Sherwood Pines || Forestry Commission
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- Опубліковано 11 січ 2025
- We drove down to Sherwood Pines to see what it was like. I have only heard bad things but went in with an open mind and honestly I was impressed! We did the red loop (I feel it should be a Blue loop) and covered around 8 miles over 500ft of climbing. They have done the best they can with the elevation and it makes for some exciting sections but no true 'downhill' runs. Worth a trip!
Check out the full Ride-Up on Dialledmag:
This is the nearest trail centre to me (about a 30 minute drive) and I have ridden here since the 90s before the red route was created. It was used as a venue for regional XC race events as it still is today. It is what it is a fast non technical trail that needs to be attempted at full on pace otherwise it is pretty dull (for experienced riders, certainly). Great for beginners and as you say training runs but with the Peak District up the road.....where would you prefer to ride. I still visit for those days when you want a quick couple of fast laps without having to plan a route or worry about fitness 😃
jnadin39 the red route certainly isn't a red in my mind, a solid blue. 100% an XC route, for racing around it's brilliant. As far as trail centres goes it's got to be one of the fastest due to the lack of elevation and technical features. I really enjoyed it though! I also enjoy throwing myself down Jacobs ladder so I'm happy with anything 😂
I went the other day on the way back from a job and had mixed feelings. It's a nice bike ride through the woods but that's about it.
The bike park is decent though and if I lived within 30 mins of it I'd probably go there quite frequently. The downhill section is a good laugh. A fair number of different lines to take and only takes 5 mins of gentle climbing to get back to the top. The jump area is excellent with 4 or 5 independent lines that get incrementally bigger, from pump track style rollers, to small tables, medium sized rollers and big/bigger doubles, so perfect for progression.
It's laid out very well, is physically a bit of a challenge and the facilities are excellent. Just a shame they couldn't squeeze more features in to spice it up.
I think they've done the best with what they have. The bike park was a good laugh! I've been since this video and rode it flat out as a fitness ride and I think that's the best way to ride it!
Thought about visiting here myself, doesn't look too exciting but it's somewhere different, great vid though mate :)
TheGib74 basically it's not bad, doing the best it can with limited topography. Not worth driving above an hour though. 👍
jnadin39 exactly what you said dude! I was impressed with it, reminds me a lot of dalby but a little smaller and I like dalby!
jnadin39 , it’s about 2 hours for me, if you were to say it was as good as Cannock then I would definitely be going, sometimes you need to go and see for yourself I guess, I might be surprised.
TheGib74 Not as much variety as Cannock. It's like anything, you to have to make your own mind up on whether it is worth it. I always enjoy a couple of laps around it but then it's much closer.
Good vid Mate. Never been so it was good to have a look at it. If i'm ever over that way then i'll stop there and have a go but don't think its worth the drive from Hereford. As for the Peaks though... I even have a brother who lives in Sheffield so really have no excuse!
Mark Collingwood definitely not worth the drive.....the Peak District however...... ❤️
It's good, living in Sheffield I would rather go to the Peaks but the only place that can beat the Peaks is Scotland or the Lake District, so that's saying something! Worth the odd trip
Really wanted to know what this Centre is like. Thanks for sharing. Great video. Subscribed to you.
Scott Jones MTB nice to have you onboard! Usually my rides have written followups as well, the one for this is taking a little longer but the link will be in the description soon
Yeah it's a very tame Red, I suppose you could call it a Red XC Route. Compared to Cannock it's like a Green, lol.
SteadyMTB Green maybe a little harsh 😃 my impression is that though it is slightly more challenging, Cannock basically offers more climbing. To me it doesn't offer much more in terms of technical challenge (if you stick to the red and ignore the optional sections which are black graded). Having ridden red routes in various locations including Wales and the Lakes, I think the grading scale needs to have shades between each 😃 These things are all subjective I suppose.
A Blue XC route for sure, we weren't even going for it but flew around in no time!
jnadin39 You haven't actually been to Cannock have you? If you had there's no way you can say the Monkey isn't a technical and demanding trail compared to Pines.
SteadyMTB please feel free to watch my video of Cannock. I actually said 'it is slightly more challenging', just don't feel it is massively significant. Ultimately It is nothing more than an XC trail. I am in no way saying Pines is as technical just don't feel the gap is as significant as you do. Hey we all experience trails differently. When you consider some of the riding out in Peaks or Lakes no one grades them they just offer a different challenge. Just trying to enjoy the trails 👍
jnadin39 Fair point, I just didn't want anyone reading the comments who enjoy cannock to think Pines is similar and waste a trip only to be disappointed :)
Is that the RED route, is it okay for people who are okay with mountain cycling, but no jumps and really scary paths.
Sorry I didn't see this sooner! Yes this is the red route, personally I believe it is only a red due to a couple of avoidable obstacles such as rock gardens. I believe there is only two of these features and they are well sign posted before arriving at them with an option to avoid them.
If you are comfortable riding off-road and over uneven terrain you will be fine, just take it steady and read the trail as it comes to you. If it is too challenging you can do the blue route however this is mainly built up of firetracks as far as I am aware.
Enjoy the ride 😁