Description
Delamere Forest's mountain biking is in Cheshire, with a waymarked Grey and Blue trail system through the forest plus the unofficial Manley Hill and No Brains skills and downhill spots. There's a visitor centre, cafe and an FE-run skills loop, though bike hire and bike wash are currently unavailable while the concession is retendered.
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The Trails
- Grey and Blue Cycling Trails (7km or 10km) โ Grey is forest-road graded and beginner-friendly, acting as both a standalone easy route and a connector between Blue sections. Blue is moderate, including around 4km of blue-graded singletrack with tree roots, rock steps, jumps and berms. The two routes interweave, so you can dip onto Blue sections and rejoin Grey as you like.
- Skills Loop โ a small, safe, traffic-free loop by the visitor centre with graded technical features for practising and progressing, suitable for all ages and abilities.
Off-Piste and Unofficial Spots
- There's a wider network of singletrack and crisscrossing trails to explore beyond the waymarked routes, ridden at your own risk and not maintained by Forestry England.
- Manley Hill Bike Park โ a small skills area with short (30-40 second) downhill runs, 4X and jumps. Access via a fire road at the bottom of Ashton Road, opposite the Outdoor Education Centre; layby parking along Ashton Road.
- No Brains โ a short, steep run with a gulley entrance, reached from the bottom of Manley Hill Bike Park.
- Old Pale Downhill โ a rutted singletrack run from the summit at Pale Heights, splitting into two lines that rejoin near the end. Trailhead: what3words jazz.rainfall.coasters.
- Nettleford Wood โ a natural trail with small jumps and drop-offs. Trailhead: what3words found.outraged.community.
- Wild Blighty is a useful third-party resource for tracking down these unofficial spots.
Getting Here
Delamere Forest, Linmere, Delamere, Northwich, CW8 2HZ, roughly 10 miles from Chester and close to the M56, well signposted from the A54, A556 and B5152. Delamere station is a 5-minute walk from the visitor centre. Free layby parking is available along Ashton Road; paid parking is at Old Pale by the visitor centre and at Whitefield opposite Blakemere Moss lake.
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