Grizedale Forest - finding some challenging trails 

Yeah, they really are ace trails, most technical I’ve ridden in a while for sure. I just think it’s very short sighted of them, especially as they don’t seem interested in talking to the builders

I'm a bad bad man, Tat 😂

Thanks mate, they are very special indeed; not as special as the 'special' ones were on the other side but special enough to make me do a small poo. I do wonder whether the FC are a bit more controlling in the Lakes because of where it is, but they must know that it will be a constant battle. Never mind, new trails are always fun 👍

Thanks mate, they definitely go overboard when blocking trails 👍

Thanks mate. I think one of the really frustrating parts is that they know that they're not going to stop people building trails, so blocking these ones (with felled trees that they aren't going to get any revenue from) seems a bit pointless really. Sure, they weren't exactly easy tracks but there was no features on them; no (obvious) doubles, drops or the thing that really get to them, North Shore stuff. I do get the whole liability thing but if they are fighting a losing battle, why don't they try to come to some sort of compromise? I guess that they will say that there's the North Face trail (and that awful 'freeride' area) to cater for mountain bikers but they are, and always have been god awful and not what a lot of people want to ride. Yeah, there's a ton of bridleways in the forest and some of them are fantastic but there's more risk of injury on those and potentially worse because it could be between a rider and a pedestrian. I am glad I got to ride them before they 'go' though - was quite nervous down a couple of them 😃

Thanks mate and yeah, they’re bloody great. Looks like these may be short lived but new ones will definitely appear 👍

Exactly, really don't get it; they know new stuff will appear too. Amazing trails and I only scratched the surface - way more techy than they come across as in the video though!

Really is mate, and it's been too long since my last trip up there. Knee is fine - happens all the time (both are ruined anyway from years of crashing) 👍

They're not as silly as the stuff we found last time but they're a step up from the stuff we usually ride for sure - think Candy Wood but steep!! Sweat in the eyes was a real issue, not about to moan though as I would rather have that than the months of grot we've suffered 😃

Yeah, some lovely trails in there for sure mate; scary, but lovely 😃. As for living in Cnada, would be fantastic but I would be very wary of getting SMASHED by a bear 😂

Absolutely mate, and people riding trails like this leads to less interaction with other trail users. I love the bridleways in Grizedale but on a decent weather day like this was, it’s very stop/start on shared trails (and I am sure that some don’t stop, buzzing walkers and annoying them).

Thanks Dave and yeah, it's felt like far too long 👍

@@Stopadoodledoo Yes buddy. I know exactly how I feel with the weather. The trails are drying up nicely 💪🏽👍🏽

Thanks, appreciate it. Always a bit easier to achieve when it’s great weather and a great location 👍

Thanks Ant. Looking forward to seeing your footage from Scotland 👍

Thanks mate. Probably won’t make you feel any better by telling you that I did the Worlds End loop the following day 😂

@@Stopadoodledoo Gd lad n ffs u cudda invited me lol oj did u av another gd day tho bro

@@D.R.MTB.48 Certainly did mate, was tired by the end though (especially doing two days on the trot)

@@Stopadoodledoo All adds to the fitness eh. Not that id know lol

Heatmaps has definitely added a new dimension to cheekily built trails, more so than when Strava was a thing but heatmaps wasn’t. We’re all aware that Strava opened up the visibility of previously unknown stuff through people recording and naming segments but the latter part was limited; heatmaps shows everything that’s been ridden and to an extent, how much (hardly used, probably not worth looking at if there’s nothing else in the area). It’s definitely a useful tool for the curious but must be a pain for the trail builders. Ironically, us muppets who film on such trails often get flack for giving away the locations and trails, probably by some who are recording their rides. Totally agree if people are making it obvious in their videos where places are but, as with this video, saying Grizedale wouldn’t give it away unless you knew where in Grizedale I was (and it’s a big forest) and if you do, then you probably already know about the trails. I could do a whole different video prattling on about this 😂

​@@Stopadoodledoo I'm conflicted on the videos. I can see both sides. Logging to strava has to be a sin though. With a video even if you show everything from your house to the trailhead it can be difficult to work out where the trailhead actually is. So if you skip a bit of the start of the trail it's obfuscated enough really. Logging to strava though.. I can literally put the heat map in one tab and align google maps in another tab and work out the exact location and get directions. 😂

@@donpalmera yep, that’s what I do, as well as OS Maps for remote areas

Thanks mate, so much good stuff in the forest; you could base a long weekend around it and ride fresh stuff each day (and there’s plenty more nearby too). You are right about discussion too, I reckon a fair few avoid subjects like this through fear of backlash but I like to be a bit controversial at times, as starting such conversations is invariably beneficial. Made me laugh when I found that trail that they had blocked, had been replaced with another one - the one I kept crashing on at the end 😂

@@Stopadoodledoo We have ridden Grizedale a fair amount but when the tracks going down to coniston got destroyed we kinda stopped going. Was aware there was more stuff on the satterthwaite side but not really “explored” it much. We were supposed to go and do just that a coupe of weeks back but the weather was looking bleak. What I don't understand (and made a similar point in a recent lee quarry edit) is how they manage to work around these supposed issues in Scotland and to a smaller but growing degree in Wales (thinking specifically Gwydir which now has an official dig group etc). It seems to be a very “English” problem. The FC have encouraged riding in Grizedale with waymarked trails, well stocked bike shop, hire bike fleet, cafe etc and then let the trail go to complete ruin and then are somehow suprised and upset that mountain bikers have made some worthy trails to ride in the area. Not to mention that they use it for Enduro’s every so often. It just doesn’t make any sense. Meanwhile there’s new trail centres and new trails popping up left right and centre in Scotland. confusing to say the least!

@@MindfulTrailBiker That's kind of what I don't understand too; why can't they work with the guys who are digging there and see what compromises can be made? There were no 'features' on the ones I rode and to be honest, if someone (trying to say it delicately) who wasn't at the level required to ride them set off down one not knowing what it was like, I'm pretty sure they'd stop and turn round pretty sharpish. The North Face trail is a joke, always has been. I've done the full loop of it once and will never do so again (a couple of the climbs and traverses are useful though); the bridleways in the forest are far better. It's definitely worth a visit to ride these ones though (you probably know where they are) although I can imagine that they would be a bit fruity in the wet, to say the least !!

@@Stopadoodledoo Funnily enough I have set off down one of them trails in the wet and turned round and pushed back up after about 10m as it was clearly too much in them conditions which is exactly what we agree is the sensible and self preserving way to ride unknown tracks. It’s very strange. I think FOD is perhaps the only English trail centre that is bucking the trend and has a healthy community/FC relationship with each contributing to building new and maintaining old trails (of which many are off piste style tracks). So what’s the issue at Grizedale?

@@MindfulTrailBiker Maybe it's because it's in the Lake District although the fact that it's a working forest (which they regularly clear fell) kind of negates the 'preserving the natural beauty' argument. You would kind of hope that BikeTreks, having relocated there, would be trying to work with the FC to look at what trails, etc., are available and maybe work on new ones and maybe they are, but it doesn't seem to be doing much. If they were to put bike specific trails in that were actually worth riding then it would have the potential to be really popular (despite the awkward route to it 😃). I guess it is anyway, but from an official perspective it doesn't really cater for the Enduro market at all. I imagine even the XC / trail guys ride the bridleways rather than the North Face; don't think I have ever met anyone with something positive to say about it, at least as a full loop.

That’s a big part of the problem mate, goons who fall off in places where they’re not supposed to be and then cry about it being too bumpy to the landowners 😂

They are mate; showed Andy (Trail Finder) one of them 👍😀 I gave Marc and Christian a tour of some of the best ones a few years ago (including Claife): ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Zfd75jvJksk.html