Mountain Biking & Downhill

The Forest of Dean and Wye Valley is home to some of the best mountain biking in the UK. In fact Mountain Bike Rider Magazine said we have 'some of the best mountain bike trails this side of the Alps' (January 2019)! People travel from far and wide to cycle our trails, from the Verderer's Trail which is graded blue (moderate) full of technical features to test your fitness and ability to something for the most experienced mountain bikers - the Freeminer's Trail, graded red (difficult) which will push you and your bike to your limits. With trail names like Ski Run, Corkscrew and The Good The Bad and The Ugly, there are plenty of routes to test all abilities. There is also a choice of two skills loops to help you develop your off-road cycling skills.

Forest and Wye tracks provide a great opportunity for both novice and experienced mountain bikers and the Cannop Cycle Centre is the starting point for the Forest of Dean trails that will take you on an adventure deep into the woods whatever your age or ability. See our page on bike trails in the Forest of Dean and Wye Valley with downloadable map here. All equipment can be hired from Pedalabikeaway which is the hub for all things mountain biking with an on site shop, workshop, cafe, toilets, showers and bikewash.

Training and guided rides are available from Pedalabikeaway and Wye MTB and there is an uplift service too. Everything you could possibly need to begin your mountain biking journey, improve your skills or try out some brilliant off-road forest trails is here!

Interested in finding out more about e-bikes? See our top 5 reasons to hire an e-bike to make the most of your Dean Wye mountain biking adventure.

For the safety of walkers and wildlife, please keep all off-road mountain biking to the desginated areas. In the wider forest, you can explore using hard surfaced tracks, but please do not ride off-road or on waymarked walking trails.