Clayton Vale MTB Trails

paddy:

I loved this place it suited my requirements so accurately if felt like it was made for me, honestly recommend to newbies as well as more seasoned pros, will be introducing my riding buddies to this shortly

Very well maintained trails, fun and quick

Paul Frazer:

Clayton Vale turned out to be a real surprise. A great, high quality facility in the middle of what seems to be a city suburb. The trails are very good quality, if a little too smooth, it is mountain biking after all. The drainage is good and they looked liked they have been built to last. Short punchy climbs, lead on to long sweeping burms and switchbacks which just seem to go on and and on. They have managed to fit a lot of action into such a small place. I ride an Orange Single Speed, and this place suited me perfectly.

1. Good quality, very well designed trails 2. You seem to be going downhill more than climbing, a good thing for me! 3. Good mix of trails for all abilities 4. Great location and parking allowing you to take a look around of the rest of the National Cycling Centre 5. Good separation from other users of Clayton Vale 6. A load of big grins of the faces of my mates after a couple of hours on the trails. All giving the place 10 out of 10. 7. This is a great place for novice / intermediate riders looking to improve their skills

Dan71:

I have now attended the Clayton Vale MTB trails on 2 occasions, both within the last 3 weeks... And I plan to go again very soon! If you live in or near Manchester these are by far the best trails you could ride in the area. There is something here to suit everyone's ability and skill level, and unless you are after an epic cross country or downhill outing, there is much fun to be had. One of the advantages in my opinion of shorter trails is that you can simply 'nip' round for an hour or 2 without having to commit a full day to the cause. Although we'd all probably like to spend all day every day in the saddle, neither my bottom nor my wife is keen on the idea! On my first outing I took my 7 year old son, who has only been riding a proper bike since last Christmas and although the prospect of riding the easy trail (light blue) didn't really excite me, I was looking forward to giving him his first taste of trail riding. However after spending the first few minutes riding along a paved section through the park I was starting to wonder why I had bothered to drive 25 mins across Manchester when I could have stuck to the scenic, but flat canal paths of Worsley area. But, 10 minutes in and I was very pleased and pleasantly surprised to see a little light blue arrow pointing right into the trees. This was effectively where it started getting interesting. We left the concrete for a narrow dirt path gently climbing through the trees and from then on it became a real off road trail. Despite keeping to the pace of a 7 year old, and having to occasionally help him along in the uphill sections, I really enjoyed myself, and so did my son. So much so that we went round a second time, this time stopping for a go on the zip wire which seems to be plonked in the middle of nowhere half way round the trail. Although it was a good session it was hardly a workout for me and I was itching to get stuck in to some of the other trails. Hence my second visit 2 weeks later, this time with a friend who had just invested in a half decent MTB. Neither of us ride to a particularly high standard, mostly due to lack of fitness and not so much because of technical inabilities. This time we headed for the dark blue trail which I was glad to see, starts off in the woods pretty much from the word go. Although there are no really technically challenging parts on this trail, a combination of sinuous uphill sections followed by fast downhills with berms and bumps made it a really fun experience. It was certainly enough to get the legs burning and the heart pumping. We managed to squeeze in part if the red trail but sadly due to lack of time had to cut it short. I look forward to part 3 very soon… All in all, it is a great place to ride, regardless of level or age. For the novice it is perfect to gain experience and learn new skills, for the more experienced rider it is ideal to build up fitness and confidence, all that with a massive grin on your face! The bike wash is handy and probably a must for those who like me carry their bikes inside the car. It is not obvious to find though and at the time of writing this didn’t look like it was sign posted. Look out for a small brick wall at the side of Evans cycle shop, the washer is just behind it, and have a £1 coin at hand. If you are reading this review and haven't yet been to test the trails, then what are you waiting for!? You can even get a pint of Stella in the café if the riding alone doesn’t do it for you.

Good selection of trails, close to Manchester city centre

Incywincy:

This is a really good little fitness loop. Considering the area is pretty flat, they've managed to pack in enough sharp steep climbs to test your fitness and enough features to make the trail interesting. Sometimes it feels like they've tried to pack in too much - how the hell are you supposed to pump rollers when you're trying to pedal up a hill?? And some of the rock gardens feel a bit pointless. But I think the fitter you are, the more the trails will flow. But there's so much here for beginners and the trails are so well surfaced, what more could we ask for right in the centre of Manchester!! I used to walk my dog here years ago and never dreamed it would be how it is today.

Locals seem quite friendly so far. If the trails start to become overgrown (nettles!!) you can report it and they will send someone out to trim it back.

Craig:

Great city trail. You won't find anything this good this close to a city centre. Up keep is excellent!

Great location, good parking, good facilities and cafe. Feels like your out in the country side.

Adam Hartley:

The ratings I've based on the fact its an inner city trail. compared to places like llandegla its a much lower score. The facilities are all at the National Cycle Center which has everything you could really think of for your bike plus free parking

Location of this inner city track, its easy to get to, right next to the Cycle Center. For where it is they have done a superb job. it got everything a good single track trail should have. The sections are labeled really well so you do the correct one your looking for. The trail is only short so you can do it more than once and get every section in, the red dark blue and the black. In the black they have put some good drops that aren't too big but good to improve on and tune your skills. Over all its a good solid track that's well worth a visit if you live within a 20 mile radius.