Forest of Dean Mountain Biking for Beginners: Where to Start

I've lived in the Forest of Dean for thirty years, and my advice to anyone new to mountain biking here is short: start at the Forest of Dean Cycle Centre at Cannop, and stay there until the blue trail feels easy. It has a green trail built for first-timers, a beginner skills area, a family trail, bike hire and approved coaches, all in one place. The trails are free to ride. You pay to park, and even that's optional if you know where to leave the car.

Is the Forest of Dean good for beginner mountain bikers?

Yes, as long as you start in the right place. The Cycle Centre is a proper trail centre: waymarked, graded trails, so you know what you're getting before you roll in. Beginners should stick to it. Ride the green, then the blue (the Verderers), or the family trail if you've got kids with you.

It's also a safe bet when the weather turns. The Cycle Centre always runs pretty well in the wet, because the stone and man-made trails give you grip. How the natural riding out in the woods copes with rain depends a lot on where you are, and that's a job for later.

Forestry England sometimes has to close trails for maintenance, so check which trails are open before you set off.

Which trail should a beginner ride first?

Start small. These are the trails and areas at the Cycle Centre that suit new riders:

Trail	Grade	Length	What it's like
Beginner skills area	Green	Short loop	Very small rollers, corners and a slab rock at the exit. Just over the bridge on the Colliers Trail.
Old Bob's Trail	Green	2 km	Relatively flat, wide and smooth. Gentle climbs and descents, rollers and berms, with features that are easy to avoid, plus three optional skills areas.
Hicksters Way Loop	Family route	8 km	A shorter family ride from the Cycle Centre or Beechenhurst.
Verderers Trail	Blue	11.3 km	Climbs and descents, tree roots, rock steps, jumps and berms. The real step up.

Old Bob's is the one Forestry England aims at first-timers. It suits a wide range of cycles with two, three or four wheels, including adaptive cycles and tag-a-longs, so it works for mixed families too. The skills areas are optional. Ride around anything you don't fancy yet and come back to it on the next lap.

A sensible first visit is a few laps of the beginner skills area and Old Bob's to get used to the bike. Once the rollers and berms feel comfortable, the Verderers is the next step.

Is the Verderers Trail suitable for beginners?

It's the trail I point beginners at once they've found their feet, but go in knowing it's a real step up from green. Forestry England describes a mixture of climbs and descents with moderate gradients, technical features like tree roots and rock steps, and jumps and berms.

It's a proper ride, too. FoDMTB puts it at 11.3 km (7 miles). Pedalabikeaway says 11 km with just over 940 feet of elevation change, and that MBR voted it the best blue trail in the UK in 2021. Either way, take water and something to eat, and don't treat it as a quick lap.

Walking a rock step you're not sure about is completely fine. Have a look at it, walk it, and ride it next time.

Riding with kids and family

With kids or family, I'd take the Colliers Trail, the old Family Cycle Trail. It isn't dead flat, though. Forestry England warns that gradients can be steep or variable, and surfaces can be uneven, loose or potholed. It's a shared-use trail, so you'll come across walkers, dogs and runners on the way round. Slow down, say hello and give them room.

If the full loop is too much for small legs, Forestry England suggests the Hicksters Way Loop, an 8 km (5 mile) ride from the Cycle Centre or Beechenhurst. The beginner skills area sits just over the bridge on the Colliers Trail, so it's an easy stop for kids who want a go on the rollers.

For riders who use adaptive cycles, Old Bob's suits them, and there's an accessible hire session on Wednesdays (below).

Can you hire a mountain bike at the Forest of Dean?

Yes, on site. Pedalabikeaway runs bike hire at the Cycle Centre with a wide selection of Whyte bikes: leisure bikes, hardtail mountain bikes, full-suspension mountain bikes and e-bikes, plus kit for families. Book ahead for weekends and holidays.

For accessible cycling, GBG Bikes (run by the charity Goals Beyond Grass) offers adapted bikes at the Cycle Centre every Wednesday from 10.30am to 1pm, and other times can be arranged with them. It costs £5 per session, carers or guardians come free, no experience is needed, and booking is essential (checked September 2026).

What bike do you need? Old Bob's suits a wide range of bikes. For the Verderers, with its roots and rock steps, you want a mountain bike, and hiring one for your first visit is a good way to find out what you like before you spend money.

What about e-bikes? FoDMTB says pedal-assist e-bikes are permitted on the main trails; if you're unsure about yours, check with Forestry England. I bought my first e-bike in 2018, when there weren't many of us, and they're common in the Forest now.

How much does it cost to ride at the Cycle Centre?

The trails are free to ride. You pay to park at the Cycle Centre, and these are Forestry England's charges (checked September 2026):

• Up to 2 hours: £6
• Up to 4 hours: £8
• All day: £10
• Arrive after 5pm (March to October only): £3.50

The car park can fill on a sunny weekend. If it's full, Forestry England asks you to park at Beechenhurst or Cannop Ponds.

If you'll be back often, the Forest of Dean membership is £55 a year and gives free parking at the Cycle Centre, Beechenhurst, Mallards Pike, Symonds Yat Rock, Wenchford and Cannop Ponds (checked September 2026).

Coaching, and when you're ready for more

I'd tell any beginner to book a coaching or guided session. Forestry England lists approved coaches at the Cycle Centre: Katy Curd, Pedal Progression, SixtySeven70, Wye MTB and ProRide MTB. Between them they offer one-to-one sessions, group courses, kids classes and women-only rides. You book directly with each coach, and prices vary.

One of them, WyeMTB, is based just over the border in Monmouth and offers guiding as well as British Cycling coaching for riders of all abilities.

When the Verderers feels easy, there are two ways up. On the downhill side, FoDMTB's advice is to start on Countdown or Launchpad, the blue downhill tracks, and not to jump straight to a black. My downhill and uplift guide covers how the tracks and the uplift work.

The other way up is to leave the Cycle Centre. For beginners, staying there is exactly right. For intermediate riders and above, it's the big mistake: get out and explore. Mallards Pike, all the way over to Staunton woods, down into Monmouth and the Wye Valley, where there are amazing off-piste trails. I've written about where to go in the best trails in the Forest of Dean, and the full Forest of Dean guide covers the bigger picture.

Before you go

• Download your map first. Forestry England warns that phone signal in the Forest is patchy, and generally non-existent in the deeper woodland.
• Check trail status. Trails sometimes close for maintenance, so check what's open before you drive over.
• Stay on the waymarked trails. At the Cycle Centre, Forestry England asks you to ride only on its waymarked cycle trails or on hard-stone forest roads.
• Wear a helmet, and carry what you need to fix a puncture.
• Have a coffee after. The Cycle Centre serves coffee and pints, and both are great.

If you'd rather not ride your first blue on your own, Plus1, the free app I built, shows rides near you that you can tap to join, and who's out riding right now. It's new, so it only works when riders are on it, but it's an easy way to find people at your level. When you're ready for company, my guide on how to join a group ride covers the rest.