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(sorry if this appears twice, the forum seems to be eating my posts!)
Every year we come down for a week and do the flyup fod uplift, bpw and bmcc- I always say "we should explore the fod more, do some of this famous offpiste", and we never do, but this year we're staying on the edge of Parkend, by the pottery place so it'd just be ridiculous not to ride something when it's basically in our garden! Plus, there'll be a coronation to avoid.
It'll be our official rest day so we're not looking to wring everything out of the place, just a nice chilled ride and a few good runs- but how easy is it to find at least a few hours good riding, without getting hopelessly lost and eaten by boars?
Also, we're a competent but mixed bunch- tweed valley riders, 2 of us can't jump and 1 of us is a bit less keen on the steep and mad than the others, how well's that likely to work? We'll all do pretty much anything at bmcc and sallowvallets, and we've all done at least some fod offpiste, supercross and y2k and suchlike.
Any advice much appreciated!
If you are staying in one of the holiday lets next to the pottery, it’s very easy as it’s all in the woods opposite.
The challenge is linking it all up & putting a loop together. Most of the stuff there is the easiest (and some of the most ridden) off piste in the forest, so if you can ride the tweed valley, you will be fine. Although in the wet the steeper stuff is far greasier.
You could ask a friendly local to show you about, as it’s not exactly hidden trails in that part of FoD.
Yeah, very easy to find that stuff from the pottery place.
My other half loves that pottery lady. I think it's dreadful. It looks like something a parent might reluctantly 'treasure' when their 5 year old returns from one of those pottery painting shops. 😊
But yeah, I don't think openly pointing out unofficial stuff is a good idea on a forum as it can't take the potential numbers. Limited knowledge and effort to find is what helps places to not get destroyed and cause conflict, but that particular area has always been pretty well known about.
Head up the fireroad and follow your nose mainly to the right, some to the left. Shutcastle easy to find from there too.
I rode that whole area a couple of weeks ago so happy to share a Strava link or screenshot by pm if any help to you. 👍
Same. Happy to send you a GPX that has some good stuff in that area. There's Dowies and Shuttcastle on your doorstep as you know, and/or dropping into the valley and riding stuff around Mallards Pike/Big Pig/Tramway/etc that'd drop you back into Parkend Cafe/Cycles.
I'd probably ride all the trails at Shuttcastle twice than ride Dowies but that's probably just me. Drop me a msg if you'd like a couple of GPXs.
Oh, and really you should head out to Symmonds Yat and ride both sides of the river but a) that's a drive from where you're staying and b) it's not an easy day. It is where I choose to ride most weekends tho rather than in the better known bits of the FOD.
I’d like that gpx please.
I’m the same, only end up riding the tracks off the uplift as I don’t know the area. Frustrating as we’ve stayed in the Fountain Inn at Parkend and at Speech House.
My lad is going for the weekend in a couple of weeks. He’s not into big rides, likes big fast jumps or steep DH. Is he best to stick to GBU etc?
He’s not into big rides, likes big fast jumps or steep DH. Is he best to stick to GBU etc?
Both exist, but not really if you don’t want to pedal. The jumps are like Fight Club, mostly because of Forestry England.
If I’m about, always happy to show people some of the aforementioned stuff above though - as I said, they arnt exactly the hidden stuff.
You may find Dowies and Shutcastle very vanilla. They are fun, but more off-piste-lite. There's better stuff a short pedal away toward the cycle centre. Of course, lite may be just what you want for a rest day.
As above those trails are really nice to have on your doorstep for messing around but there's better.
I'm no expert on the area but Mallards Pike isn't far and was really good. My fave off piste so far is close to the bike park, across the road from the Y2K.
Dowies is mostly fun flow stuff that isn’t steep at all. Fun to play on but if you want tech off piste it’s not the place. Not sure I’ve ridden shutcastle.
Just down the road is Mallards - park by the lake in the car park and go up the hill and follow your nose. Lake side is less steep / off to the side is more steep. Just avoid any areas that are marked out of bounds for forestry works.
There’s some good riding on the opposite side of the road to Cannop ponds too. A step up from dowies in terms of the challenge. You can get there off road from the pottery place - head to RSPB Nag’s head, then keep heading north to Scion Kop quarry. One of the trailheads is actually marked on google maps. The best riding is closer to the main road, dropping into the lay-by opposite the stone works at the head of the ponds. Plenty to go at there for a few hours.
I would probably avoid Mallards at the moment, they are going through the place like a wrecking ball due to the tree disease - I don’t think I’ve ever seen them strip a hillside so quickly.
Most of the lakeside trails were going a week or so ago & based on the tree markings & rate at which they were working, I expect there isn’t anything left on that side of the hill.
Lots of steep tech right next to dowies on the same hill but you just need to know where you're going.
The Fetta Hill side of Dowies is a fair bit steeper than the main Dowies trails.
Frying pan/ wastelands area opposite canopy ponds is worth a look, short ride away from Parkend.
Lots of steep tech right next to dowies on the same hill but you just need to know where you’re going.
I love Dowies, but i'd really like to find the more tech stuff there.. probably more for my lad than myself.
love Dowies, but i’d really like to find the more tech stuff there.
As you start the climb up from opposite the pottery place the take first right turn and their on the right side . You really can't miss them.
You really can’t miss them.
I've missed them plenty, but i can kinda work out where i need to look now thank you 🙂
You could ask a friendly local to show you about, as it’s not exactly hidden trails in that part of FoD.
It's been suggested that Northwind leverage his big hitter fame here to find us a guide but he's reluctant to in case it turns out that isn't as valuable a currency as it may seem. 🙂
If it's Monday 8th I may be available to show you around.
Saturday the 6th is the only day we'll be down there when we're not booked into an uplift somewhere fairly nearby.
Ah. I made the assumption that it was Monday based on
Plus, there’ll be a coronation to avoid.
I can’t do Saturday, sorry.
May be available on the Saturday and know the area well. Desperately trying to avoid any sort of coronation interaction so could be up for it.
Is the coronation on Saturday then?
Yes. The bank holiday is nopt the day of the crowning
Dowies is fine, the stuff down to Fetter and the main road is more techy, but the runs from the top are nice and flowy, people just forget there's other trails up there round the corner from the main trailhead for dowies, then there's bluebells which is always nice across the fireroad.
Wastelands, which is just across the road after Y2K is full of tracks as well, you have some hard ones just up the first uphill fireroad you get too then right, or you have the main trailhead at the second uphill fireroad, then there's the ones at the back which are nice as well, it's the main talked about 'off-piste'.
Then there's Staunton, that's got some lovely mellow ones, and then harder ones down to the river and near the suck stone, they terrify me these days after having my neck injury, i avoid them now as i've had one too many OTT on those ones!
You'l find the Dowies area very much on-piste. Worn to buggery and a complete maze of minor trails to spoil any flow. Handy though as only across the road and up the gravel, bearing right towards the top of the gravel.
You’l find the Dowies area very much on-piste. Worn to buggery and a complete maze of minor trails to spoil any flow.
That maybe what you find.... i really enjoy it 🙂
Thanks folks! I think it's probably going to be dowies/shutcastle on this occasion just because of where we're staying, and also it'll be nice to have a relatively mellow day. Also, once we get close to the trail centre it's basically impossible to get me off the uplift, just because we'll get so much more riding in that way than pedalled.
I'll take a proper look at all this later and get back to people properly
ChrisL
Full MemberIt’s been suggested that Northwind leverage his big hitter fame here to find us a guide but he’s reluctant to in case it turns out that isn’t as valuable a currency as it may seem. 🙂
Or someone turns up and just punches me and walks off. Or someone from a politics thread hands me a brutal putdown in the form of a printed out gif.
TBH it's mostly because I'm lazy and I'd feel a bit crap about organising to meet someone then turning up at like 3 in the afternoon and riding for just a couple of hours, which is definitely on the cards I think? Not having any sort of deadlines is going to be a good thing
Lol I'd have a beer with you.
But I'm not about this weekend
You’l find the Dowies area very much [s]on-piste.[/s] lacking in any kind of gradient what so ever
Could someone tell me where the off piste stuff is roughly on here?
The triangle to the right of the wording 'Mary Rose...' is where the Dowies stuff is, some go to the point of that triangle, some down the hill towards the road. You basically can join across the road from Mary Rose Young pottery, go right, then you see that fork in the forest road that's the tip of that triangle, you can go either way, the left takes you along a bit, then a right and you're going up to dowies trailhead, go right at the fork and you'll see tracks cross over the road.
Shutcastle is over the path just above the google wording, you go down that forest road and before you reach the end gate you'll see a path that's got lots of tyre tracks.
Brilliant, thanks very much.
Bring wellies. I'm half a mile away and it is slashing down.
Thanks for the help folks, especially Welshfarmer who offered to come show us around. In the end the weather messed with plans but a couple of us still got out one evening, had a great time nosing around Dowies, especially around the quarry at the end, and the steeper stuff down to the road. Made for a good desert after a day at 417.
Got bloody soaked both days on the uplift at cannop though!