Description
Guisborough Forest Mountain Biking
Guisborough Forest, on the edge of the North York Moors, mixes one officially waymarked route with a wide network of natural and off-piste trails cut by local riders. The forest's only signed loop is the 7.2km Blue Lake Cycle Trail, and beyond it the forest and open moorland carry unsanctioned singletrack and technical, rocky descents.
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The Trails
- Blue Lake Cycle Trail (Blue, 7.2km): the forest's only officially waymarked route, running mostly on forest road from the Guisborough Forest and Walkway Visitor Centre, with steady climbs and views across the Tees Valley.
- Off-piste trails: an informal network of unsanctioned lines through the forest, built and maintained by local riders rather than Forestry England.
- Natural moorland trails: once you're up onto the North York Moors, expect technical singletrack, rock drops and rooty steps.
MTB Guisborough, the local trail club, and SingletrAction's volunteer trail-builders both work with Forestry England on trail maintenance here, including regrading some of the older unofficial lines. These informal trails aren't shown on any official map, so download a route or use GPS navigation before you set off.
Local Organisation
- MTB Guisborough is the local trail-building and advocacy club, working with Forestry England and local landowners on trail development.
- Guisborough Riders on Facebook is a good place to ask about current trail conditions.
- SingletrAction, Yorkshire's volunteer mountain bike trail builders, hold regular dig days here alongside Dalby and Stainburn.
Facilities
- Pay and display car park at the Guisborough Forest and Walkway Visitor Centre
- Toilets
- Visitor centre and cafe, though both keep shorter hours than the forest itself, so don't rely on them being open outside a weekday visit
Getting Here
Primary car park: Guisborough Forest and Walkway Visitor Centre, Newton Road, Pinchinthorpe, Guisborough, TS14 8HD. By road, take the A171 west from Guisborough onto the A173, then look for the visitor centre entrance on the left after around 300 metres. On foot, the forest can also be reached via Belmangate and Butt Lane in Guisborough, or from Hutton Lowcross village. There's no railway station in Guisborough itself; the nearest is Nunthorpe on the Esk Valley Line, about 5 miles away, with a connecting bus into Guisborough town centre.
Share
- If you have ridden any of the trails in or around Guisborough Forest then why not share your experiences with us and write a short review.