Description
Brighstone Forest is a ridge of beech, sweet chestnut and conifer woodland in the south west of the island, in the Isle of Wight National Landscape. There is no waymarked mountain bike network. Instead riders link public bridleways and forest tracks through the trees and over the neighbouring chalk downs, with climbs and descents and views out to sea. Loops of 17 to 19 km from Brighstone village are a common ride, and a short 3 mile circuit over Westover Down is open year-round. Around Brighstone Down riders have also built a few short singletrack lines with berms, jumps and drops.
The Riding
The forest runs along a line of ridges from Chessell Down in the west through Westover Down to Brighstone Down. There are no graded or waymarked trails, so the riding is made up of bridleways, forest tracks and the chalk downland routes that cross and surround it. Expect a mix of wide forest track and narrower, rootier woodland paths, with long climbs up onto the downs and descents back to Brighstone. Because nothing is waymarked, download a route or use GPS navigation before you set off.
Cyclists can ride bridleways and byways but not footpaths. Check the rights of way map on the Isle of Wight Council website, or an OS map, before you go, and give way to walkers and horse riders.
Routes
- Westover Down circular: about 3 miles through the forest, open year-round and a good short loop.
- Brighstone loops: 17 to 19 km circuits from the village that combine the forest with downland tracks, moderate in effort with about 350 to 470 m of climbing.
- Longer rides: the Tennyson Trail runs beside the forest and links west to Freshwater Bay and the Needles.
The Trails
Alongside the bridleways, riders have built a small set of unofficial singletrack lines in the woods around Brighstone Down, with berms, a bridge, small jumps and drops:
- Baghdad, about 1 km
- Ho Chi Min, about 2 km
- Berlin Wall, about 900 m
The lines are short, rider-maintained and change over time, so ride them as you find them and expect walkers on the paths that cross them.
Working Forest
Brighstone Forest is a working forest. Coppicing and timber work close parts of it from time to time, so follow any signs and closures on site and give way to vehicles on the forest tracks.
Getting Here
The forest lies just north of Brighstone village, off the B3399 between Newport and Freshwater. Riders commonly start from one of the village car parks:
- Warnes Lane car park, Brighstone, PO30 4BJ
- Jubilee Car Park, Lynch Lane, Brighstone, PO30 4JH
The Isle of Wight is reached by car and foot ferries from Portsmouth, Southampton and Lymington.
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- Photo: ITookSomePhotos, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons