Forest of Dean Mountain Biking Trails

The Forest of Dean Cycle Centre, near Coleford in Gloucestershire, is one of the most complete trail venues in England. Trails range from green to double black diamond: Old Bob's accessible green, the Verderers Blue (with optional red sections), the Freeminer Red and its 9km Adit extension, 10+ downhill runs from blue to double black, a pump track, a skills area, and 42 square miles of natural off-piste singletrack. Pedalabikeaway run the cafe, shop, bike hire and showers on site.

• On site you will find Pedalabikeaway, who run a cafe, shop, workshop and bike hire facility. There are toilets and showers, and plenty of parking.

Family Cycle Trail - Green

• 11 miles (18km) of waymarked, surfaced tracks, most of which run on former railway lines.

Old Bob's Trail - Accessible Green

• The 2km accessible green trail opened in September 2024, bridging the Colliers Trail and the blue-graded Verderers Trail. Fully accessible for adaptive bikes, bike trailers and balance bikes. Three skill areas allow riders to build confidence and technique, with the option to session them or bypass them entirely. Old Bob's was a pumping engine for Cannop Colliery, just over the road from the Cycle Centre.

Verderers - Blue

• 7 miles (11km) of rollable trails. Fast-flowing corners, big berms and rollovers, graded blue with optional red descents. Great descent on the Dragon's Tail. Built by Rowan Sorrell and the Back on Track team, it rides well in the wet.
• An optional red-graded climb section runs between posts 53 and 54, with a few lines for riders ready to progress beyond blue. The Adit exit can also be used as an alternative red-grade descent after post 66.

Freeminer - Red

• The Freeminer 11km trail is singletrack throughout, with rooty technical climbs, steep rooty descents, small drops, hairpin bends, rock sections and switchbacks. Can get muddy in winter.
• The Adit extension (September 2022) adds 9km to the Freeminer: Pig Track, Bluebells Climb, Boars Nest, Biscuits Bits, Sugar Rush, Cashbox, Supercross, Stick Witch and the TNT descent to Bear Trap.
• In 2025, the Boneyard red descent was added: 1km of technical terrain featuring tight corners, hips, berms and natural features. It starts above the fireroad off the blue trail before dropping back to the trail centre.

Downhill

• The downhill area has 10+ marked runs, all short pushes of around 15 minutes. The combined Countdown and Launchpad attract over 60,000 riders a year.

Blue - Downhill

Moderate gradients, tree roots, rock steps, jumps and berms. Rollable features at controlled speed.

1. Countdown: gravity-focused descent leading onto Launchpad.
2. Launchpad (accessible, suitable for adaptive bikes): one of the most popular trails at the centre, averaging around 7,500 rides per month. Rhythmic rollers and high sweeping berms.

Red - Downhill

Steep climbs and descents with larger jumps, berms and avoidable features. Technical features including tree roots and drop-offs.

1. Flatland: a top section leading into the lower Sheepskull, with rooty corners and a sharp drop onto the middle fire road.
2. Twisted Sister: exposed tree roots and steep terrain throughout.

Black - Downhill

Long, steep descents and jumps. Drop-offs, sharp corners and difficult features. Commitment required.

1. Sheepskull: through the top bus stop, a bomb-hole, roots onto the middle fire road, then a challenging rooty section into the fast final section.
2. Corkscrew: jumpy top section into a fast rooty bottom, swooping through a valley over a finishing hip jump.
3. Endo: tight rooty switchbacks into a fast open section with a tabletop and small step-down drop.
4. Mr Rooty
5. Y2K
6. Elephant Man

Double Black - Downhill

Very fast and steep descents. Large drop-offs, jumps and unavoidable obstacles. High skill and commitment required.

1. Cougar: long drifty corners and loam.
2. Ski Run: big rocky sections with fade drops, fast turns, a hip jump, popular tabletop, berms and road gap.
3. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (GBU): drop-offs, step-ups and fast-flowing jumps. An alternate line avoiding drops is called Drop Dodger.

Uplift

• Flyup Downhill are the official MTB uplift service.

Skills Area

• A skills area with two lines: one for drops and one for jumps.

Pump Track

• A progressive pump track for all ages.

Kids Skills Area

• A suitable space for children and beginners to develop technique.

Off-Piste

• Beyond the marked trails are 42 square miles of natural singletrack.

Adaptive MTB

• Launchpad is the UK's first purpose-built adaptive trail. Old Bob's Trail is also fully accessible. The centre has step-free facilities. Goals Beyond Grass provide accessible bike hire and sessions on site.

Getting Here

• Forest of Dean Cycle Centre, New Road (B4234), Cannop Valley, Coleford, GL16 7EH. Trail maps are available on the Forestry England website.

Dean Trail Volunteers

Dean Trail Volunteers (DTV) is a volunteer charity supporting trail building and maintenance at the Forest of Dean Cycle Centre.

• Volunteer opportunities: Wednesday and Saturday trail digs, ladies' digs, litter picks and table sales.
• Non-dig roles: IT support, admin, funding and grant applications, social media, leading social rides, and event planning.
• Volunteer perks: Partner discounts after 15 hours, and additional perks after 30 hours including Forestry England parking and an uplift day at BikePark Wales. Hours reset annually.

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