UK trail centres are the envy of the mountain biking world, with hundreds of kilometres of purpose-built, free-to-ride mountain bike trails. Graded by difficulty, waymarked and well maintained, trail centres attract riders of all abilities and can provide a great day of riding for everyone. With the growth of eMTBs, trail centres have begun to adapt to meet the needs of a new breed of rider. Our guide will tell you all that you need to know about six of the best trail centres for eMTBs in the UK.
Riding a trail centre
With eMTB riding attracting participants new to riding bikes off-road as well as more experienced riders, trail centres have become a fantastic place to learn and progress.
The trails are designed to be hard wearing and are generally hard packed and rideable in any weather. Similar to skiing, all routes have colour coded signposts to help you navigate, so you don’t need to pack a map and getting lost is (almost) a thing of the past! As the difficulty increases, expect more natural terrain like rocks and roots, as well as technical features such as drops and jumps. Often, more challenging lines will run alongside the main trail, giving riders the option to test their skills and allowing mixed ability groups to ride the same routes.
While many trails are rideable on a hardtail, a full suspension bike with around 140 mm of travel is ideal for tackling anything a trail centre can throw at you.
The growth of trail centres
As eMTB riding becomes more popular, demand from riders has seen the larger trail centres become home to well-stocked bike shops offering eMTB hire, specific advice, sales and technical support. With eMTBs, you can ride all day, as long as you have somewhere to recharge your body and your battery, so restaurants and coffee shops have appeared too. Combined with walks, wildlife and activities for families, it’s no wonder that the top trail centres are becoming the places to ride for eMTB riders.
The best UK trail centres for eMTB
There are just too many trail centres to list them all and each is brilliant in its own way. Whether you ride there regularly or plan to tick them off your riding destination bucket list, we show you six of the best trail centres, all of which have embraced and encouraged eMTBers to ride and enjoy their trails.
England
The Forest of Dean (FOD)
Nestled on the border between England and Wales in the picturesque Wye Valley, the royal hunting ground of The Forest of Dean is now better known for the buzz of mountain bike tires than the baying of the hounds.
With 49 kilometres of official trails, a family/beginner’s XC loop, blue and red graded mountain bike trails plus a bunch of downhill runs and a pump track, there is something for every level of eMTB rider at the FOD. Pedalabikeaway is the well-stocked bike shop at the trailhead and with two cafes, you have everything you need for a great day of riding.
FOD eMTB
For 2019, eMTB guided tours are available for you to explore some of the lesser known trails around the FOD. The red and blue trails can easily be ridden on a single battery charge but just ask at the shop if you want to top up your levels with a mid-day recharge. The DH trails are all accessible via push tracks which just happen to be perfect shortcuts for getting lots of runs in on your eMTB!
Website: pedalabikeaway.co.uk
Cannock Chase
Deep in the former industrial heart of the UK lies one of England’s most accessible trail centres: Birches Valley Forest Centre, more generally known as Cannock Chase.
Over 34,000 hours have gone into digging the Chase’s trail network. Alongside nearly 20 km of well-surfaced family tracks, Cannock features two red graded trails: ‘Follow the Dog’ at 11 km and the more challenging 23 km ‘ Monkey Trail’, which also has black route options that skirt the main trail. Riders looking to test their skills further can session the ‘Stile Cop’ freeride and downhill runs that are easily accessed via the push-up track.
Chase eMTB
With everything from green family trails to black downhill runs, eMTBers will find plenty to ride at Cannock. E-curious or bikeless riders can hire an eMTB from Cannock Chase Cycle Centre. The centre has a cafe on site as well as other places to get lunch or grab a coffee located in the wider area.
Website: cannockchasecyclecentre.co.uk
Wales
Bike Park Wales
In an area once famous for mining, Bike Park Wales continues the tradition of shaping the hill for the benefit of mankind in the form of one of the largest trail networks in the UK. The park’s ever-growing quantity of downhill runs are set up so that they are super easy to navigate, with trails ranked in order of difficulty and separated by both flow and tech trail type, so you can ride to your ability and progress as your confidence and skills improve. At the start of some of the trails is a ‘qualifier’, a trail feature such as a jump or drop that indicates what skill level you need to enjoy the track. If you can’t ride the feature, don’t venture down the trail! The trails of BPW are created and maintained by a full-time crew, which keeps the runs riding well throughout the year.
BPW eMTB
An eMTB is a fantastic tool for riding BPW. The trails are free to ride, but eMTBs are charged £15 parking – £7 more than analogue bikes – which is a small price to pay to avoid the cost and the lines of the uplift service. Batteries can be charged at the workshop, which is a Shimano Service Centre and Bosch certified, while you refuel at the cafe.
Website: bikeparkwales.com
Llandegla
Situated on the North Welsh border, Coed Llandegla is 10 square kilometres of working forest that has been filled with purpose-built and well-maintained mountain bike trails. The blue, red and black trails share the same ascent, but once at the top, you can choose the one that suits your ability, with plenty of opportunities to try more challenging trails as you choose different lines on each lap. There are multiple black and jump trail options once on the red route, with steeper runs, drops and even raised ‘North Shore’ timber sections. With a skills area, pump track and freeride area nearer the car park, every rider will come away stoked!
Llandegla eMTB
Oneplanet Adventure offer eMTB rental and sales and the whole trail centre is very eMTB friendly. Charging your battery isn’t a problem. Just pop into the shop and for a small donation to the Air Ambulance Service, they’ll fill it up and keep it safe while you take a break. However, eMTBs must be fully road legal so don’t bring your de-restricted bike to the trails.
Website: oneplanetadventure.com
Scotland
7Stanes: Kirroughtree
Located in the Southern Uplands of Scotland, Kirroughtree may not be the most well known of the UK trail centres but it’s certainly one of the best. As you’d expect, the trail network is graded for ability and with 51 km of all-weather trails, there is plenty to ride.The Twister is a 17 km red trail that’s 85% singletrack and full of technical features to challenge you. For the adventurous, the full 31 km Black Craigs loop takes you out into the hills to ride the granite slabs of McMoab, a ridge of rock that stretches 1 km and will seriously test your bike handling skills.
With a well-stocked bike shop, a cafe, camping, a wildlife hide and an impressive play park, it’s a fantastic place for families too, no matter how many like to ride bikes!
Kirroughtree eMTB
The Break Pad at Kirroughtree has been selling eMTBs since the early days and offers a Bosch certified workshop as well as eMTB hire. You could do all of the trails on one battery charge but if you do don’t leave the black XC trail until last as it takes you out into the wilderness and you will need to be reasonably self-sufficient in the event of running out of juice or a breakdown.
Website: thebreakpad.com
7Stanes: Glentress (GT)
Arguably the jewel in the crown of the UK trail centres is Glentress, near the bike-mad town of Peebles in the Scottish Borders’ infamous Tweed Valley and the adopted home of our international magazine crew. Glentress is home to a whopping 73 km of flowing graded trails, with enough singletrack climbs to challenge any eMTBer. Any trip to Glentress wouldn’t be complete without a ride through the iconic Spooky Wood descent or a run down the super smooth corners of ‘Berm Baby Berm’.
The famous trails attract huge numbers of riders, but despite its popularity, once you get riding you will feel like you have the place to yourself. Whatever you like to ride, GT really does have something for everyone and you’ll find your skills jump up a level after just one visit!
Glentress eMTB
With long and steep climbs, even on the blue trail, GT is a great place to enjoy on an eMTB. Alpine Bikes hire eMTBs and have an eMTB friendly workshop but they get busy so make sure you book in advance. Bosch has made GT the first place in the UK to have a dedicated charging station, but you can charge any battery in the cafe while you eat lunch and prepare for the next lap.
Website: tweedvalleybikehire.com
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Words: Thomas Corfield Photos: Trevor Worsey
