merseyside trails

jmeadows

evening all, anyone know any decent trails for a new guy on merseyside?
thanks in advance

z000m

were abouts on merseyside?

jmeadows

anywhere really, though pref liverpool side...

omegas

The Trans Pennine trial runs around Liverpool.

From Liverpool airport you can pick up the old loop railway line that brings you out at Aintree and then pick up the Cheshire lines railway track to Southport.

If you want some real off road fun Delamere forest is your closed place.

http://www.cycle1st.co.uk/delamere.htm

jbford

I live on the edge of Delamere and I've been riding there for 20 years. It's got some really good cross country routes and a bit of slightly more demanding.

'Omegas' the cycle 1st review is now a little out of date as:

The Bike Skills area is good, it used to be better before the Forestry Commission (FC) got the hump and knocked down half the dirt jumps, chopped out the North Shore and stopped the work on the downhill track that the guys from Delamere Bike Club had put so much effort in to. Unfortunately the 4X track is getting a bit chopped up too and needs some work.

Having said that the guys that ride the jumps are keen at maintaining what they've got.

My only major gripe is that the FC will not put bins in the forest so there is litter and dog crap everywhere. People even bag the dog shit then hang it in the trees because there are no bins, unreal.

jmeadows

thats handy, am in aintree anyway so am perfect position for the line me thinks,
cheers for the replys peeps

Steve I

If you're in Aintree you can ride along the Leeds-Liverpool canal (in either direction) to reach the Cheshire Lines. On the Left hand side of the Cheshire Lines, as you're heading towards Southport, there's a huge area of flat farmland known as "the mosses" through which the river Alt flows. This area is criss crossed with numerous paths, tracks and trails all waiting to be explored. It's not all necessarily legal, but I haven't been challenged yet and the area is vast and seemingly deserted. It's hard to believe you're not all that far from the centre of Liverpool here, there's a really eerie, wilderness feel to this place.

Slightly further afield, the pine woods in Ainsdale and Freshfields offers some off road riding. There are a few tracks off into the woods that I've not explored, but it's National Trust owned and you'd have to be a bit careful.

sclmnw

If you get on the canal near the blue anchor on the aintree race course side, and ride up the stony path and cross the bridge so you are now on the opposite side of the road there is a single mud track which leads to 4 or 5 steep drops approx 20 ft in height. I have been practicing on these but you need good brakes as you could end up in the alt. There is also a small drag heading uptowards melling where you can practice tight corners etc. It is kind of hard to find from the canal path as the area is hidden by the woods.