Our brief was simple – to ride three Forestry England trail centres in a day, as varied as possible, using our National Membership so we didn’t have to pay for parking, and pick out some of our favourite features from each. It sounded like a recipe for a great day out on bikes.
The UK’s mountain biking backbone is built around the trail-centre concept, with Forestry England being the guardians of the bulk of England’s dedicated MTB routes. From its 1990s roots as a small collection of cross-country (XC) loops around pine forests, the trail network has since expanded in both reach and variety, and now offers something for every level of rider.
As such, picking out three centres to ride in a day made us feel like kids in a sweetshop. The tough bit was making a plan that included a bit of everything – from mellow vibes to high-octane thrills, epic loops to gnarly descents – yet was also achievable within the 12-hour window that car parks are generally open for.
Drawing maps
Forestry England has around 60 sites offering waymarked cycle routes, encompassing over 2,500km of trails, and spanning from Northumberland to Cornwall. Needless to say, our planning had to be watertight to ensure that not only could we get between our chosen locations in a day, but also, that we’d have time to ride at each of them.
After scouring Forestry England’s trail map and checking Google Maps for drive times, we centred in on the Midlands and the trail centres at Hick’s Lodge, Cannock Chase Forest and the Forest of Dean.
Our day would start on a trail new to Rob and me – the short-ish, blue-graded Shell Brook loop at Hick’s Lodge in Staffordshire, north-east of Birmingham.
From there, it’d be a quick drive west to Cannock Chase Forest to tackle one of the most established trails in the country – Follow The Dog. This is a classic that’s stood the test of time, and comes with a red grading, along with a few fun, optional black sections.
Finally, we’d head south to a location that Rob and I have spent a lot of time at over the years – the Forest of Dean Cycle Centre, in Gloucestershire. There’s a huge mix of trails here, from green XC loops to double-black-diamond descents, and it would be some of the downhill (DH) tracks that we’d be riding on the day.
Plans made, it was just a case of choosing our bikes and getting ready to head to the Midlands.
Rob picked his Specialized Stumpjumper – a fairly aggressive trail bike with burly tyres and powerful brakes, ideal for the gnarlier tracks we’d be riding later in the day.
I plumped for a Cotic Solaris – the UK brand’s XC-focused steel hardtail, fitted with faster-rolling rubber, which I was hoping would save my legs as we clocked up the miles. It might not be built for DH tracks, but with a bit of nursing over the roughest sections, should be okay.
Trail etiquette
All of these forests are designed to appeal to a broad range of riders, so when you’re out and about, you’re likely to come across people of differing skills and abilities.
When on the trail, it’s always great to say ‘Hi’ to fellow mountain bikers – we’re all here for fun.
If you come across a slower rider, give them space and time before passing them safely. Don’t hassle them or make them feel they’re in the way.
Should you hear a rider coming up behind you, pull over when it’s safe to do so and let them pass.
If you need to stop, pull over to the side and keep the trail obstacle-free.
Should you come across someone who’s fallen off or got a mechanical, see if they need some assistance.
Hot-tailing it to Hick’s
Accompanied by our videographer Max and photographer Scott, Rob and I hoof it up the motorway and arrive at Hick’s Lodge at 9am – which is, handily, just when the cafe opens.
With our van’s registration plate linked to our Forestry England Membership, there’s no need to dig around for change for the parking machine, so we head straight for a coffee. Max adds a sausage-and-cheese toastie to his order, leaving the rest of us feeling a little foolish as we nurse our lattes.
Hick’s Lodge seems like a buzzing place, with an array of signposted walks and play areas. There’s also a pair of cycle trails – the green-graded Wood Farm family route and the Shell Brook blue loop that we’re going to ride.
In between them are a few skills areas filled with jumps and berms, to get riders used to some of the techniques needed on a mountain bike. The site is clearly geared up for riders, with weekend kids’ clubs and an MTB time-trial series run through the summer months.
The 8.9km (5.5-mile) Shell Brook trail doesn’t have a huge amount of elevation, so it’s approachable for a wide range of riders. Rob and I waste no time getting stuck in, and with a few crank strokes, are up to speed through its twists and turns, wriggling our way through the trees on a nicely graded trail.
Rob, who has a couple of kids, is impressed, and reckons it’d be a great place to bring his family. The Shell Brook trail isn’t so long that it’d be too much for younger riders, and while the track is fun on our 29ers, it’s not so rough that smaller wheels would be rattling all over the place.
Within a few minutes, we hit a wonderful set of S-bend corners. While the trail is far from gnarly, Rob and I are having a proper laugh, carving through the berms and linking the turns at speed. There are even a few rollers along the way, over which it’s possible to get the wheels off the ground for a bit of airtime.
With time pressing on, we can’t stick around too long, so we scurry back to the car park. While Rob loads up the van, I pop back to the cafe – the range of fresh smoothies and cakes is too good to miss, and we’ve got a 50-minute drive to fuel up for.
Up the Chase
Bikes loaded, we truck through the Midlands to Cannock Chase Forest – photographer Scott’s old stomping ground.
This place has all the bells and whistles expected at a major forestry centre, including cafes, walking and running trails, a bike shop and hire centre, and a Go Ape high-ropes course. Although we’d have got a discount with our Forestry England Membership, sadly we don’t have time to go and play in the treetops.
The Follow The Dog trail is a classic, though, and Rob and I are keen to get a lap in. It’s the shorter of the two red loops at Cannock (The Monkey being the other), at 11km. Being red-graded, it includes more technical sections, including jumps and drops, as well as looser surfaces and plenty of roots to contend with.
Here, our bikes are put to good use, with the suspension being tested as we head straight to the Stegosaurus section. This stretch of track is built solely from big, chunky rocks, demanding plenty of attention to line choice.
Rob’s full-suspension bike eats up the hits easily, while I have to take a touch more care as I navigate the rocky edges and steps lined up in front of me.
There’s much more in the way of climbs at Cannock Chase Forest than at Hick’s Lodge, so we’re both having to put in some effort as we roll around the loop. The Cardiac Hill section gets our hearts racing as we try to out-do each other up the slope.
With more elevation to play with, Follow The Dog is a hoot – the trail flows nicely, with a mix of short-and-sharp and long-and-flowy climbs, followed by descents of a similar nature. Tight, bermed corners, rock gardens, and optional jumps and drops are the order of the day, and we’re having a great time swapping the lead and seeing whose line works best as we navigate the trail.
As at many Forestry England trail centres, the team at Cannock Chase Forest have added in optional sections to add more variety and help develop rider skills. The wooden skinnies mid-way round are a test of balance, while the chunky black-graded rock-garden descent highlights how much faster a full-sus can be compared to a hardtail.
With one last flowy flourish, we race back to the van, ready to travel south to our final destination – although not, of course, before a little more cake from the cafe.
Forest of dreams
We’ll hold our hands up here – the Forest of Dean is where Rob and I spend a lot of our time. It’s a fantastic place to go and ride, and is pretty close to our respective homes. It has a vast array of trails, making it a good place for testing many of the bikes you see reviewed in MBUK and on BikeRadar.
The cycle centre has everything from a green MTB loop for absolute beginners through to DH tracks that we’ve seen World Cup pros ride on their race rigs.
With mellow and medium-grade loops ticked off for the day, our plan is to hit up some of the descents.
While there’s an uplift service offered at weekends and during holidays, we use the well-trodden push/ride-up track to get to the top of the hill. The DH trails at the FoD can be mixed and matched, as they criss-cross the push-up and various forest roads. To kick things off, we drop into Twisted Sister, which opens with a series of tabletop jumps.
Rob’s happy laying his bike flat(ish) as he pops from lip to landing, while I do my best to keep up with him on my hardtail – my legs are certainly getting a workout now. We’re soon charging, with gravity on our side. The trail is tight and twisty, requiring us to navigate rocks and roots as we hurtle downward.
The conditions are perfect – dry and fast, but not too dusty – so we can follow each other’s wheels as we skip from feature to feature.
From the mid-point of Twisted Sister, we head back up and drop into a FoD classic – Ski Run. This trail is marked as ‘Severe’ and is full-on from the off, with a host of rocks, steep chutes and tight corners. Fortunately for me, I’ve ridden it enough to know a few sneaky smoother lines, so while I have to ride light over the roughest stuff, I manage to avoid puncturing my skinny XC tyres.
It’s a similar story as we wind our way to the bottom of the hill on Sheep Skull. The top of the trail is fast and then we drop into a dual-line rocky sector, where precise line choice is needed for a fast and fun exit.
From there, it’s into a bike-park-style section of turns, where the G-forces as we rattle around the bends focus our minds and compress our suspension. Chasing Rob through here is a lesson in hanging on and a great way to dial in the skills I’ve spent the past couple of decades failing to perfect.
The Forest of Dean is one of Forestry England’s more DH-focused centres, and this is nowhere more in focus than on the lower section of GBU, with its large tabletop and gap jumps. On my XC hardtail, I bow out of proceedings here, but Rob has just enough juice left in his legs to hit the line a few times for the cameras.
These aren’t rollers – they’re proper-sized booters that demand skill and commitment to hit. They’re at the biggest end of the scale, but fortunately the team at the Forest of Dean have seen fit to build a range of smaller jumps too, so anyone can progress from wheels on the ground right up to 10ft above the ground.
Home time
With Rob’s tyres safely back on terra firma, it’s time to call it a day and get home for tea. We’ve spent the day riding a whole range of trails – from a flowy and fun blue, ripe for a family day out, all the way to DH tracks raced at a near-national level – and we’ve made the most of the facilities at each centre, as well as used our Forestry England Membership to avoid parking fees.
While none of us had ridden at Hick’s Lodge before, it’s clearly a thriving location with a focus on family fun and accessibility – although that didn’t stop Rob and me from having a blast.
Cannock Chase Forest is a step up, with the Follow The Dog trail requiring a proper mountain bike, as well as some experience, to get around it safely. A variety of features ensure the climbs are well worth the effort, and the surrounding facilities provide plenty of options for mixed-ability groups.
We’d left the best till last, though, with the Forest of Dean, which is a favourite for a reason. This exceptional resource for West Country mountain bikers and outdoors lovers has something for riders of every level, from kids on balance bikes to sponsored pros, and this is shown by just how busy the place is.
Our day has left us hungry to explore more Forestry England trail centres – just maybe not all in one day next time.
Our pick of the trails
Shell Brook trail, Hick’s Lodge
This blue-graded loop is 8.9km long and features well-surfaced singletrack with swooping corners and fun rollers, without too many steep or technical obstacles.
The area has a couple of skills loops, as well as a play area and walking and running trails.
Follow The Dog trail, Cannock Chase Forest
At 10.8km long and with multiple climbs and descents of varying technicality, riding Follow The Dog is a fun way to develop your mountain bike skills and fitness. Cannock Chase Forest has multiple cycling, walking and running trails, as well as a host of other amenities.
Twisted Sister, Sheep Skull, Ski Run and GBU downhill tracks, Forest of Dean
The FoD has a huge mix of trails, as well as one of the best skills areas in the country. It also hosts a range of races, demos and events throughout the year, and has garnered a reputation as one of the best MTB locations in the country.
Exclusive discount
Use the code FEMBUK26 at www.forestryengland.uk to get 15% off a Forestry England Membership (Household), which saves you over £15 on an annual membership and gives you free parking at all Forestry England car parks, as well as discounts at selected retailers and Go Ape courses.
Valid until 30 June 2026. National Membership only (not Local Membership). Cannot be used with other offers; non-transferable, non-refundable and not redeemable for cash. Full membership T&Cs apply: https://www.forestryengland.uk/membership-terms-and-conditions
