UKC

I live in North Yorks and my kids are getting into mountain biking - are there any decent places people can suggest within a couple of hours drive where they can try out some safe, easy off-road trails and burn off their dad?

Anywhere which has adult bike hire nearby would also be great.

In reply to MHutch:
Dalby Forest - Pickering/Scarborourgh

Couple of green(i.e.novice) circuits and a blue
Purple bike centre does hire

In reply to MHutch:

Dalby? Although the easy stuff there isn't all that inspiring - mostly forest roads but some of them have decent views. The Gisburn blue is shorter, perhaps a little more challenging but good fun - you could always do a couple of laps.

You're probably better off heading out for the natural riding in the Dales or Moors though - loads and loads to go at. There are some good loops here (http://www.mtbthedales.org.uk/) or get the Vertebrate Graphics guides to the Dales and North Yorks Moors - some great days out in these.

In reply to Pagan:

Cheers.

Does anyone know what Grizedale is like for novices?

In reply to MHutch:

How old are the kids?

In reply to ebygomm:

Both eight - so getting a bit more leg power, but still with the odd wobble, and not really up to anything which requires any technical ability. Their dad isn't much better.

Put it this way, we're staying off towpaths for a bit longer...

In reply to MHutch: Dear sir, it came to my attention last year as I surveyed the casualty that the really big jumps at Dalby (Dixons Hollow) should not be attempted by have-a-go-dads, as good as the phrase "go on dad" may sound at the top of the ski jump sized takeoff ramp. That moment of ecstatic flight where you truly are top of the world will sadly and very quickly come to an eye watring and arse skin removing end.

Dalby is a great starter venue with loads to go at and good facilities as has been mentioned above, just be aware some of the wooden duckboards (raised balance tracks 3ft wide) can be really slippy and green. http://www.purplemountain.co.uk/ try these guys out for hire :0)

ps. I as told the father I described above resembled the BMX flight scene in ET

In reply to MHutch:


Grizedale would be OK if you stick to forest roads. The North Face Trail is good fun and not hard as red trails go but is reasonably knobbly the whole way and has some tricky north shore to deal with, as well as some small drop offs.

There's a really good, mostly easy loop over Claife Heights not too far from Grizedale - coming back along the shore of Windermere. There are a couple of very short technical sections but they're easy to push past and the rest is really nice.

In reply to MHutch:
I've taken novices round the North Face trail at Grizedale and most of them survived, but these were teenagers and I did easier rides first to make sure they would be OK. Grizedale has some long boardwalk sections which are pretty scary to beginners - I certainly wouldn't take wobbly 8 years olds along them.

That said there are plenty of other routes there, but these are all going to be fire roads, as are the easy routes at Dalby. That's probably what you want at this stage though

In reply to MHutch: whinlatter blue (also possibly red to 2/3s hieght) is well doable for a confident 8 year old. great centre, good cafe, bike shop, what s not to like already ?

In reply to:

This is all really helpful - it's good to know I can drive somewhere and actually find something they can do! Keep 'em coming...

Are there any suitably graded shortish circuits around the Hebden Bridge area - I know the Pennine Bridleway comes in around there.

In reply to muppetfilter:

Here's a predictive Youtube clip of what would happen to me:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlrgmD7BcAU&feature=related

In reply to MHutch: Hamsterley Forset near Bishop Auckland has a green trail which combines some purpose built track with a flat return along the forest road - some traffic on this stretch. About 4 miles in all. Also has a cafe and bike hire.

In reply to stewart murray:

Ah yes! I'd forgotten about Hamsterley, even though we used to live in Teesdale a few years back! Good tip, thanks.

In reply to MHutch:

It also has a small skills area, where they(and you) would probably quite happily while away an hour or more.

In reply to Pagan:
>

Including this one:

http://www.mtbthedales.org.uk/mtb-home/mtb-findaroute/mtb-route-tunnelsbrid...

I did this as a short fast ride one evening last summer to get rid of that dirty feeling one gets after a spending a day climbing limestone at Pot Scar.

A good route for to do with young kids because it is relatively short, has options to bale out at various points, passes good stopping points and has some dark places. There are some climbs but they are not technical. Only dodgy bit is the downhill stone road but you could walk that if needs be

In reply to MHutch: define your location more precisely - there may be closer alternatives - NY is a big place.

In reply to unclesamsauntibess:

I'm in Skipton - but prepared to drive a bit further if it means a better location/decent bike hire etc.

In reply to Horse:

Thanks. I know bits of this quite well from walking - what's the little section around Feizor Wood like?

Did you go full pelt through the tunnels? That would probably produce a slightly more dirty feeling than a day's climbing at Pot Scar.

In reply to MHutch:

Easy, from memory that bit starts as a tarmac track then goes into a wide grass track. It is a bit of a pull up the tarmac but the descent to the back road into Austwick is quick with only a couple of gates.

The first tunnel took me completely by surprise so the anchors were full on till the head torch was fitted.

In reply to Horse:

Headtorch?! Dear oh dear. For the OPs benefit, I don't recall there being any nasty surprises in the tunnels so such unsporting behaviour shouldn't be necessary...

Not sure about Hebden Bridge - there's plenty to go at round there but everything seems to involve a leg breaking climb out of the valleys. Not a million miles from Gisburn though, but if you're based in Skipton you're better off heading for the Dales IMHO.

The Claife loop I was on about earlier is here, btw - http://www.southlakeland.gov.uk/pdf/adventure-cycling-p2pclaifeheights.pdf - you could hire bikes in Ambleside or at Grizedale for that.

In reply to Pagan:
Normally a gaggle of elderly walkers shuffling along, but that shouldn't be an issue.

Thanks for the link. We'll have a couple of outings over half term once I've got them motivated.

In reply to MHutch:
Chevin Woods above Otley is quite good IIRC

Had much fun there on a demo day organised by Chivin Cycles, which is an excellant and friendly shop (and one of the few places in the UK to have realised that 29ers are the future!)

In reply to MHutch:

Re Grisedale North Face trail - I couldn't ride the ascent on the initial technical section and had to push my bike up it. I then cycled the Land Rover track while the bloke did the technical bits.

In reply to fimm:

Yep. I think red trails are off the menu for a bit.


There have been some interesting suggestions on the thread, and we'll definitely have a look at a couple of them - thanks all.

In reply to MHutch: Gisburn. Ilkley Moor up by the crags. The Malham based easy stuff. Grizedale. Embsay Moor. Stainburn - there is easy stuff there but it's not very big - might be just what you need. Sherwood Pines isn't that far away.

In reply to unclesamsauntibess: we have realised 29er's too

In reply to unclesamsauntibess:


Good to see the traditional pastime of sandbagging transfers well to mountain biking too.

In reply to unclesamsauntibess:

I've thought about Embsay Moor (did you mean the Barden Fell area) - but never been able to come up with a decent loop on bridleways.

Malham Tarn is a good suggestion, thanks.

Stainburn seems to have a nice black route which comes highly recommended - black does mean easy, right?