Delamere Forest - Manley Hill Bike Park and searching for singletrack 

I really did enjoy myself, despite my misgivings about going there. That littering was just disgusting, there being a Disney Princess bag in it just making it all the more so somehow. When I was filming that bit, there was a dad and his lad stood just to ones side of me (it wasn't them who had littered) and at first they were looking at me like I was from the moon but by the end, they knew exactly why I was doing and saying what I did although they were probably a bit confused about who Kung Fu Janet is (in-joke with my five year old daughter, who always shouts "She's not called that Daddy" 😂)

I wondered if you would spot your sticker on the top tube 😂 I reckon you could do that road gap mate; me, it's a few levels above what I would do (maybe a few years ago but now, not a chance). I really do reckon it's a great place for a mess around; not every ride has to be epic to be enjoyable 👍

@@Stopadoodledoo cheers for the encouragement buddy , as I remember it , she was big . Is there still a jump after it ?

Oh yeah, it’s a fair old gap and drop. I didn’t notice a jump afterwards but to be honest, as there was no way I was going to hit the road gap, I didn’t pay attention to what came next 😂

Thanks mate 😃

Thanks mate, same to you 👍

Cheers mate and hopefully the good times are about to begin again now that this ridiculous lockdown (that everyone ignored) is nearly over and done with. As for Delamere, it's a long way for you to drive; far better places closer to you. Get well soon buddy, the time will hopefully fly by until you are back on the bike 👍

Cheers mate. I've seen reports of Cumbrian Police handing out fines to people driving past Kendal so don't want to risk it for what will hopefully only be a couple of weeks more. I did go to Delamere again yesterday but that was with a mate who has just got into mountain biking; didn't think it would be wise to take him to the Macc Forest off piste stuff 😂

@@Stopadoodledoo I see what you mean bro yeah don't risk it for a biscuit go easy on your friend 😂🤣🍪💪👍

Yeah, it’s bang on for a couple of hours messing around, probably more so in the evening when there’s chance of riding the 4X without crashing into anyone 😂

Cheers mate. I have been rather critical of the place in the past as I usually only visit when there’s no other options and compared to almost everywhere else I have ridden this year, it doesn’t compare but that doesn’t mean it’s crap, and I really did enjoy myself, That berm, if you can call it that... how did I spin through 180 degrees? 😂

@@Stopadoodledoo clearly you're a rad, sic, gnar dude!🤘🤘🤘🤘😎😜

The thing with Delamere is that it is a good place to ride and you can have a laugh there, it's just that it's a bit limited so you get bored after a couple of hours. Like you, given the choice, I would head out to proper hills but these are strange times we live in. That road gap is bonkers. Maybe 20 years ago... Nah, who am I kidding 😂

Thanks mate. As I say, it's a great place for a couple of hours messing around although not sure I'd want to travel any real distance to get to it.

@@Stopadoodledoo Cheers. Yeh it's about an hour from us so when we run out of nearer places to explore then it may be one for the list! We've got Cannock Chase on our doorstep but done it to death now.

Yeah, it's definitely somewhere worth the occasional visit and hopefully in the Summer, we can get down there for a mess-about after work. I'll be honest and say that if it wasn't for Lockdown 2, I would not have gone there but I'm kind of glad I did as it was fun just messing around. As for the road gap, you can do one if you think I am doing that 😂

@@Stopadoodledoo 🤣 same here, only saw it in person last week and was immediately like not a bloody chance!! Loads bigger than what you think, and certainly not for a hardtail or even bobcat!

It’s Earthed 3 that Peaty and Nigel Page do it in, both on hardtails. But they are bloody amazing on bikes and I am a decrepit old fool 😂 I also got Peaty’s bike wrong; it was an Orange MsIsle but it’s a yellow and Black one, painted up to resemble his Bumblebee 224 😀

That’s a real shame but what I guess they call ‘progress’. I am sure that I have only found a small proportion of what singletrack is there but given that it’s not an area known for elevation, what I have found is really good, it a bit sloppy in winter.

Thanks mate, more of a talking one than a riding one this, but I did have a decent ride too 👍

😂 I do usually ride up every hill that I am able to, it was just one of those days 👍

@@Stopadoodledoo 😂

Hi mate. I use a GoPro 8 mounted directly to a Stuntman chest harness, which keeps the camera far more stable than the GoPro one (there's a link to it on Amazon in the description of other recent videos but I seem to have forgotten to put it in this one). The camera settings are 4k, 30 frames per second and SuperView, and I have used the standard settings in the camera for colour grading (although I do lighten it up a bit in iMovie when editing). Hope that's helpful 👍

I reckon that getting the miles in at a decent pace, even along towpaths and the rest, does more for your fitness than plodding up a big hill for ages and then blasting back down. I really miss commuting to work by bike (if you've seen my old Lockdown ride videos from back in April, that's basically my commute route) as it got me fit and quickly. 👍

Nice one bro you go for it though man it's better to be out on your bike and doing nothing appreciate watching the videos and keep that fitness up mate 👍💪💪🙏

@@Stopadoodledoo yes mate 👍👍

It's definitely good fun there. Sure, there are far better places but it's close by and good for a laugh; that's a plus in my books 👍

@@adrianszabelski8105 Think I spotted them yesterday, on a return trip there 👍

@@Stopadoodledoo ye the way to them was filthy tho it's a tonne of berms drops and steeps

Cheers mate. It was definitely one of those days where random stuff just came into my head so I said it out loud 😂

Thanks mate. On this ride, I was on two Maxxis Minion DHR 2.4's, the back one being almost completely bald (it had done over 2000 miles to it's credit). Funnily enough, when I got home and cleaned the bike, I noticed that there was a huge hole in the sidewall and the inner tube was sticking out so being the cheapskate I am, I put on an ancient (and also bald) WTB tyre that used to live on the front of the bike when it was new. As the hardtail is/was mainly a commuting bike (e.g. Covid has put an end to my commute as I work from home now), it tends to get hand-me-down tyres from my Orange when they get replaced. As such, it's had a motley collection of part worn tyres over the past year 😃👍

Definitely mate, we are lucky to have somewhere fun to ride so close by. Controversial I know, but I would rather go to Delamere than Degla 😀

Hi. It's very near 'No Brains', the steep chute that runs off the fireroad (the one from the road through the forest to the holiday park 👍

@@Stopadoodledoo okay thank you

Not too much fitness mate. If there'd been any Strongbow left, I might have wiped down the filthy chair and had me some refreshing apple flavoured alcohol 😂

Hi, it's a trail that runs parallel to the road that cuts through the forest; entrance to it is near the newly installed barriers (if you know where that is). It's not far from the 4X track.

Oh ok

I do quite like it there but only when limited for time. I always find myself bored after a couple of hours there and to be honest, I have found so much better stuff an equal or even less distance from Chester, not sure I would bother going again.

Yeah, it’s not the best place by a long shot; some interesting bits and bobs scattered around a large area. Ok if you are local and know where to go but if you have travelled any distance to get there then chances are that you have driven past far better places en route. This was in lockdown 2: the one nobody took seriously but we weren’t allowed into Wales or more than about 20 miles away (my own rule there 😂). I tend to only go if I am really limited for time and/or the weather is really snotty

I think it's both, but I'm not 100% sure

Thanks mate, glad you enjoyed it 😎

Cheers mate, I always enjoy a quick mess-around at Delamere 👍