Five Mountain Biking Trails to try in 2020

It’s 2020. The New Year is underway. January can be a depressing month for some, with the excitement of Christmas over and not much money left to do anything. We are huge mountain biking nuts here at booicore and we love nothing more than grabbing our outdoor towel and bike and heading for the hills. That’s why we like to sit down in January and plan our mountain biking trips for the next twelve months.

Having something like this to look forward to certainly eases us into the New Year. So, we’ve pulled together five of the mountain biking trails we are hoping to visit this year, to give you some inspiration.

#1 Snowdon, North Wales

Wales is home to some of the rockiest trails we have ever experienced and this is the rockiest (and tallest) of them all. It will test you for sure, but it is guaranteed to be one of the best rides you will ever do - if you like twists and turns and steep technical bits, that is! Starting in Llanberis, heading across the railway down the Ranger Path, climbing to Bwlch Maesgwm and then zipping down to Telegraph Valley to finish - it’s a blast! In fact, Mountain Bike Rider Magazine recently featured it as one of their 21 best mountain bike trails in the UK.

If you are planning on trying this trail out, please keep in mind that there is a voluntary restriction on cycling on the Snowden bridleways between 10 am and 5 pm between May 1st and September 30. We ask that you please observe this as continued access to this amazing trail depends on it. Thank you.

#2 Cut Gate, Peak District

For something a little closer to home, why not head to the Cut Gate route in the Peak District – it’s packed full of rocks, single tracks and full-on epic views. Many mountain bikers tend to give this trail a miss as it is hard to work out the best way to approach it and fit it into a loop - and so they head over to The Beast or Jacob’s Ladder instead. This works in Cut Gate’s favour though, as it means the trails have maintained their shape and narrowness and it is never really busy.

#3 Stob Ban, Scotland

Home to the tallest peaks in the UK, which meet the sea here at Stob Ban, this trail has awe-inspiring views wherever you look. You won’t notice how hard you are riding as you will be blown away by the views that surround you! If you head there in the summer, it has a distinctly alpine feel as you are cycling under the thinly spread birch trees. Not many tricks and turns on this, just a fairly steady route upwards, but one that is well worth it for the views.

#4 Peaslake, Surrey Hills

If you are a mountain biker in the south-east, then you will no doubt have visited this trail a few times.  With its open-access policy and sandy, loamy soil it is something of a mecca for mountain bikers of all levels. There are various levels of trails available through the Hurstwood Estate, which the Bray family kindly offer with open access to bikers (so we all need to act responsibly when there, so that we don’t lose this access.)

#5 Quantock, Somerset

And so to finish off with a route that ticks off all the classics for most mountain bikers. Natural and flowing singletrack, some technical descents, many challenging downhill runs and a steady road climb. What more could you want?  Your legs may feel the strain at the end, but it’s well worth it for the variety of terrain.

Have you ridden any of our chosen routes in your booicore tee? Or have we missed any out that you think we should definitely try this year? Let us know on our social media accounts using the tag #booicoremoments