can be avoided. Not really an issue on a good day, in the wet and if its been churned up by logging trucks its a sticky mess.
The red bull trail - theres a downhill fireroad section, almost seems like its unfinished and there should be another singletrack section that has been skipped, and there is one trail that is always a stream bed if its at all wet. The rest of the loop is great fun if you attack it.

But then my local is Swinley (havent done a full correct loop in a few years) and I like Dalby (its near the in-laws) too. So maybe I dont fit the modern steroetype which seems to be either searching for ever harder and faster features on an enduro sled, or challenging yourself by slowly bouncing an old school geo-ed hardtail off every rock and root to "get the full experience". I've got a lovely trail bike and I love riding it on trails.

I guess what people are forgetting that Black/Red/Blue/Green are cross-country trail designations.

I get the point on CyB's long fireroad section on the beast/dragon's back. I've done it once and now always skip it. (Some really beautiful views from there tho).

I don't think owt's dated. I liked it back in the day, nowt's changed there. Not much of a jumper anyway and the bits of "new-style" trail that have been added in the North Wales area (smooth, jumpy, machined (not hand-cut and rocky)) are a bit poop IMO.

YMMV.

And if you’re into jumps then Wharncliffe’s on sheffield’s doorstep

Tell me you've not ridden Wharny without telling me you've not ridden Wharny.

You might be thinking Greno, then you'd be correct, smooth flow and jumps there now.

Wharny has some honking janky trails that are fun on a HT or an LT full sus. Most stuff is rollable with varying degrees of steep.

Although these days there's three/four distinct areas and to get some good laps in you'd need a bit of a guide to find them.

@relapsed_mandalorian - yeah, wharny one side, greno the other. Used to work in Tankersley and it was "whatever that bit of woods is called on the hill with trails both sides" 😉

And the Wortley Arms did the best burger for miles around too.

Although these days there’s three/four distinct areas and to get some good laps in you’d need a bit of a guide to find them.

I would say there's 5 zones now, all with different characteristics. I liken it to the crystal maze.

It's not a trail centre though

Hopton is good too. A bit under the radar. It always feels very unlike most other places to be honest.
No facilities whatsoever there which helps with that I suppose.

It’s not a trail centre though

Which is why I prefer it.

And to the OPs point; all of them. If you leave with a smile then really that should be the only criteria on which you judge one.

Facilities help, but I don't ride somewhere just because it's got a bike wash and cafe.

The question is so broad I think it's impossible to answer. Everyone will speak from their perspective taking I to account their ability, bike and preferred terrain so response will be loaded with bias.