Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. big

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1 big ride In association with Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire We went to ride the excellent verderers trail part of a mahoosive network of singletrack under a thick green canopy plus some gnarly natural routes as well Words Max Darkins Pics Russell Burton 144 Mountain Biking uk

2 MANUAL Free Pull-out maps! This route and three other classics in handy cut-out-and-keep format! Find Mountain Biking uk 145 them on p146

3 big ride In association with The guys rode almost endless singletrack yet only explored a tiny part of the 110kmsq forest With the summer drawing to a close, we decided it was time to hit the trails of the Forest of Dean. Thanks to the 1 South West project, Back on Track/Rowan Sorrell and of course the tireless work of the Dean Trail Volunteers (DTV), the FoD has become an exceptionally popular place to ride, with trails suitable for families to experts. The newest trail, Verderers, joins the old Freeminer XC trail and the numerous downhill runs in attracting a good number of riders to the area. But I want to provide a bit of a twist to our day out by adding to the route some of the many miles of superb natural singletracks that lie so close to the waymarked trails. This is easier said than done though, and despite there being lots of trails around, it requires a person with an expert knowledge of the area, so I ve enlisted the help of James Moverley. James, who along with his business partner, Neil, run Forest of Dean Mountain Bike Guides and have ridden throughout the forest for many years. They know all too well how difficult it is to leave the comfort of the waymarked trails. But they also know how much more rewarding it is and are the perfect people to guide you around the secret stuff. This route therefore is designed to mix the ease and fun of the manmade trails, with the satisfaction and adventure of riding the quiet, natural singletrack as well. Mixing it up Pulling up outside the Pedalabikeaway café the place is pretty busy with riders, despite it being midweek. But first things first I m ordering a cup of tea and bacon sarnie before the poor girls have even opened the doors. Once we are sufficiently fuelled up and have bought things we d forgotten from the bike shop (matching gloves for James, tubes for Russell and trail food for me), we leave the crowds and venture into the forest, along the Freeminer Trail. This trail has a very natural feel to it anyway with all the bare roots and encroaching vegetation, and it is surprising how quickly we feel all alone in the forest, despite the obvious number of riders in the car park. As the trail climbs, we are sufficiently distracted by the light piercing the leafy canopy and highlighting the lush green The lowdown Forest of Dean forest of dean Monmouth Chepstow Worcester Cheltenham Bristol Gloucester Forest of Dean is 27,000 acres of woodland containing manmade trails for all abilities, and masses of natural singletrack. forest floor, which was, until just recently, covered in bluebells. Now it s the turn of the foxglove flowers to provide the splash of colour, as we zigzag up through the picturesque woodland. The trail twists and turns, climbs and drops until we are pretty disorientated. But after a succession of fast and fun berms, James beckons us off the trail, for some natural fun. The telegraph lines overhead provide some kind of 146 Mountain Biking uk

4 MANUAL it s surprising how quickly we feel all alone in the forest, despite the obvious number of riders in the car park The trail twists and turns, climbs and drops and our Max soon feels happily disorientated

5 big ride In association with OFFICIALLY SPEAKING Many of the FoD trails are roll-able and loamy there are loads of drops and climbs, twists and turns. And that s just the official trails! landmark before we duck through the undergrowth and weave our way between the trees on the soft loamy ground. There are tempting looking singletrack trails in all directions and it is immediately obvious that this forest hides a wealth of other trails, which many riders probably never know even exist. After a turn here, a singletrack there, followed by more turns and a steep drop a tight flowing singletrack pops us out onto a forest track. There is no rest though as we are immediately crossing this and climbing, before yet more singletrack. It soon dawns on me that today s ride is going to be purely about the riding, with one singletrack trail after the next, with no time for views or the like! I can only hope we meet some of the wild boar that roam the forest, to provide something else to talk about. Alas, no boars show themselves, although we see a few patches where they have roughed the ground up looking for food, then jump out of our skins as a jet plane roars so close over our heads that the trees sway! If he wasn t out of control and crashing, the pilot is sure going to get a ticking off from someone (we hope). With the distraction over we re more than happy to get back to the endless joining of singletrack trails, and we dive off right into another tricky-tospot trail, which in turn leads to an excellent zig-zagging trail down the hillside which is also used in the enduro event that takes place here. Full-on fun Finally a forest track shows promise for a chance to catchup with ourselves, but the incline halts much in the way of conversation, and we silently contemplate how full-on the ride has been, with little let up or time to recover. The hum of a road to our right reminds us that civilisation (of sorts) is not very far away, despite us not having seen another person since leaving the car park. We join the Verderers trail a little further on however, so with (navigational) brains disengaged we enjoy the fast flowing trails until we reach a sign on our left, which indicates we are near the start of the downhill trails. Right on cue, a couple of downhillers, just dropped off by the FlyUp uplift service, pass us and disappear down the trail. We follow behind, to ride the taster trail, which is all roll-able if required, but then turn left at the route split, making our exit before we break any bones or bikes. If you have the skills and appropriate bike though, the Corkscrew and Sheepskull runs come highly recommended. We continue our way along more secret trails instead, with one section so overgrown from all the rain and sun, it s like riding through an automatic car wash, with undergrowth slapping us in the face and tugging at our arms. After ducking and diving our way through, we see the first bit of tarmac all day, but we re soon off it and tearing down through the trees again. 148 Mountain Biking uk

6 MANUAL one section is so overgrown from all the rain and sun, it s like riding through an automatic car wash, with undergrowth slapping us in the face The Forest hides a wealth of trails many riders never know about The Pedalabikeaway café ( at the start (and end) of the ride is not only welcoming to MTBers, but it is designed for them in style, menu and the set-up, providing good portions and good prices. There is a huge range of hot and cold drinks, as well as food, from pasta and salads to burger or pie and chips, and not forgetting Marilyn s famous cakes and flapjacks. It s open all year round, so whatever the weather there will be a friendly face serving soup in front of the fire, or ice creams and smoothies to enjoy in the sun. As we near the end of the ride, it s time once again for some waymarked trail action, and there is no better way to finish a great day off than on the excellent Dragon s Tail. The trail is an absolute hoot as it dips and rises, launching us into the air, before it then starts flinging us around a number of big berms, then finally spitting us back out into the car park, tired, a little disorientated but with large grins on our faces. We reconvene in the café for pie and chips, followed by a cuppa and cake (well it d be rude not to) and reminisce about the ride. It s crazy to think that we ve explored only a very tiny part of this 110kmsq forest, yet have ridden almost endless singletrack, in what has felt like a very intense and secluded ride nestled in the forest. c 149 Mountain Biking uk