Mountain Biking

The Forest of Dean offers a vast range of mountain bike trails

The XC Trails

The miles and miles of beautiful cross country riding include blue & red graded single track trails.Beginners love the blue graded, 11km Verderers Trail (named the Best Blue Trail in England, MBUK 2021), while intermediates have to keep their wits about them on the red graded (& recently extended) 17 km Freeminers Trail (with a choice of 3 different loops including Adit Trail that was added in 2022).

The trails are managed by the Forestry Commission and the latest trail information can be found on their website.

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Launchpad
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Designed and funded by the guys at Rough Riderz (with Help from Gloucestershire Environment Trust) Launchpad has become a firm favourite in the FOD. The trail is specifically aimed at four wheeled gravity bikes – wide and smooth with increasing speed as you head down the hill – there is no need to pedal. Passing a couple of 180 degree berms you’ll get some air over the jump section before swooping all the way to the bottom. Excellent fun!

Verderer’s Trail
11km
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Widely aclaimed as the best blue trail in Britain, the Verderer’s incorporates fast, flowing flat out corners, big berms and rollovers. Graded BLUE (11Km), but with some tricky challenges, the trail gently winds uphill before a swooping, flat top section and a brilliant descent on the Dragon’s Tail that will have you hooting and hollering all the way back to the cycle centre. Smiles guaranteed – or your money back!

Freeminer’s Trail
11km
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The Freeminer Trail (formerly the FODCA) is graded RED and now has even more extensions to keep you on your toes. With two “killer climbs” plus a steep twisty bermed section, rock garden and a jumps line the Freeminers’ now has something for every advanced rider. No wonder all the magazine bike testers reckon they can encounter a full range of conditions in under half an hour of riding. Watch out for the new introductory North Shore sections , built by DTV with kind assistance from Forest of Dean Council.

Designed, built and maintained by volunteers in partnership with the Forestry Commission, this challenging and varied single track (now 11km) can offer something to even the most demanding of riders -from tricky switchback climbs to rooty drops and hairpin bends, it is for experienced riders and off-road quality mountain bikes only.

Sections of the Freeminers’ have deliberately been left as close to natural trail as possible, so in the wetter parts of the year can be pretty muddy and slippery – you have been warned!

For Trail Status

For cross country trail updates and closures visit:

The Forest of Dean is also peppered with downhill and enduro trails.

3 x Skills Areas

There are a number of skills areas located close by too:

Introductory skills area – suitable for children and complete beginners

Larger skills area with a pump track, jumps, drops and features – suitable from the beginner to the advanced!

Coaching & Advanced Skills Area – for accomplished riders refining their skills

Hire Standard MTB

Mountain Bike Hire

Our bike hire fleet offers mountain bikes specifically selected for riding the Forest of Dean cross country and downhill trails, with standard hard tail, full suspension mountain bikes & e-bikes from Whyte Bikes and Orange Bikes. Whatever kind of riding you are looking for, Pedalabikeaway have the right hire bike for you!