Digs – First Sunday of the month – a great place to get into trailbuilding – with some interesting plans to revamp the Red and Black trailheads for 2022.
Contact – Jeremy Sainter (chairman@singletraction.co.uk)
All the trails at Stainburn Forest are accessible from the Norwood Edge FE car park.
There are two red grade trails a black trail and two pump tracks all maintained by SingletrAction volunteers. Dig days are the 1st Sunday of the month if you fancy joining us.
The small pump track was one of the first in the UK and it was added to in 2017 with a second larger track at the side of it.
The three trails consist of a 2km Red loop, 1.5km Red descent line and the 4km Warren Boulder trail. Don’t be put off with the short distances of the trails, they are designed to be ridden more than once, each time riding obstacles you missed first time round…
The 4Km Warren Boulder Trail – is a man made trail built to the highest specification by SingletrAction. You can expect the most severe of descents and difficult technical climbs. (Toughest Black Trail in the UK? Probably).
Highlights include ‘The Slab’ an early test of your nerve, ‘Hovis Corner’, (I still daren’t tackle it!) all too quickly followed by ‘Cascade’. The infamous ‘Coal Chute’ Sadly the Seesaw andd most of the high level woodwork had to be removed some years ago as they where no longer safe. But there is still plenty of testing riding, in fact the whole trail as the name suggests is littered with rocky challenges.
Since logging work in 2017 the character of the Warren Boulder Trail has change dramatically but its still fun to ride and challenging very challenging.
‘Don’t Push Me’ is the climb in the trees on the return leg from the bottom of the Warren Boulder Trail, a real treat for those who love a technical climb. Think of it as a place to learn, don’t be surprised if it it bites back and be prepared to become addicted to its challenges. (Warning, you may become a better rider…) This is the place your Hardcore Hardtail or All Mountain Bike was designed for. Sadly the weird wood section of the climb is now open as the trees where harvested in 2017.
2Km Our lil’ ole Red Loop complete with techy boulder challenges to get you ready for the Warren Boulder Trail. We call the outward leg ‘First Blood’ and those big rocks at the edges of the trail are mostly meant to be ridden over so keep your eyes peeled!
Its only short so ride it two or three times or spend some time trying to nail every section without dabbing.
1.5m The Descent Line, a Red trail accessed from the highest point of the Red Loop. The middle section of which was built by Clixbys, from some good sized boulders
As the name suggests this is down hill all the way but is not DH. A collection of sweet drops and corners with more than a smattering of those ever present Stainburn boulders. Starts off in the trees with a mixture of corners, some bermed, some flat, some loose then its out into the newer trees and onto the boulder fields to test your ability to ‘ride light’. After that gravity takes over and the berms get bigger so its off the brakes and onto railing corners, grins are mandatory.
Keep your eye out for the big rock roll in the middle or drop it if you dare?
Over the road on the hill above the car park…
The Norwood Edge Trails up around the mast are more natural trails that have been discovered and cleared by local riders. The main trail runs in a clockwise direction around the area. There are a couple of forest access roads up there and the trails generally run off them. They are all best described as “off Piste” so please take care and look before you leap, sorry ride.
FE class it as an informal trail, as such it cannot be built “properly” i.e. fully armoured construction like those over the road, nor are they signpost.
We suggest you start from the main car park (Forestry Commission style sign “Norwood Edge Car Park” off the Pateley (B6451) road). Opposite the entrance to the car park, on the other side of the road, is a timber fence into the Norwood Edge Plantation. Enter here and within approximately 20 metres turn left to take a very rooty, contouring trail that runs roughly parallel to the road.
A word of caution; Several of the unofficial trails include jumps and technical features which are often built badly, either in terms of durability or technical design. They can have pits, be prone to collapse or are not rollable (for those not prepared to commit). FE are aware of the trails, monitor them and for now are tolerated, but if things get out of hand they could be removed so we ask everyone to be sensible and above don’t damage trees and endanger other forest users.
Parking is free as is riding, but if you join SingletrAction then your membership fee goes straight back into trails and projects.