Where to Find Mountain Bike Rides Near You in the UK

Mountain bike rides get listed in lots of places, and none of them has everything. Cycling UK and British Cycling have directories of groups and clubs. Bike shops and guides run their own rides. A lot of informal riding is arranged in Facebook groups and group chats and never appears on a list at all. Below is every way in that I know of, what each one is good for, and how to pick a ride at your level.

I've lived in the Forest of Dean for thirty years, and I started Plus1 because finding a ride to join meant digging through Facebook. It's one of the options below, not the only one.

Cycling UK groups: can non-members ride?

Yes. Cycling UK has over 900 member and affiliated groups across the UK, and its local groups page says non-members are welcome to try out riding with one of them. Members can ride with any member group. So you can find out whether a group suits you before you pay for anything.

Read the group's own page before you go. You want to know whether it rides off-road, how far and how fast it goes, and whether you need to book. If the page doesn't say, message the organiser and ask.

Mountain bike clubs near you

A club gives you the same faces on a regular ride, which is how a handful of strangers turns into a crew. British Cycling's Club Finder is the place to search for clubs near you.

Clubs have their own rhythm: set ride days, membership, sometimes a taster ride for newcomers. I've written a separate guide on how to find a mountain bike club in the UK that covers taster rides, what membership costs, insurance, and how to tell whether a club will suit you.

Do bike shops run group rides?

Some do. As Singletracks puts it, shops that host their own group rides are a great way to learn about the local scene. Even if your shop doesn't run one, it's a good place to ask who does.

Shop rides come and go, so ask what's running now rather than trusting an old post online. Pop in, buy a tube, and ask.

Women-only mountain bike rides

British Cycling's Breeze programme runs free, led rides for women of all abilities across the UK, including off-road options. Check each ride's details to see what kind of riding it is before you sign up, because not every Breeze ride is off-road.

There are more women's groups, including a women's MTB directory, in my guide to finding a mountain bike club.

Guided rides if you're new to an area

If you've just moved somewhere, or you're visiting, a guided ride is the quickest way to learn the riding and meet people who ride there. If you're new to the Forest of Dean, my advice is to book a guided ride or a coaching session.

Two local examples, since this is my patch:

• Pedalabikeaway offers three styles of guided ride across the Forest of Dean and South Wales. Prices aren't listed on that page, so check with them.
• WyeMTB is based in Monmouth, in the Wye Valley, and delivers British Cycling coaching for riders of all abilities, plus guiding. It's also one of the Cycle Centre's approved coaches.

Anywhere else, start at your nearest trail centre. The Forest of Dean Cycle Centre, for example, has a family trail, green, blue and red graded cross-country trails and 14 more advanced downhill trails, so riders of every level set off from the same car park. Over in Wales, Natural Resources Wales says its trails are waymarked from start to finish and normally start from a car park, which makes them easy places to meet. If you want to organise a ride on NRW land yourself, it notes you may need permission before organising activities or events.

Facebook groups, group chats and ride apps

A lot of riding never gets listed anywhere official. It's arranged in local Facebook groups, group chats and apps. Search Facebook for your town or your nearest trail centre plus "MTB" and see what comes up.

Informal crews can be the best riding there is. The one I rode with after I bought my first e-bike in 2018 was all ages and abilities, and it's written up in Forest of Dean group rides.

I started Plus1 to make crews like that easier to find. You post a ride, pick its level and discipline, and riders nearby tap to join, with a reminder before it starts. Active now shows who's out riding right now, roughly within a 1 km square and never as an exact pin. Riders who've just been out leave trail reports, which last 48 hours. It's free, with no ads, on iPhone and Android. It's new, and it only works when riders are on it, so treat it as one option alongside everything above, and bring your mates.

However you meet riders online, keep the first ride simple. Meet in a public trail centre car park, ride somewhere you know, and tell someone where you're going and when you'll be back.

What if I'm too slow? Picking a ride at your level

Nobody wants to be the one holding a group up, and nobody wants to spend a morning waiting either. A few questions before you go sort most of it out:

• How far, how long and where? A good ride description tells you. If it's on a graded trail centre loop, the grade tells you a lot.
• Is it no-drop? A no-drop ride means the group waits for anyone who falls behind. If the listing doesn't say, ask.
• What's the pace really like? Ask the organiser, and be honest about yours.
• What are you riding? If you're on an e-bike, or you're not and others will be, say so when you message.

Don't be shy about saying you're new. An organiser would much rather know before the ride than find out halfway round. I've written up the rest, from what to bring to what to say to the organiser, in how to join a group ride.

Finding a ride in the Forest of Dean

If you're coming to the Forest, these are the spots where I meet people:

• The Forest of Dean Cycle Centre at Cannop. It serves coffee and pints, both great.
• Mallards Pike, on the Mallards road where the cattle grid used to be. It's visible from the main road, so it's easy to find, and Mallards Pike does good coffee for a mid-ride stop.

Cannop car park can fill on a sunny weekend. Parking at the Cycle Centre is £6 for up to two hours, £8 for up to four and £10 all day (checked September 2026), and free for Forestry England members. The Forest of Dean membership is £55 a year and covers parking at the Cycle Centre, Mallards Pike and several other Forestry England sites. Or do what I do. I've lived here thirty years and never paid for parking: use the lay-bys, don't block the gates, and please don't park on the road or the verges.

On the trails, Forestry England asks riders to stick to stone-surfaced forest roads, formal waymarked cycle trails and bridleways, and creating your own trails or features is illegal. On public rights of way in England and Wales, you can ride bridleways and byways but not footpaths. Trails close for maintenance and harvesting, so check which are open before your visit.

For more on riding with others here, see my guide to Forest of Dean group rides. If it's your first visit, start with mountain biking in the Forest of Dean.