There’s lots of foodie news from our award winning cafe this summer!
Firstly, our new Summer Menu is now live in the Cafe at Forest of Dean Cycle Centre featuring lots of fantastic burgers, sides and snacks including plenty of gluten free and vegan options as well as refreshing drinks menu including iced teas, coffees and all your favourites in chiller – soft drinks, ale and cider. There’s even a selection of snacks for your dog too!
We have dedicated Friday Night Pizza Nights every week during holidays from 4pm to 7pm serving Margherita, Pepperoni and Hawaiian Pizzas to order from our PizzaBox outside. Pizzas are also served every weekend from 12pm to 3pm.
Our Late Night Thursdays also got even more delicious with our new Flavour Club weekly specials served between 5pm and 9pm every week too (last orders at 8.15pm) with global themes each week. Watch out for Bao Bun Night, Gourmet Burger Night, Mac & Cheese Night and more. No bookings needed just come and refuel and enjoy the summer vibes.
Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening when:
Summer Café & Pizza Hours – Now Until End of Holidays
☀️ Monday–Wednesday
• Café open 9am–5pm
• Full summer menu served until 4pm
• Fresh sandwiches, salads & savouries in the chiller
☀️ Thursday – Late Night Thursdays
• Café open 9am–9pm
• Flavour Club specials served until 8.15pm
• Full summer menu available all day
☀️ Friday – Pizza Night
• Café open 9am–5pm
• Full summer menu served until 4pm
• Pizza Box open 4pm–7pm for stonebaked pizzas
☀️ Saturday
• Café open 9am–5pm
• Full summer menu served until 5pm
• Pizza Box open 12pm–3pm
☀️ Sunday
• Café open 9am–5pm
• Full summer menu served until 4pm
• Pizza Box open 12pm–3pm
Photo credit: Forestry England.
Meet Old Bob – the new Green MTB trail in the Forest of Dean. The perfect bridge from the Family Cycle Trail to the Blue Verderers Trail and beyond:
The Story
Our motto at Pedalabikeaway has always been ‘Cycling for everyone’ – so we are delighted to finally have the missing piece in the jigsaw, the new Green MTB trail, “Old Bob”.
The original “Old Bob” was the pumping engine at Cannop Colliery, ensuring the mine shafts didn’t get flooded as far back as 1880, and the new Green Trail name is a nod to our Cycle Centre’s industrial heritage.
Since 2011, we have had the blue Verderers trail, green Family cycle trail (now called the “Colliers Trail”), red Freeminers route and several downhill lines.
Old Bobs is the final piece in the puzzle!
We feel it now makes the Forest of Dean the most complete trail centre in the UK!
What to expect?
It is a 2km flowy green trail, with 3 skills areas that you can session and lap. Expect a small climb, lots of berms and flow and a whole heap of fun!
Starting a sort distance from the Cycle Centre along the link trail, Old Bob starts with a gentle gradient climb. After a few hundred metres you’ll find the first of 3 skills areas, this one with a range of different corners to help you build up your confidence…
A little more climbing gets you to the ‘top’ of the trail, where you’ll find the 2nd skills area to practice on! After honing your skills once more, you can start your journey down the hill, and here the real fun begins…
The whole trail is suitable to lap time and time again, building up your confidence and skills, and tiring out little legs as you go.
All of this is no more than a hop, skip and a jump back to the Pedalabikeaway Café, and a much needed hot chocolate and refuel!
Check out all the info on the trail on the Forestry England Website here
Plan your next visit
With half term just around the corner, it’s the perfect time to enjoy the Forest of Dean’s autumnal glory and check out the new trail!
Need to hire a bike? Not a problem. Just head over to our website to book here
See you out on Old Bob soon!
Photo credit: Forestry England
The summer holidays are finally here at FOD HQ. We’ve had a taste of summer warmth and we’re hopeful there’s more days like it to come.
There’s loads going on at the Cycle Centre over the holidays, so well worth planning your next visit!
Wye MTB kids coaching
Looking to get your kids more proficient at mountain biking? Our sister company, Wye MTB has a range of kids coaching sessions all summer.
Every Monday and Wednesday, there are beginner, intermediate or advanced kids MTB sessions – so something for every level from age 5+.
They also have the Fodders Academy for 10-16 years old every Tuesday and the Youth Gravity Camps (14-17year olds) each Thursday.
Plenty to keep your little rippers entertained!
Late Night Thursdays
These continue all through the summer with café open until 9pm every week.
Our Chef Jason will be rustling up a range of hand stretched Pizzas and of course, we’ll have lots of Wild Boar Cider and Sheepskull Ale chilling in the fridge to wash it down.
Join us and escape for a quick post work ride and stay for food afterwards!
Saturday afternoon Bike Hire and evening Burgers
Want a lazy start to your Saturday? There’s now an afternoon bike hire slot (3pm – 6pm) if you want to start your ride a bit later. Our café is also open until 7pm on Saturdays until the end of the holidays, serving a range of delicious burgers in the evening.
That’s still more than enough time to get in some laps of the Colliers Trail (previously known as the family cycle trail), the Verderers or just session some of the downhill trails….
Don’t forget to book your bike hire in advance!
Need to cool down?
The short diversion off the Family Cycle trail (now known as the Colliers Trail) to Mallards Pike is the perfect spot to hit up with the kids.
Not only are there plenty of lakeside shady spots, but there’s also the Gruffalo Trail for the kids to follow, our café serving cold drinks and ice cream, and a Go-Ape site (pre-book only) for those who are feeling at little more adventurous.
See you on the trails!
At last, there’s holiday sunshine in the forecast, upgraded trails, a new hire fleet and the FOD Thursday (Race your Mates) dates are available to book! We are also closing briefly between 12th-23rd June for a rewiring project. Read on for more detail.
With the final May Bank Holiday and half term just days away, our hire bikes are booking up fast. We have a wide selection of leisure and mountain bikes for all the family plus e-bikes and accessories such as tagalongs, child seats and trails. We typically do sell out this time of year so if you are thinking about a ride in the Forest of Dean – please book to avoid disappointment.
The Cafe and Shop will be closed on Wednesday 24th May and then again from 12-23rd June with a limited outside cafe service on 17th & 18th June. Please note Bike Hire will be open from 16th-18th June.
29th June, 6th & 20th July – Now includes an earlier session for U16s. As usual food and drink included in your ticket. Book your slot(s)
Our popular Late Night Thursdays continue every Thursday with a cafe special each week – last food orders at 8.15pm. Showers & toilets also open until 9pm.
If you would like to help out with trail digging get in touch with Dean Trail Volunteers who are always looking for more hands!
There’s now just a few of our ex-hire bikes left! As well as a selection of Specialized Sirrus and Whyte mountain bikes in small and medium sizes (great for kids and smaller builds!), we also have a large full suspension Orange Switch, plus a large Whyte e160.
All bikes have been regularly serviced and come with 3 months warranty. They can be collected from the Cycle Centre or delivered free within 10 miles or couriered anywhere in UK for £20.
Going, going…
The leaves are turning golden, the temperature has dropped and the nights are closing in. It’s time for hearty and warming comfort foods, and the new Pedalabikeaway Cafe autumn menu has plenty of tasty dishes to keep you satisfied when it’s cold, wet and windy like jacket potatoes, homemade soups and more.
If you’re vegetarian, or just looking to cut down on your meat consumption, there’s no need to compromise on taste at Pedalabikeaway. Our famous Loaded FOD Burger and Loaded fries have had a veggie makeover.
The Veggie Loaded FOD Burger combines a vegetable burger patty with fresh tomato and lettuce, optional cheese, and delicious pulled soya protein in a rich barbecue sauce. Or opt for our loaded fries which are crisp, hot and tasty, and also loaded with pulled soya. The taste and texture is so good, you won’t be missing out on the meaty equivalent.
Get a few steps closer to your five a day – or simply satisfy your desire for something fresh and light – with one of our freshly made salads. Crisp lettuce and tomato combined with shredded cucumber and onion, plus either chicken breast chunks, or pulled soya with a beetroot and orange salad. Whatever you choose, you’ll find it flavoursome and satisfying.
The quintessential winter dish, it’s hard to beat a piping hot jacket potato with lashings of beans, cheese or tuna mayo, with a fresh salad on the side. Perfect for cold days, or when you’ve been out walking or riding in the mud and rain, these will fill you and leave you feeling toasty and warm.
On its own, with a chunk of crusty bread, or with one of our fresh sandwiches, you won’t regret warming yourself up with one of our homemade soups. The menu changes regularly, but expect choices like leek and potato or tomato and red pepper. Fresh, delicious and wholesome.
Looking for a family-friendly activity for the August Bank Holiday weekend? Or just hoping to get away from it all in a Forest wonderland? Whether you’re an active family, or you’ve got mountain-bike mad kids – or you’re just looking for something different and fun to do – we’ve got lots of ways to keep you all entertained and happy this bank holiday weekend!
Imagine a beautiful trail that takes in the best that the Forest of Dean has to offer, with towering trees, lake views, sculptures, and wildlife galore. You might spot deer or one of the famous Forest of Dean boars as you walk or cycle around this traffic-free route. There are plenty of rest stops along the way, and tea and fresh cake (and hot food) are available at both our Mallards Cafe and the Pedalabikeaway cafe at the Cycle Centre.
It’s fun to walk, but we think it’s much more fun to ride, and we’ve got a selection of adult and child leisure bikes available to hire, plus child seats, tagalongs (in case those little legs get tired) and baby trails. We’ve even got dog trailers too!
Yes, you read that right! If you want to do things differently, we guarantee riding a tandem will raise a smile and you’ll be greeted by every person you meet! Our tandem is fun, stable, and actually makes short work of hills because there’s two people working together to get up them.
In fact, the only thing you have to choose is who’s going to be the pilot at the front, and who wants to be the stoker at the back!
The mountain bike trails at the Forest of Dean are famous. We’ve even got Olympians coming to train on them, like cross-country mountain biker Evie Richards who competed at Tokyo 2021!
For a taste of the thrills and skills involved, rent one our fun, stable hard tails, or take things up a notch with our premium full-suspension mountain bikes which are perfect for developing skills and making the most of what’s on offer. We’ve even got electric-mountain bikes which will make short work of the hills!
All the trails are graded too, from easy greens to super-technical blacks and downhill tracks, so there’s something for every rider. And all trails start and finish at the Pedalabikeaway Cafe and the cycle centre car park, so you’re never too far from a cuppa and slice of cake.
If beautiful views and historic ruins are your thing, then the Wye Valley Greenway is for you! Newly opened at the start of Summer 2021, it follows the route of the long-abandoned Wye Valley railway, taking you on a ride through woodlands above the River Wye, and through am amazing old railway tunnel, which is home to a rare species of bat – but don’t worry, they’ll be asleep during the day when you ride through! Then stop for lunch in Tintern in the shadow of the beautiful Tintern Abbey, before hopping back on for the ride back.
You can park at the National Diving and Activity Centre just outside of Chepstow where the trail begins, and if you want to hire some bikes, Pedalabikeaway has a rental shop right on the trail with adult and child leisure bikes which are perfect for exploring the route.
Pedalabikeaway have just opened a brand new family-friendly bike park in the Dare Valley in Wales, and it’s a whole lot of fun! Pump tracks are perfect for developing bike and bmx skills, and the trails are all beginner-friendly and smooth. You can ride to the top and do laps, or we also have a bike uplift service; pop your bike in the truck, hop in a seat, and let us do the hard work so you can focus on the downhills!
There’s parking, a cafe and bike hire, so all you need to do is turn up and have fun.
If things have all gotten a bit too much and you want to get away from the crowds, then the Forest of Dean is big enough to offer you a little slice of peace and quiet. Grab a takeaway cuppa and sandwich from Mallards Cafe, and explore the quieter trails the Forest has to offer, watch the world go by, spot some wildlife, and just breathe.