Daily photo - 7: Mountain biking in the Forest of Dean

It's that time of year when the cyclocross season starts and I become interested in all things biking off-road. In reality I should do this sort of thing all-year round. There are lots of opportunities, given all the gravel races, summer cyclocross and mountain bike events taking place. It's just difficult to fit everything in though, especially as I still like to ride on the road. And I have to fit in other things like everyday life too.

Today, I took myself to the West Country and checked out mountain biking in the Forest of Dean trail centre, between Gloucester and South Wales.
As my journey started later than planned, I got stuck in slow traffic on the M4 motorway and I arrived there late in the afternoon, so by that time I only really had time to ride on the Family trail.

That was fine for me as I am planning to do a cyclocross race tomorrow, so I wouldn't really want to tire myself out. This Family trail is part of what used to be the Severn and Wye Railway line, so the trail is wide and well surfaced.

As the trail gently undulates through this ancient forest as you head northwards you see various sign posts with the names of the former stations, and you can imagine what the place must have been like back in the 19th century when this area was associated with mining.

Overall, Forest of Dean is a scenic and quite undulating part of the world, with lots of forested areas both inside and outside the trail centre. In some parts you get wild deer hanging around, as well as lots of pigs and wild boar. Some may find that quite fun to see, though being a bit of a scardy cat I didn't feel comfortable with that and was worried that I wouldn't be able to ride away quickly enough if I needed to! At least there was a variety of trails and directions to choose from. It's a great place to spend a weekend - not necessarily spectacular like nearby Wales, but still pretty nice.

What to expect at Forest of Dean

• The trail centre is based around the villages of Cinderford to the east, Coleford to the west, and the central village of Cannop.

• There are pay-and-display car parks dotted around the different sides of the forest, though the central part would be just north of Cannop, near the cycle centre.

• Accessing the mountain bike trail centre can be done by bike via one of many cycle paths. 

• I parked on a dirt track in the village of Parkend, next to a playing field and cycled a couple of miles to the Family trail at Cannop Ponds.

• The family trail is 11 miles (17km) long and can be ridden by people of all ages. I saw quite a few parents out with children aged around 5 or 6 years old. I don't imagine they did 11 miles though!

• There's a bike hire shop at the cycle centre, Pedalabikeaway, and there are other places that hire out bikes - Dean Forest Cycles, at Parkend. Lydney Cycle Centre also repairs bikes.

• Other trails start from the cycle centre - the 7-mile (11km) blue Verderer's trail which is fast and flowing with berms; the 7.4-mile (12km) red Freeminer's trail which is single track and rooty; a downhill run, and a pump track where people of all levels can practice.

• At the cycle centre area, just north of Cannop there is also a cafe, toilets and a bike-wash area.

• You can stop and picnic in different areas, though one of the most scenic parts is the picnic site at Cannop Ponds.

• Try to stick to the designated cycle trails and avoid riding on footpaths. The walkers don't particularly like it, and in fact one local told me that some people have been known to leave broken glass as a way to let cyclists know they should not be on that trail.

• If you are going on the other trails like the blue and the red it may be best to buy a map from the cycle centre as trails aren't always that well sign-posted and the last thing you want is a puncture or a ripped tyre because you got lost!

Related posts
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Off-road biking trails

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The Richmond Park of the North-West!

For keen cyclists based in London one of the key focal areas to ride a bicycle is Richmond Park. Go there on any Saturday or Sunday and you will be struck by how many people are riding around. 

The perimeter road of the Park is approximately 7.5 mile in circumference, so it is a convenient distance for any cyclist.
For the novice 7.5 miles could be a challenge, especially when going anti-clockwise and tackling the climbs up to Richmond Gate and from Kingston Gate. Racing cyclists enjoy practicing chain gang training rides over multiple laps of the park and challenge themselves to complete a lap in under 20 minutes (without being caught for breaking the 20mph speeding)!

I used to really enjoy going to Richmond Park, both for cycling and for running (the park is popular with hundreds of runners too!). Being there is like being in the countryside despite being less than 5 miles from Chelsea. It is peaceful, lush and there is even a bit of wildlife in the form of deer which have been there since the time of Henry VIII.

I miss Richmond Park, with its lovely trees, nature reserves and beautiful views over the suburbs of London. But the great news is I have now found the answer to that here in the Northwest - Tatton Park!

Just after the pretty, upmarket town of Knutsford is Knutsford Gate, which leads into a vast area of parkland, that gave me the same feeling of openness and freedom as Richmond Park. There are quite a few similarities between these two Parks. Both parks have listed buildings and stately homes with bijou tearooms. Both have nature reserves and green spaces where you can lose yourself away from the madding crowd. Both of them seem to be under flight paths to major airports!

There a couple of small differences. Richmond Park has a few hills, and Tatton Parks has a couple of long lakes (or meres). However, there is no doubt that on any Saturday or Sunday both parks become awash with walkers, runners, horseriders, people fishing and cyclists doing laps.

So that's where I was last Sunday with a group of cyclists from Manchester Wheelers. This club, which is quite active in the North-West had organised a women's training ride in the park. Although it was the first time I was meeting the other riders everyone was very welcoming and I felt quite at home with them within a short time of starting the ride. One lap of the park measured five miles and was largely flat, with a section of the lap going outside of the park boundary.

Around 15 of us turned out for the ride and we split into ability groups. Acouple of guys were there to give tips and advice on "through and off" and "holding the wheel". It was all useful stuff, especially as I was a little rusty on all of this given my lack of road racing activity last year.

Riding around felt like the good old days - enjoying a training ride, seeing other local cyclists and saying hello and returning home feeling motivated and invigorated to do more.

So, I think I will be back in Tatton Park before long. I get the feeling that this could become one of my local hangouts over the coming months.