Gisburn Forest

passout

Yeah...I like it too.

whalley665

Where abouts do you live, FightingCat?
I am also a guy and langho isn't like that, it is actually ok.
I think Metallica are the greatest band in the world!

stumpyjon

Sarah

you will see many of the new bits off the old red route although they are officially not open and will have signs up saying please keep off.

I'll ask this weekend and see if we've got an official openning date yet.

topsey_turvey

Its a cute little village in the middle of nowhere were they point at cars and sacrifice a virgin every year to make the corn grow

There used to be an institution there called the Langho Colony. Never knew what it did. Mental/physical disabilities? Anyone know?

Mancunianfightingcat

Topsey Turvey wrote:

There used to be an institution there called the Langho Colony. Never knew what it did. Mental/physical disabilities? Anyone know?

There were a couple, the main one was down in Old Langho, or what is now Brockhole Village. There's a monument down there to mark all the poor folks that died in the institution. It's quite sad really as all of these people would now have been 'allowed' to live in the community. They were only suffering from slight mental issues that, today are treated with counselling or pills. Back then though, these people were locked away and basically left to rot!

Any way, back on topic...........................

stumpyjon

Right update time:

Volunteer bit: - finished, we got the stone pitching finished today so the whole 1.5km is open (we then promptly started a new section 15m down the fireroad to bypass a bit more fireroad).

Main trails: - all finished and rideable. There is some grading information at the start of any techy sections and all the trees that were blocking the entrances have been removed. It's not properly signed up yet and the route maps aren't in place. Martin the main man said that unofficially the trails are now open. Waymarking posts should be all done in the next 2 to 3 weeks followed by the official openning.

Next: - hoping to get toilets and a cafe on site, downside is that once that happens they will start chraging for parking (but to be honest that should be fair, Martin was pretty keen any profit goes back into trail repairs / extensions).

They are also trying to get some more funding, probably to build a skills area next although there are also plans for further trail extensions.

In the meantime the volunteers will continue to meet every other Sunday, might be putting a woodwork section in parrallel to one of the fireroads or possibly another rollery coaster section bench cut into the side of a hill. Anyway the more of you that come and help the faster / more will get done.

Roxy2429

dirtmama
Hi Sarah,
I'm new to trails in this country only ridden trails in Utah US, and local boring stuff where I live Pontefract, staying with my sister in Bolton and really need to find some fun places to ride so, heading up to Gisburn first thing in the morning, need to build confidence and skill level ready to head back to Utah next year, I'd be happy to go along with you if your up for it.

Jakki

pdid

stumpyjon wrote:

Right update time:

Volunteer bit: - finished, we got the stone pitching finished today so the whole 1.5km is open (we then promptly started a new section 15m down the fireroad to bypass a bit more fireroad).

Main trails: - all finished and rideable. There is some grading information at the start of any techy sections and all the trees that were blocking the entrances have been removed. It's not properly signed up yet and the route maps aren't in place. Martin the main man said that unofficially the trails are now open. Waymarking posts should be all done in the next 2 to 3 weeks followed by the official openning.

Next: - hoping to get toilets and a cafe on site, downside is that once that happens they will start chraging for parking (but to be honest that should be fair, Martin was pretty keen any profit goes back into trail repairs / extensions).

They are also trying to get some more funding, probably to build a skills area next although there are also plans for further trail extensions.

In the meantime the volunteers will continue to meet every other Sunday, might be putting a woodwork section in parrallel to one of the fireroads or possibly another rollery coaster section bench cut into the side of a hill. Anyway the more of you that come and help the faster / more will get done.

Stumpy, how many miles/ Km is the trail?

Mancunianfightingcat

Can a moderator merge this thread with the other Gisburn Forest thread?

or close one with a link to the other?

http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=12590698&highlight=gisburn

stumpyjon

I guess the red trail is now well over 10 miles with around 60% singletrack. I'm going up this week and I'll take the GPS to record some stats.

antfly

Are there any easy non-technical sections at Gisburn?
I am trying to get my dad to go with me, he rides a full sus and he is 74 but doesn`t go in for technical stuff, just xc.

Mancunianfightingcat

The loop I did from the Dog & Partridge @ Tosside and round the new stuff was 16 miles.

stumpyjon

antfly wrote:

Are there any easy non-technical sections at Gisburn?
I am trying to get my dad to go with me, he rides a full sus and he is 74 but doesn`t go in for technical stuff, just xc.

Yep, there's loads of fire road and some blue graded trails as well. Infact easy (apart from gradient) stuff is what Gisburn has been famed for (also doesn't get too muddy as the fireroads / trails are well surfaced in the main).

antfly

Thanks. I look forward to going and taking him with me.

wilcocker

Hello All,

Just wanted to post about my experiences in Gisburn Last night.

For those who dont want to read my ramblings, I have a few questions please:

1) Is there a planned launch/opening event planned forth new routes, maybe some guided rides/lessons?
2) Does anyone have or intend to produce a new trail map with all the new hidden Gems on it?

I have only just bought a mountain bike and the nearest i have been to off-road biking is a trip down the river ribble in preston.

I went to Gisburn last night with a friend from work who has ridden the red route (fireroads) a couple of times, but not been since the new bits opened.

Having seen this post I printed a map which suggested taking an anticlockwise figure of 8 direction from the car park and after about 40 mins of riding we some how ended up back at the carpark (DOH!) but not before riding the excellent Berms section 3 times.

We decided to go back out again and this time went much further following the red route signs and then taking various detours whenever we saw the gravel tracks with signosts. When we eventually made it back to the car park it was very dark and I was very knackered.

I have to say that the whoever is responsible for the new trails has done an amazing job and I cant thank them or give them enough praise for what they have created.
I had the time of my life and was suprised that i was able to tackle the red routes and some black on my first outing. It has given me massive confidence and hooked me instantly.

So a BIG MASSIVE THANK YOU!!! to everyone invloved. Look forward to the cafe opening on the car park, I would be more than happy to pay for the parking and would love a nice cup of tea & a bisuit after a good ride.

Cheers
Jon

stumpyjon

There should be map boards up in the next couple of weeks and I assume there will leaflets as well, there are for most other trail centres. I'll ask about it on Sunday when we go digging up there.

B.A.Nana

Hi
Jon might also remember this conversation.
Paying for parking will happen, I'm pretty sure at the last dig Martin Colledge said that it will have to happen to pay for trail mantenance. The cafe with tea and buscuits is also a strong possiblilty, I think Martin also talked about it being easier to get funding from the likes of NW Development for a specific project that involved employment, rather than getting funding for phase 2 trail development. He was talking about a skills park, car park and cafe, but not at the current car park at Crockett Hill, I think it was at the farm just near Crockett Hill, jon might remember more about it.

Most of the posts for the signage have gone in, but we think one or two of them will have to be moved, also there are a few spots where posts might have been missed (ie the enterance to the quarry). Also Martin might now possibly be on Holiday until August, I'm not sure but his email auto responder says he's not available til 3rd August, so nothing more might get done til then.

Jon, it might be worth having a chat with the foresters on Sunday about the posts, as they are the guys who put them in. I'm not sure if I can be there yet.

wilcocker

Thanks for the reply
The routemaps would really help riders get the most out of the new trails.

no official launch party planned then??
An organised barbecue and guided ride for different levels of skill/fitness would be a good way to get some more exposure for these amazing trails. Probably get pelnty of press interest too!

Cheers
Jon

stumpyjon

We did ask about an official launch but I think if there is anything it will be low key.

Paul

I think most of what you posted is pretty accurate. Martin does want to eventually charge for parking but he was pretty adamant he wanted at least the toilets and I think the cafe in place before charging starts (my wife made a good point that while most mountain bikers will gladly pay for parking, there are a lot of other forest user who won't be using the new trails). He was also pretty firm about what the money should go, trail upkeep and developement. He has also talked several times about moving the carpark closer to Stephen Park.

I got the impression that the skills area did unlock different funding options as opposed to just more trails (something to do with Sport England). He also said that he couldn't apply for too much funding as he has to match it with money from other sources which given the current economic climate has surprisingly dried up.

I'll ask about the signage on Sunday, where in particular did you spot the signs in the wrong places?

ellsbells1973

was up at gisburn last sunday, it seems to be all open, but from what our group could gather was that they are still developing more single track, the corkscrew is worth the ride out to gisburn,it was just a shame it was raining so it was a bit dodgy flying down a full tilt

B.A.Nana

Jon, obviously I'm not sure whether all the posts have gone in yet, so this might be a bit premature, but here goes.

The biggest issue might be the post that is just up from the FC workshop/garage (you might not know where that is, but the FC forester will), this is the post that directs you up the climb towards the quarry. I think it's the wrong way round and on the wrong side of the forest road.

There were three points where there weren't any posts on Thursday, but in my view they should have posts in (NB they may not have finished putting the posts in yet!!!).
1. directing people into the quarry.
2. directing people on the homeward bound section (towards the blue sections) at a junction on the forest road (people wouldn't know whether to go left or right).
3. at the bottom of the rollercoaster wall ride fun black section (Again, people wouldn't know whether to go left or right).

A minor point, but there were also a few posts that (in my view) were facing the wrong way. In that, you couldn't read them until you got to them, rather than reading them as you approached them. One of these posts is at the start of the volunteer build section (go and have a look), there are a few other posts thru out the route that are the same.

Also, people are already riding back up the proposed red descent to get back to the top of the black grade rollercoaster wall ride, for a second go. This might cause a problem in the future. Martin was talking about the volunteers building a new red descent down another parrallel gully, this might have to be the next project for the volunteers, because so many people seem to want to ride the black grade rollercoaster wall ride section more than once, so they need a way to quickly get back up again.

Paul

stumpyjon

Yep I know where their workshop is, I must admit I've been going the long way around to get to the quarry, hadn't occurred to me to go straight up.

I'd thought about a return to the top of the coaster, I'll feed that back in as well. I'll probably print this thread out

Mancunianfightingcat

stumpyjon wrote:

I'd thought about a return to the top of the coaster, I'll feed that back in as well. I'll probably print this thread out

That would be a good idea. You can turn right at the bottom and back up that way, but I suspect that this route will become the chicken run down to avoid the coaster! Maybe a chairlift could be installed!?!?!

B.A.Nana

You can turn right at the bottom and back up that way, but I suspect that this route will become the chicken run down to avoid the coaster!

Mancunian
Yes, that currently will be the red descent (or chicken run if you wish). The foresters have put a post in at the top for the red signage and you might have noticed a berm half way down (or up). There will be lots of people who will want to ride the rollercoaster more than once, and I suppose most are going to use the shortest route back up again.

pdid

Managed to get up there today had a good ride.

Big thanks to Stumpyjon who supplied us with the .gpx for the route without which we wouldn`t have found our way around.

Some of the posts are the wrong way round and some are missing/ not been put in yet. I can confirm that the ones mentioned previously by B.A.Nana are the main culprits.

I really liked the route but feel its lacking a nice flowy section. There`s plenty of technical singletrack, some great berms and the Roller-coaster is great, also loved the volunteer bit through the trees. I think it will get better once bedded in, I also think it will be much more technical once bedded in. All in all an excellent base to build on but just missing that nice, fast flowy section.

On a side note the car park was full and we met quite a lot of people on the trail going the wrong way. If your going in the immediate future get hold of the .gpx rote and use your gps or at least print off the route map or you will miss bits or go the wrong way.

B.A.Nana

pdid

After riding it all a few times I thought it was excellent, but like you, I thought that the phase 2 sections will be best just toning it down a bit and doing a bit of old skool fun fast singletrack, where fast cornering requires you you weight the bike rather than just riding berms. I have been a bit 'bermed out' by the end of each ride. I think in phase 2 we should put an end to the berm overdose and just build some armoured trail. The problem is that you have to widen the footprint if you don't put berms in, which inturn means slower progress for the trail builders and fast flow trail takes forever to build with just a few volunteers, wheelbarrows and occasional meets.

I'm affraid, If you want to make a difference, you actually have to be there at dig days and put words into actions. Writing on a forum achieves nothing, if that's it, then I'm affraid you have to accept what is put in front of you. However, I'm not slateing you for your comments, I think everyone is entitled to comment and it's good feedback. But if you really want to see your hopes and desires for a superb Gisburn realised, then you have to get involved.;

pdid

B.A.Nana wrote:

pdid

After riding it all a few times I thought it was excellent, but like you, I thought that the phase 2 sections will be best just toning it down a bit and doing a bit of old skool fun fast singletrack, where fast cornering requires you you weight the bike rather than just riding berms. I have been a bit 'bermed out' by the end of each ride. I think in phase 2 we should put an end to the berm overdose and just build some armoured trail. The problem is that you have to widen the footprint if you don't put berms in, which inturn means slower progress for the trail builders and fast flow trail takes forever to build with just a few volunteers, wheelbarrows and occasional meets.

I'm affraid, If you want to make a difference, you actually have to be there at dig days and put words into actions. Writing on a forum achieves nothing, if that's it, then I'm affraid you have to accept what is put in front of you. However, I'm not slateing you for your comments, I think everyone is entitled to comment and it's good feedback. But if you really want to see your hopes and desires for a superb Gisburn realised, then you have to get involved.;

Appreciate that and don`t get me wrong, the trail is an infinite number of times better than it was before. I can see that a lot of time and effort has been put in to reach the stage that it`s at now, and I believe it will get better over time as more trail is constructed and the new trails bed in.

Unfortunately having an 8 month old baby boy and a demanding wife doesn`t leave me a great deal of time for riding never mind trailbuilding (as much as i`d like to).

Keep up the good work!!

Mancunianfightingcat

Just in case anyone hasn't seen the other Gisburn Forest thread, there's vids of all of the new singletrack in GF if you follow the link in my signature.

B.A.Nana

Pdid
You'll be please to hear that talking to the FC foresters today, they said that the main man (Martin Colledge, who's now on holiday unfortunately) was of the same view, He wanted a bit more of straightforward singletrack from the contractors, but got a bit too much of the berm overload. Unforfunately, he mostly had to leave them to their own devices, but I think the general consensus now from FC and volunteers is that we need to redress the balance and just put in some flatter flowing trail. Certainly, I'm on the case, but I can't promise I'll be listened to, it's a bit too convenient to just bank corners up into berms, otherwise you have to widen the trail. And, getting volunteers to cut a wide trail is difficult, because we want to make fast progress and therefore tend to cut a narrow trail, too narrow for cornering without a berm or for most peoples skill level.

pdid

B.A.Nana wrote:

Pdid
You'll be please to hear that talking to the FC foresters today, they said that the main man (Martin Colledge, who's now on holiday unfortunately) was of the same view, He wanted a bit more of straightforward singletrack from the contractors, but got a bit too much of the berm overload. Unforfunately, he mostly had to leave them to their own devices, but I think the general consensus now from FC and volunteers is that we need to redress the balance and just put in some flatter flowing trail. Certainly, I'm on the case, but I can't promise I'll be listened to, it's a bit too convenient to just bank corners up into berms, otherwise you have to widen the trail. And, getting volunteers to cut a wide trail is difficult, because we want to make fast progress and therefore tend to cut a narrow trail, too narrow for cornering without a berm or for most peoples skill level.

Thanks for that.

I like the berms, I`d just like a bit more trail between each one, but obviously the more flowing trail you put in the faster people go and the bigger the berms need to be. This obviously leads to further problems from people braking harshly and creating brake bumps which in turn leads to more maintenance and in the end more money.

Thanks for the update, it`s good to know that it`s not just me being picky