'The Loop' skills area

The latest addition to the Forest is the fantastic 'Loop'. Providing arguably the best skills areas of any in the country, the Loop will allow you to really hone your off-road skills.

The Loop winds its way down through the forest providing a range of obstacles and skill sections including drop-offs, bermed turns and jumps. Carefully designed to suit all abilities, the Loop is as easy or as difficult as you want it to be.

If you haven’t ridden at Hamsterley for a while, you may be surprised at what you’ll find here. The Hamsterley Trailblazers have been hard at work, opening new sections of purpose-built trail that will ride well in any weather.

“The Loop” and “The Grove Link” are already established classics; “Section 13” is almost as popular with the Downhill and 4X guys as it is with the XC crew (and cleverly designed to be accessible to riders with a wide range of experience). “Special K” and “Brain Freeze” offer sinuous singletrack with bomb holes, tabletops and even a wooden “wall of death” for the super-confident.

The latest additions to the Hamsterley collection include the new “Wall Climb” on the Black Route; and “Transmission”, a huge festival of features that’s picking up rave reviews from riders who make it to the furthest corners of the Red Route.

This year, “Transmission” Part 2: “The Accelerator” will be extended to The Grove, to complete an all-singletrack return leg on the Red Route from the top of the forest to the Visitor Centre. Rumour has it, it’s going to be the best yet – and with trail building legend Pete Laing (Glentress etc) involved in the design, the rumours could well be right. Why not come and find out for yourself?