Sandy soil drains fast, so it rides well all year.
Start on: the 1.2km green loop, with gentle dips and rises on a wide track.
Next steps: the 10.1km blue, then the 13km red and its jump lines. The Summit is a paid, bookable skills area graded from green to black.
On site: pay and display parking, toilets, a cafe, and hire and a shop from Swinley Bike Hub, which runs The Summit.

Start on: the green Shepherd trail (8km, or 5.5km) on flat, wide forest road that suits trailers and tag-alongs, or Pedal and Play, four green loops for riders from age three.
Next steps: the pump track, the mostly singletrack Beater blue (18km, or 10km), then the 15km Lime Burner red.
On site: a cafe, a visitor centre, and a shop with hire (booked by phone). See Forestry England's High Lodge page.

Start on: the green Fairoak Trail, 4km on a mostly smooth surface with one gentle climb.
Next steps: Perry's Trail, a 4.3km blue with rollable rock gardens and three optional red sections, then the Follow the Dog and Monkey Trail reds, with optional black lines.
On site: Birches Valley Forest Centre has parking, toilets, a cafe, and a bike shop with hire. The trails are built by the volunteers of Chase Trails.

Start on: the 6.4km green Maid Marion route on forest road, or Pedal and Play, a beginner area of around 2km whose wider trails suit adapted and trike-style cycles.
Next steps: the skills loop, the 11.2km Robin Hood blue, and the Outlaw red, flatter than most reds but almost all singletrack, plus an orange bike park.
On site: a visitor centre, a cafe, toilets, and hire and a shop from Sherwood Pines Cycles.

Start on: the 18km green Family Cycle Trail on old railway lines, or Old Bob's, a 2km accessible green with skills areas you can session or ride around. There is also a kids' skills area and a pump track.
Next steps: the flowing Verderers blue and Launchpad, a blue downhill run suitable for adaptive bikes, then the Freeminer red and more than ten downhill runs up to double black.
On site: Pedalabikeaway run the cafe, shop and hire, with toilets and showers, and Goals Beyond Grass offer accessible bike hire. See Forestry England's Cycle Centre page.

Start on: the 2.5km green Discovery Trail on a fully surfaced track, and the skills area and pump track, with easy, medium and hard lines.
Next steps: the Spicers and Kiddens blues, then the Ridge Ride red and the short Freers Loop black (no hire bikes on the black).
On site: parking, a cafe, toilets, a visitor centre and bike hire. Trails close from time to time for forestry work, so check Forestry England's Haldon page first.

Start on: Ellerburn, the gentlest trail at Dalby, or the longer green Adderstone Cycle Trail.
Next steps: the Jubilee blue, mostly forest road with a couple of easier red sections, and the orange skills area and pump track at Dixon's Hollow, then the red network and the black World Cup trail.
On site: a visitor centre, a cafe, toilets, and a shop, hire and coaching courses at the Dalby Forest Cycle Hub. The forest drive is tolled for cars but free on a bike.

Start on: the green Borderline trail, 11km of flat former railway line from Kielder Castle, and the blue section of the Castle Wood skills loop.
Next steps: the 19km Osprey blue along Kielder Burn, then the skills loop's red and black sections and the Lonesome Pine red.
On site: a visitor centre, a cafe, toilets and a bike shop at Kielder Castle. See Visit Kielder.

Free to ride, all year.
Start on: the Bike Park Skills Zone, with a pump track and features graded by dots, then the Easy Rider, a light blue trail along the River Medlock designed for a range of accessible bikes. The Limitless bike library lends adapted cycles, including trikes.
Next steps: the Sidewinder blue, then the Urban Red Rockit and the short Scorpions Tail black. The trails use the same dots, so you can practise a feature before you meet it.
On site: parking, a cafe, toilets, hire and a bike wash at the National Cycling Centre, which also books coaching.

Start on: Rookie, a 5.8km green from the Visitor Centre, or the flat Rheilffordd green on an old railway trackbed.
Next steps: the Blue Scar blue, then the long reds (Penhydd, White's Level, Blade and Skyline), the W2 black and the orange bike park.
On site: a cafe and bike shop at the Visitor Centre, and a cafe-bar, shop, hire and campsite at Glyncorrwg. Check Afan Forest Park for forestry closures first.

Start on: the Badgers Run and Kermit greens. The Beginner Uplift Experience includes a hardtail, protective kit and an introduction in the classroom.
Next steps: a long list of blues, then reds, blacks and pro lines, by uplift or a 5km ride-up. An Adaptive Bike Pass maps the trails approved for adaptive bikes.
On site: a cafe, hire, a shop, showers and coaching. It is a paid venue, so book a pass on the BikePark Wales website. Bike park grades run harder than trail centre grades.

Start on: Yr Afon, a green family trail mostly on forest road, and the kids' training zone in the Foundry skills area.
Next steps: MinorTaur, a blue with four loops of increasing technicality that is suitable for adaptive bikes, then three reds, three blacks and six waymarked gravel routes.
On site: Beics Brenin runs the bike shop and hire, with parking and toilets. See Natural Resources Wales for trail updates.

Start on: the 5km green, mostly hard-packed, climbing gently to the reservoir.
Next steps: the 12km blue, then the 18km red, its black runs and the Natural Selection lines. The skills zone and pump track have been closed for a rebuild, so check Oneplanet Adventure for their status.
On site: a visitor centre with a cafe, a bike shop with hire, toilets and showers.

Start on: two green routes, the Apple Peel taster loop, and the skills area built for young and new riders. The multi-user path from the car park suits adaptive bikes.
Next steps: the skills loop, the 16km blue, the popular 18km red, the black and the Masterplan trails. Glentress is part of the 7stanes, with more trail centres nearby.
On site: a cafe, toilets, showers, uplift, and a shop with hire from Alpine Bikes. Check Forestry and Land Scotland for forestry closures first.

Free to ride.
Start on: there is no green here, but the Slow Worm is an all-abilities trail in the front field, suitable for adaptive bikes, next to the skills park and pump track.
Next steps: the 4km blue, also suitable for adaptive bikes, then the reds and the black. The shop suggests natural routes around the Strathearn Valley.
On site: Comrie Croft Bikes for the shop, hire, coaching and guiding, with a seasonal cafe, an eco-lodge and camping.

Start on: the green loop, and the pump track in front of the cafe.
Next steps: three blues (Original Blue, Bazza's Berms and the Underthinker), then the 22km red to the summit of Carn Daimh, the orange freeride line, a black and a pro jump line.
On site: Bike Glenlivet has a cafe, hire, a bike wash and toilets, and the car park fees fund the trails.

Start on: there is no green here, but the lower forest is open all year: The Voodoo and Blue Adder are gentle blues, and One Dot is an entry-level jump line where every jump can be rolled.
Next steps: the gondola to the long Nevis Blue Doon on uplift days, then the reds, blacks and 4X. The World Cup downhill track is here too, for experts.
On site: a cafe, hire, toilets and showers at the base station. Check the Mountain Report on the Nevis Range website for gondola days.

Start on: the 2.4-mile green loop around Castlewellan Lake, with one slight incline, and the pump track by the trailhead.
Next steps: the 2.8-mile blue above the lake, then the 9.3-mile red and two short black descents.
On site: paid parking, toilets, a bike wash, hire and guided rides from Bike Mourne, and a seasonal cafe. Check MountainBikeNI for closures first.