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Whinlatter Forest Park Mountain Bike Trail Centre

Whinlatter Forest Park Mountain Bike Trail Centre
Avg 4.26
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup
Number of Reviews (34)

*You can claim this trail if you are the trail owner

  • Information:
  • Type: Purpose Built Centre
  • Grades: Blue,Red,Forest Road
  • Facilities: Car Park,Toilets,Visitors Centre,Cafe,Bike Wash
  • Distance(s): Under 5km, 5-10km, 11-20km
  • Country: England
  • County: Cumbria
  • Website: Whinlatter Forest
  • Facebook:
  • Email:

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Description

Whinlatter Forest Park Mountain bike trail centre near Keswick in Cumbria in the Lake District has two purpose-built mountain bike trails: the red Altura trail and the blue Quercus trail. It also has a waymarked forest road graded trail

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Whinlatter Forest Park rises to 790 metres above sea level and is England's only mountain forest so the views of the Lake District and into Scotland as you ride are spectacular. 

The Altura Trail

  • The Altura Trail is graded red and is 19 kilometres long (including 15 kilometres of new singletrack).  The trail has been built for experienced riders with good off-road skills and a reasonable level of fitness.
  • It has challenging singletrack sections and popular features like berms, jumps, rock gardens, skinnies, corkscrews and tabletops. There are also great views of Derwentwater, Bassenthwaite and the surrounding fells.
  • It is split into a North Loop and a South Loop and part of the benefit of Whinlatter is that you can conveniently mix and match sections e.g. do the blue Quercus then the Altura South Loop for variety. 

The Quercus Trail

  • The blue Quercus trail has a 7.5km option and a shorter 3.5 km option. It consists of flowing single track with gentle berms, rolling jumps and wide gradual climbs with technical features. The trail starts downhill with sweeping intricate bends, then climbs up and bends and twists its way until riders come face to face with the Big Wall, a double-banked bend within the forest. After climbing up through oak woodland, the trail crosses a bridge and into the darker conifer forest. The trail finishes with the hollow sound of a raised boardwalk over a bog and through the forest.

Gorse Cycle Trail

    • A 10km forest road graded route, along well-surfaced forest roads. Long gradual climbs and descents through fantastic scenery.

History

  • The trails were built by trail builders Clixbys with funding support from the North West Regional Development Agency who not only helped fund the trail but also the redevelopment of the car park at the Visitor Centre.  
  • The Altura is the longest purpose-built mountain bike trail in the Lake District and took nine months to build. It was constructed using material that had been sourced from the forest. 
  • The Quercus Trail is named after the Latin for Oak (Quercus Petraea) because the furthest loop of the trail runs through the Masmill Oak Woodland.

Other Stuff

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  • If you have ridden the mountain bike trails at Whinlatter Forest then why not share your experience and add some pictures, videos or a brief review to the listing.

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Michael H:
Avg 4.81
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup

Great trail centre

All good - go there and enjoy :)

What do you like?

Great variety of features on the trails - a real mix of rocky/foresty/open hillside/jumps/tough climbs/the whole lot. Plenty of height in gained, so a good workout and plenty of fun in the descents. Good choice of trails - Blue, north & south Red loop and any combination of them (incl. the local favourite, the 'Purple': most of the Blue, followed by the south Red loop). Awesome views, great cafe and Cyclewise bike shop right next to the car park. Enjoy.

What could be improved?

Hmm trail always has puddles on it, so your feet are going to get wet, even in dry weather, but hey, it's called the Lake District for a reason. Car parking isn't cheap, but the money goes back into the facilities and you don't pay anything to ride the trails, so suck it up ;)

Would you recommend?

*Yes*

Date written:

27/04/2017 - over 8 years ago

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3
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Paul Watson:
Avg 4.31
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup

A grand day out

Fun for all levels of mountainbiker

What do you like?

This is one of the best trail centres in the England. The two loops that make up the red are both very manageable in terms of distance and both reward you with a pretty satisfying descent. The trails are well maintained and feature a good amount of variety, especially considering that they are essentially surfaced trails designed to be ridden year round. The views from the top are pretty epic too. The cafe is great and it's a pleasure to sit out on the decking on a sunny day, enjoying the view over the forest with a coffee and a cake. The blue trail is also really enjoyable. Having dragged my S.O. into this sport, she rates it as a very good trail. I have only used the bike shop once. Having lost a brake bolt, they sorted me out with a new one for free. Can't really ask for more than that.

What could be improved?

It's been said by others, but parking is steep. If you are going up with a few in a vehicle then it's ok I guess, and if some of that money finds its way to the trails then I am happy.

Would you recommend?

*Yes*

Date written:

06/11/2016 - about 9 years ago

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2
^
bubman:
Avg 4.35
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup

The views from the tops of the 2 red routes are really stunning and well worth the climbs; the trail is also good as it is basically 2 distinct and seperate trails; both start from the car park but one goes north and the other south,The North loop has a fair amount of forest road on the way to top, but has excellent varied ride from there, combining tricky rock n roots with some flowing trail and ending in a spectacular zig zag down very steep slope back to car park.the Southern loop is similar length-6 miles-with less road uphill and great n varied downhill; starts off very rocky, then rocky but flowing, and then a fantastic flowing n jumping section that has big  big grin factor 

What do you like?

views from the tops are absolutely stunning good variety of trail-free flowing,rocky,rooty Southern loop has biggest grin factor but easier; northern loop more varied and trickier very good facilities

What could be improved?

can get crowded in car park but never seems crowded on trail £8 to park all day but then worth it and it goes on maintaining the trails

Would you recommend?

*Yes*

Date written:

05/07/2016 - over 9 years ago

Was this review helpful to you?

3
^
Jim:
Avg 4.10
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup

Good variety for most skill levels and hence good for families with different abilities.

What do you like?

Views from the top of the red trails.

What could be improved?

No skills area

Would you recommend?

*Yes*

Date written:

01/09/2015 - over 10 years ago

Was this review helpful to you?

1
^
Jon:
Avg 4.21
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup

Really nice centre all round, a bit of a slog up the north red loop, but well worth it for the downhill, have been there on a number of occasions now, and always found the trails to be well kept, and exciting.

What do you like?

The two reds are fantastic fun, like the getting the up out of the way for a lot of downhill setup. Blue is good for beginners, and seems well maintained. All loops have a nice flow to them, although nothing too technical, they are great fun.

What could be improved?

No skills area, which would be nice Parking is expensive

Would you recommend?

*Yes*

Date written:

27/12/2014 - about 11 years ago

Was this review helpful to you?

3
^
Downhilldave:
Avg 4.66
Grin Factor
Trail Variety
Skills
Trail Quality
General Setup

Whinlatter

What do you like?

Great trails, plenty of variety, well maintained and spectacular views. Plenty of challenging sections and some fast downhill sections.... Just remember you need to go up to come down! Good facilities, toilets, café and a quality bike shop...

What could be improved?

A dedicated downhill section would be good, nothing too extreme just a quick blast with some jumps..

Would you recommend?

*Yes*

Date written:

11/11/2014 - about 11 years ago

Was this review helpful to you?

2
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