Reviews for Black Trail - Hamsterley Forest

Witton-le Wear DL13 3NL

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Davidt's profile image

Review by: Davidt on 17 February 2013

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Summary:
Good ride

Review:
Went here today and enjoyed it. Was alot of uphill but the down hill sure made up for it. Skills area was good too

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tdalerider's profile image

Review by: tdalerider on 21 February 2012

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Summary:
Worthy trial on a budget

Review:
This trail is a mix of old single track, some new sections and forest road.
The new display board in the main car park shows the current route.
Volunteer time and club money has largely gone into building red route trails, but I believe there is still fun and challenges to be had on the old black route (I’d agree with other reviewers that it is easy for black grading).
Trail is at its best in the dry with adequate single tracks and more if riders are prepared to look beyond the forest commission marked trial; the 2 main climbs are up forest roads, but the rest of the route can be ridden mostly avoiding roads. The highlights are the downhill from the 4X course to the tarmac road, up the road and left down the newly signposted ‘Special K’ single track to the car park.
Hopefully time and money can be found to improve other sections this year, in the mean time enjoy if for what it is.

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stretchie's profile image

Review by: stretchie on 30 October 2011

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Summary:
Nice uphill course

Review:
Very disappointed. As mentioned before I can cope with long uphill sections if there's a trade off of good downhill runs. First 20 mins uphill very little down, uphill again with a horrendously boggy,rooty flat section. A short downhill run nothing special. Uphill again for an age past the start of the downhill run and the injustice of watching people having fun!!! A good man made area section 13 then a few boggy downhill sections back to the visitors centre. Just don't waste your time or energy I'd rather of parked at the top of section 13 and rode round it for an hour. Yes natural but just boring,dull I'd rather ride round my local woods for natural fun testing riding

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Little-Jimmy's profile image

Review by: Little-Jimmy on 25 October 2010

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Summary:
Very poor, not enough single track and over grown. NOT A BLACK TRAIL!

Review:
I rode this today after having read reviews. I wasn't expecting it to be the best trail in the world. But wasn't quite ready for how bad it was. To start with the trail markers are very poor, this ruins the flow as your'e aways on the lookout to see when you have to turn of the fire breaks. Which brings me to my next point. Far far to much of this trail is on fire brakes for it to be a black run. You work very hard hill climbing (which i dont mind)(mostly on fire brakes) for very little single track or flowing decent. The new section 13 is a perfect example of this.( Where did all that money go for the trail upgrades?) You just start to enjoy yourself, then you find your'e at the end of it and back on a fire road! (again). Bottom line on this trail. Dont bother! stay in the car and drive to Dalby where they know how to build trails.

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Bump's profile image

Review by: Bump on 21 September 2010

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Summary:
Much improved in places

Review:
I do this trail by starting with the second half and finishing with the first half - that is kicking it all off with Section 13 - then hang a right along to the 2nd half of the black route. There's some nice sections there now - including rock table-tops, a lush floaty bombhole jump, a new big wooden berm - then a fairly tasy drop (about 3') which is a decent height and can definately be graded as a black as it can seem fairly big. Then over forest drive and yeah, a boring bit of climbing but there's a new really challenging piece of technical up hill (before you get to the old stone wall). This involves some tight skinnies and then trying to hold a line over some fairly large boulders. I think this kind of thing is what bumps the trail up to a black as it is quite difficult to nail this without sticking a foot down.
I think the added feature of a skinny over the streams/river would make this even more interesting, instead of getting soaked feet when you become stuck in trying to get accross them

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