mine is the 7Stanes loop at Dalbeattie, Scotland. flows really well has lots of technical, but rideable interest - boardwalks the lot - and is just a blast.. what's yours ? CJ

Mmmm difficult.
The Red and the Black at Glentress. Although generally I'm not a fan of man-made Forest trails.
Or the Lakes, Claiffe Heights over to Grizdale, Old Mountain Road and back through Elterwater.

Don't usually get to ride too far afield - Cwmcarn and Wentwood forest are local to me - but out of the xc race courses I've done I reckon my fave is Checkendon, nr Reading.

Glentress definately...

Hi Caro - I loved the Red on Glentress too all those berms (didn't go too fast though!) Claife Heights - hmmm me remembers being caught in the most amazing rain/hail/thunderstorm doing that ride. Had to shelter under some beer table brollies for 45 mins and then squelch our way out in 3 inches of puddles. Hurray for Sealskinz !!! and a bl**dy good excuse to stop for a drink. PS Its great to hear that so many of us are out there doing 'proper' good riding. well done to all of us ..

Yep I had a dilema on Claiffe Heights in December on an innocent looking pipe, an easy route but can be lethal !!
Didn't Glentress get voted the best Forest trails by Singletrack or MBR something like that and I'll be there on Saturday.

Oh you lucky thing have a fab weekend, where do you live then ?

Hi CJ,
Sunny Bolton, Lancashire.Where are you ?
So a three hour drve first thing tomorrow morning weather looks great though.
Have a nice weekend

Hi Caro - I am in Eastbourne, East Sussex right by the foggy seaside !..3hr drive tom - yuk! - hats off to you tho for being so committed. Hope you have a great day and that weather stays good for you.

Caro, that pipe on Claife Heights route. It wasn't a long blue plastic (I think it was blue) one just sort of splitting the track in half and looking all innocuous ? I can't remember exactly where is was on the ride as I am crap at knowing where I am (just following the arse in front). I had just come down a hill to a gate when I was warned about a pipe that I hopped both wheels over, then turned round to see one of the guys picking himself up after sliding along it. Then another one of the lads (all the girls heeded the warning) came hurtling down lifted his front wheel but not the rear and hit the deck hard - muppet. Both were fine though.

Meant to add I don't really have a favourite ride of all time as I enjoy far to many of them, however its easier to comment on the manmade ones. Faves are the Glentress Red (I found the black quite tedious after a while). The Innerleithen Red, especially the last few sections but I really enjoyed the climb. Kirroughtree black as well, lots of flow and cheeky surprises. As far as "real" riding recent faves have been Horton to Hawes in the Dales, Worsthorne - Hebden Bridge way in West Yorkshire, round Rawtenstall with bits of the Mary Towneley Loop......

Jubags,
the very same pipe.I just went to ride over it going quite fast as you can imagine and next thing I know I'm sliding across the floor on my front couldn't beleive it !! Such an innocent looking pipe I've heard it has had a few victims, it is now to the side of the track so you don't have to go over it.Its as you get to the farm with Beatrix Potters house on the main road.

Inneleithen red ? I thought there was only the black and the DH tracks there. Now I thought the Innetleithen Black was tedious. What is it a 6 mile climb ???!!

It has to be the Cheviots in Northumberland - but not the motorbike trashed peat bog!

Fantastic scenery and isolation. Take me back!

It was classed as "red with black sections" last time I did it, it was a while ago. I'd heard mention it had been fully changed to black. I actually really enjoyed the climb in a perverse way but quite a few of our group didn't share my feelings (moan moan, hill, bah, grumble, toys out of pram!) even though they had been warned it was a big climb followed by a big down - although huge grins on (almost) all faces by the end. We did manage to terrify one of the more novice girls in the group unfortunately, some of it really spooked her.

The end spooked me to be honest, those doubles on Caddon Bank must be the biggest I've ever seen. It didn't help having the full-on Darth Vader clad DH'ers (my other half!)jumping over the top of you scary !!
I think I'd try it in the summer middle of the week when there is no one about.

Hmmmm, doubles, must have erased them from my memory (rose tinted specs again). The girl in question does seem to get really down if she has to walk round stuff she doesn't like, even though we keep telling her we all did it when we were starting, in fact I still do it now, if I don't like it I don't do it. I personally think she just hadn't eaten enough over the previous days, in comparison to everyone else she was just picking at food. She had the panic stricken look on her face that I get when my blood sugar crashes through the floor - everything becomes scary even kerbs (or cliffs as my sugar deprived brain changes them to)! Really dented her confidence for a few weeks unfortunately.

Im a bit of a wimp because my fav ride of all time is an on road one. We did round the Isle of Wight last year anticlockwise and going clockwise this year. We did it in 8 hours total but actual riding time was 5.1/2. We left the kids with friends and we rode at a 'leisurely' pace, stopping for lunch at Gossips cafe at Yarmouth and went for tea at the pub down the road from the caravan in the evening. That was the best bit!LOL AND I put on 2 1/2 lbs that weekend too!Muscle I reckon! We took at diversion at Freshwater to the Needles which added on about 6 miles so the ride itself was just over 72 miles. Im not actually a huge fan of off roading as I lost my confidence when I crashed at SSMM few years ago and I'm an spd convert too but still don't feel happy off road with them. Having said all that, I do really like Follow the Dog at Cannock Chase