MTB
Looking for a spot with a bit of something for everyone? Explore the mountain bike area known for its massive range of styles and features.
The Forest of Dean is an area characterised by over 110 sq km of mixed woodland – one of the few surviving ancient woodlands in England. Known for its steep, slippery, rooty descents, the FoD has a massive range of styles, features and riding on offer – from family cycle trails and downhill lines, to miles of secret singletrack.
The area has become known as the home of UK grassroots riding and racing, with a number of top pros, including World Cup downhill stars Laurie Greenland and Charlie Hatton, having cut their teeth here.
The area is open and ready to ride all year round, with hard-packed trails to keep riders entertained even during the wettest of winters, while for experienced riders, the more natural routes just get more fun and challenging in the wet.
The trails
"There simply isn’t a better location for an introduction to mountain biking," says Gareth Sheppard, general manager of Forest of Dean cycle centre Pedalabikeaway. "Before you know it, you’ll be braving the drops and jumps on the freeride and downhill tracks.
“The Forest of Dean offers a vast range of mountain bike trails for the more adventurous cyclist,” explains Sheppard. “With miles and miles of beautiful singletrack riding, and year-round surfaced tracks such as the renowned Verderers trail, there is something for everyone. Start out on a lap of the 11km, blue grade Verderers before stepping up to the red-graded Freeminers trail.
And if downhill is what you're after, there are 10 official tracks, featuring big drops, jumps, and roots, which are accessible either by uplift or push up.
“None of the downhill tracks are particularly long, three to four minutes max, but you will get a huge number of runs in whether you are riding the uplift or pushing up and sessoning sections," he adds. "There is also a rapidly increasing number of enduro lines appearing right across the hill that will have all the long travel riders grinning from ear to ear. They are hard to find, but well worth the effort.”
Uplift and prices
As a public woodland, the Forest of Dean is open all year round, but if you're planning on driving, there is a charge for parking and car parks do have opening and closing hours.
There is a dedicated uplift service provided by FlyUp Downhill that operates Friday to Tuesday. During the summer, uplifts start at 10am and will finish after 15 runs, at approximately 4pm – it’s recommended that you book for the whole day in order to get the full experience. Weekends get pretty busy, so make sure that you book in advance to guarantee your space.
Facilities, equipment hire and coaching
The Forest of Dean is home to not just one, but two, cycle centres – Pedalabikeaway and Dean Forest Cycles. At Peddalbikeaway, there is free use of the visitor centre and downhill trails, although there is a small fee for the car park and for use of some of their facilities. Those facilities include a shop, bike hire, bike wash, showers, a fully equipped workshop and Shimano service centre and an onsite café for hot and cold refreshments. The team have also just opened an additional outside café for the summer months, serving sandwiches, coffee and fresh scoop ice cream.
Both cycle centres offer up bike hire if you're in the area and don't have yours in tow. At Pedalabikeaway, the choices include Whyte and Cube hardtails (£29 per day), Whyte T-130 SR (£50), Orange Alpine 6 (£60) and Whyte e150 RS eMTB (£65 per day); Dean Forest Cycles meanwhile is a Marin stockist and its line ranges from the Bobcat 3 (£26 per day) through to the Rift Zone 1 (£60 per day).
When it comes to coaching and guiding, your best bet is to check out what FOD MTB has on offer. There are miles of trails, byways, bridleways and singletrack to explore, so it’s worth taking advantage of someone with local knowledge to discover the best of the Forest of Dean. Plus with prices starting ranging from £90 for a half-day to £135 for a full-day, it's well worth clubbing together with some friends to make it a day's riding you'll remember for a long time.
Where to stay
As a well-known tourist destination, you're spoilt for choice when it comes to accommodation with riding on your doorstep. For a comprehensive list, the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley tourist board is a good place to start.
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