BEST OF THE REST
With so many great places to ride in the UK we’ve struggled to it them all into a 100-page guide, so here are another 20 trail centres and bike parks that are well worth a visit...
ENGLAND ASTON HILL, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE
This South East bike park has several DH tracks, a 4X course and a fun XC route. It’s £7 a day to ride, which goes towards the upkeep of the trails.
h t tp://astonhillbikepa rk .co.uk Postcode HP22 5NQ
CHICKSANDS, BEDFORDSHIRE
There’s lots to do here, with a 4X track (and regular races), dual slalom course, DH runs, dirt jumps and XC loop, and new stu! appearing all the time.
w w w.chicksandsbikepark.co.uk Postcode SG17 5QQ
DELAMERE, CHESHIRE
Great for families and more experienced riders alike, Delamere has two green trails and a load of unmarked singletrack all over the forest.
w w w.forestr y.gov.uk /delamere Postcode CW8 2JD
GAWTON, DEVON
This is a challenging DH venue, which hosts regular races on its four tracks. There’s an uplift service and a £5 charge to ride the trails. There’s more riding in nearby Tavi Woods.
w w w.gaw tongravityhub.co.uk Postcode PL19 8JN
HOPTON WOOD, SHROPSHIRE
There’s a great red XC trail here with a really natural feel to it, plus some excellent DH runs that have been designed to be technical and challenging.
w w w.forestr y.gov.uk Postcode SY7 0QF
KIELDER, NORTHUMBERLAND
This rugged forest houses some great singletrack with breathtaking views. There are eight trails of varying lengths and di"culty, plus a trials park to hone your skills in.
w w w.k ielder trailreavers.co.uk Postcode NE48 1HX
MTB SHROPSHIRE
This is an area for mountain biking rather than a trail centre, with waymarked trails that pass through the beautiful scenery of the Long Mynd. www.mtb-shropshire.co.uk Postcode SY6 6QE
OKEFORD HILL BIKE PARK, DORSET
On the site of the former UK Bike Park, this relaunched venue has four well-established DH tracks, with an uplift service and more trails to come. www.hammoon.com Postcode SP7 9QJ
QUEEN ELIZABETH COUNTRY PARK, HAMPSHIRE
Sited on the South Downs Way, there are red and blue routes here, with plenty of scope to extend your ride onto and across the South Downs. www.qecptrailcollective.co.uk Postcode PO8 0QE
STAINBURN, NORTH YORKSHIRE
This centre claims to have the most technical black XC route in England. There are also two red routes to have a go at, both of which are under 4km. w w w.singletraction.co.uk Postcode LS21 2R A THETFORD FOREST, NORFOLK England’s largest lowland forest has hundreds of miles of unmarked singletrack plus four manmade trails – two reds, a blue and a green. www.forestry.gov.uk/thetfordforestpark Postcode IP27 0AF WHINLATTER, LAKE DISTRICT Built in a figure of eight, the red-graded Altura trail has optional black sections and exhilarating descents. There’s also a blue route, which is great fun to ride fast. www.forestry.gov.uk/whinlatter Postcode CA12 5TW
SCOTLAND GLENLIVET, CAIRNGORMS
There are two trails here, a 9km blue and a 22km red, which includes the blue loop. The red has a monster climb so watch out! w w w.glenlivetestate.co.uk Postcode AB37 9AR
GOLSPIE, SUTHERLAND
The black here has one of the longest descents in Scotland. There are also shorter blue and red routes that are well worth a ride. w w w.highlandwildcat.com Postcode KW10 6RJ
LAGGAN WOLFTRAX, HIGHLANDS
There’s plenty on o er here – a short green loop, a 15km red and a 6.4km black. There’s a new visitor centre too, for all your post-ride needs. www.forestry.gov.uk/mtbscotland Postcode PH20 1BU
LEARNIE RED ROCK, BLACK ISLE
This compact trail centre consists of six short trails linked by forest roads so you can create your own ride. http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk Postcode IV10 8SL MORAY MONSTER TRAILS Two car parks service the five trails here, graded from blue to black. Routes starting from each one can be linked to create longer rides. http://scotland.forestry.gov.uk Postcode IV32 7PG
WALES BLACK MOUNTAINS CYCLE CENTRE, ABERGAVENNY
This is primarily an uplift centre, though you can also pay to push up for the day. The trails are great for airtime and graded from blue to black. w w w.blackmountainscyclecentre.com Postcode NP7 7PE
COED TRALLWM, NR LLANWRTYD WELLS
In a remote part of Wales, this is a small privately-owned centre o ering three short trails. Within driving distance of bigger venues such as Afan and Brechfa, it’s well worth a visit. www.mbwales.com Postcode LD5 4TS
GWYDYR FOREST, SNOWDONIA
This is the home of the classic red-graded Marin trail, which uses fireroad climbs and singletrack descents for the most part. The downhills are long, twisting and fast, and well worth the winch up. Also nearby is Penmachno with two old-school singletrack routes. www.mbwales.com Postcode LL26 0PN