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10 of the top places to go mountain biking over winter
These are the hotspots for some winter riding in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Mountain biking changes when the days get shorter and the air gets colder, but just because the weather is getting a little worse doesn’t mean the riding is too.
Winter mountain biking is just slightly different. You have to pick trails that drain well so you don’t get, quite literally, bogged down or find yourself skidding about all day (though a little of this is inevitable wherever). Also, you have to choose your routes carefully and plan for the daylight so you won’t find yourself stranded halfway up a trail when the darkness swoops in.
Here are a few great options for where to ride a mountain bike in winter across the UK.
Scotland
1. Glentress Forest
Well-built trail centres are designed to drain well, which makes them ideal for winter riding, and there are plenty across the UK open year-round.
Glentress Forest is somewhat of a mountain biking mecca in the Tweed Valley, only about an hour's drive from Edinburgh. It’s part of the 7Stanes, a collection of world-class mountain biking centres in Southern Scotland. There are plenty of amazing trails at Glentress, including the famous Spooky Wood red track and infamous Boundary Trail black.
If you run out of options, which should take a while, hop over to Innerleithen 20 minutes down the road for more world class riding – and more technical, gravity stuff.
2. Kyle of Sutherland Trails
The trails at Carbisdale and Balbair offer a great mixture of mountain biking options, but the real selling point is the views they provide over the Kyle of Sutherland, a river estuary separating Sutherland from Ross-Shire that’s picture-postcard perfect.
Carbisdale is great for those who are relatively new to mountain biking, while Balbair has a true 17km, three-hour black route on grippy bedrock – though be careful of frost, as always – and a 3km blue which is a whole lot of fun.
The good thing here is that, come winter time, the wooden sections of the trails are coated with a rubber/sand paint meaning it grips even in the wet.
3. Laggan Wolftrax
Another great Scottish mountain biking centre, Laggan Wolftrax is a little less known than the likes of Glentress, and can be found about halfway between Aviemore and Fort William.
Here you'll find over 20 miles of purpose-built trails through the Laggan Forest with breathtaking views of the Monadhliath hills on the edge of the Cairngorms National Park.
There are easy trails, greens and blues, but also some crazy difficult stuff. The 6.4km black route including The Devil's Chessboard, a 40m rock slab 24-level staircase, is probably some of the most technical graded singletrack in Scotland. Careful on those rocks if it’s icy though!
Wales
4. BikePark Wales
Possibly the best known bikepark in Wales despite being relatively new, BPW offers everything from warm ups and beginner's trails like the Badgers Run to the popular Sixtapod, an incredibly fun run that offers the opportunity to get airborne, and the famous A470 line – a jump trail that’ll see you spend more time in the air than you would’ve had you gone trampolining.
This is one of the best bike parks in Britain no matter the time of year. The uplift runs from 9.30am-4pm throughout winter, with the Bikepark opening at 9am and shutting at 5pm.
5. Coed y Brenin
Coed y Brenin is an iconic trail centre in North Wales, and it’s just a great place to be at any time of year, from the giant-treehouse trail centre itself to the sculptures that mark the entrances to the trails.
If you're still getting to grips with things, take on the blue MinorTaur. It's wide and a good welcome to the trail centre, therefore giving you a chance to both up your skills and get to hands with the conditions of the day. From there, you can graduate onto the Dragon's Back red trail, which mixes climbs with flowing trail and technical sections, and if you're an advanced rice, onto The Beast, a demanding trail that gives back in downhill.
6. Brecon Beacons – The Gap
If you’re a bit more advanced and want to get away from the trail parks and into the mountains, then there’s no better way to do so than on the iconic Gap Road in Brecon Beacons.
One to stay away from if it is snowy, but usually decent to ride in all other conditions, this 820m ascent takes you on an old path right up to the Beacons ridge.
It's a long ride but the scenery is exactly what you'd hope – beautiful mountains and rolling Welsh hills as far as the eye can see. Particularly when the climb has peaked, you’ll be faced with nature that’ll leave you speechless. The descent is worth the uphill too. Be careful on the technical start; after that, stay focused, ride the rocks and enjoy the view.
Northern Ireland
7. Davagh Forest Mountain Bike Trails
Home to a whole host of Northern Ireland’s most iconic mountain bike features, Davagh is an untouched rural trail haven of rolling hills and forest with a memorable 16km red track.
Take on the free-flowing, fast and fantastically fun Stream Trail, tackle Run Ragley Rum – a passage that sees the Sperrin Mountains open up before you in a way you’ll never forget – and drop over Boundary Rock while you look out on seemingly endless rows of winter trees.
8. Castlewellan Mountain Bike Trails
Castlewellan is a great showcase of the scenery and wonders Northern Ireland has to offer.
There's a hefty 19km Red Trail which will take you past one of the country's most famous lakes, Castlewellan Lake, past a stunning Victorian castle, then onto the singletrack which captures the views also seen on the 4.5km Blue Trail. From there, you're onto more challenging mountain biking terrain. The two black options are Dolly’s Chute and The Great Escape.
When you’re all done, you can head back down to lively Castlewellan for dinner and a pint.
England
9. Lonscale Fell, Lake District
A well-drained route in the Lake District, Lonscale Fell will see you face off against tough climbs that will earn you mouthwatering descents.
The 17km, 2-3 hour route is beautiful and feels properly remote without actually taking you too far from where you started (time-wise at least!).
Easily accessible from the M6, this is a great stop off for someone who wants to get out on their bike, without the route without taking up the whole day.
10. Forest of Dean
The Forest of Dean is particularly good for downhill enthusiasts in winter, with the trails seemingly able to handle whatever the weather whips up. Downhill enthusiasts will probably already know about the likes of the black Sheepskull trail but you should also try out the original FoD trail – it's rideable whatever the conditions.
The Mini Downhill series at Forest of Dean is one of the best winter comps around for downhillers too.
