Riding crew has decided the next weekend away will be 19Aug weekend. Now the hard part is deciding where to ride.
Dyfi forest enduro trails are perfect, we’ve been 3 times now - discovering the trails for ourselves with help from Trailforks and locals at the adventure campsite.
Want to try somewhere different, but it’s very tempting to just go back again!
Lakes and Dalby have been shortlisted.
Needs to be Reachable from the midlands after work on a Friday in August. Lakes would probably be mental busy. Dalby looks a bit tame, not been there in like 20 years.
Not averse to trail centres, would be good to have natural gnar one day, trail center flow another.
What’s good up north or out west these days?
Dalby looks a bit tame, not been there in like 20 years.
It's pretty much the same. Fine if you want smash out a fast XC loop, but definitely not much steep or tech to be had. There may be off-piste stuff, but not a lot.
My vote would be for some North Lakes passes, or maybe Tweed Valley?
andeh - I'm not sure you've looked hard enough, Dalby has lots and lots of off-piste these days but as the hills aren't that high its mostly fairly short. Certainly possible to have a cracking day there.
You would pass the KIlburn/Yearsley area on your way to and from the Midlands too.
What about a day at BPW and a day at Barry Sidings?
Or a classic Peaks ride and a sesh at Wharncliffe or Win Hill?
Tweed for the riding, but it's 5 hours driving from the midlands so maybe too far for that weekend.
Lakes has grizedale forest for more conventional enduro-style riding, it's fairly big, has some trees. Outside of that Lakes riding is quite different and kind of unique in the UK. A real mixture of old school hike a bike to get up on the hills, and very technically demanding descending - a high standard.
It is indeed a zoo in August, so getting a place to stay / driving round can be aggravating. It wouldn't make much difference to the riding though.
Various bits of Shropshire (all very close to each other) would probably fit this criteria. Less rocky but plenty of steep. Depends which bits of the Dyfi you like though, those trails vary from steep techy loam to super fast rocky trails without many corners.
Wharncliffe/greno, Win hill and the Peak fit the description. All different, but close by and only a short distance from the Midlands
As above, Shropshire is the obvious choice.
Particularly Eastridge, but also Bucknell and some other spots I haven't been to.
Then the Valleys spots like Risca, Barry Sidings, Afan masts etc.
Depends on the type of stuff you like at Dyfi? If it’s the spicier end of the scale, there is a huge amount of that around Coed-y-Brenin, Penmachno & Betws-y-Coed. It is like sniffing for gold though, we had the advantage of local knowledge, but it was some of the toughest stuff I’ve ridden in Wales.
Bit more local to the Midlands, how about the Wrekin?
how about the Wrekin?
Great riding but I can't imagine anyone from the midlands wanting to go for a weekend away in Telford.😂
Nobody wants to take on the M6/M5 on a Friday after work, and you'll then be driving into a honeypot. I've not ridden Dyfi but my everyone elses replies and a mate going there I know it's nothing like the Lake District. Seeing as you've said natural the one day then trail centre the next I very much vote for Afan like Chakaping, the masts the one day and then one of the loops from Afan or Cwmcarn on the next day. Much nicer direction to head with the cut across of the M50/A40/A449.
I was thinking of mentioning Gwydir (Betws), but even with Trailforks and having been there about 10 or 15 times, it's still not easy to find the trails. And it's a right handful in the wet.
It is good for mixing up the (very good) trail centre bits with off-piste though.
FoD? Particularly the Staunton-ish stuff... then there's the trail centre with Xc and DH for the day after.
Peaks is our local so we’re going further afield. CyB is a good shout - I’ll take a look at the maps
Great riding but I can’t imagine anyone
from the midlandswanting to go for a weekend away in Telford.😂
FTFY
I was going to suggest the Betws y coed area same as HobNob, you'd find enough of the good stuff via some strava stalking to have a good day out. Lake Vyrnwy is very good aswell.
I didn't think we were allowed to talk about Vyrnwy 😉
I've ridden the "easier" stuff there and it's on the tougher side. Been told the stuff the other side of the lake is mental.
I agree the Forest of Dean sounds like a good shout. Mix of natural and more trail centrey oprions.. Option of uplift if that's of interest (think they do a pay as you go option as well as full day booking).
If you can make it to South Wales there’s loads of steep rocky tech there. Risca (off the back of Cwmcarn) has loads of stuff - some has been officially adopted as ‘natural’ and there are a few signs. Loads on Trailforks making it ok to find. Afan Masts (if they’ve finished logging) is decent too - but more ‘woody’ than Risca with more roots across more of the trails. Not been to Smilog or Barry’s Sidings but both meant to be very decent. Forest of Dean is good too - plenty of tech but the hills are much smaller so runs are shorter / climbs are easier. Harder to know where to go though I think.
chakaping
Free Member
I didn’t think we were allowed to talk about Vyrnwy 😉
Ahh, i meant its a lovely road bike ride around the lake. 😉
If you want to do loops of steep tech descents, then Chapelhouse in south lakes is perfect. Then do trail centre (and the off-piste) at Whinlatter in the North lakes the next day.
