Greetings from Northern Ireland

screemin187

Hello folks

Just a quick introduction before i start pickling everyones brains

I'm fairly new to mountainbiking, just a few months in. Bought a 20" Voodoo Hoodoo based completely on the Bikeradar recommendation (enjoying it very much) and a few friends since have bought a Cube, Carrera's and a Felt so we jumped in quite quickly as a group to riding at weekends. Interested to know if there are many other NI forum users. We head out most weekends and have enjoyed Garvagh & Randalstown Forests, Mountsandel, Downhill etc and heading to Tollymore this weekend

I actually helped to set up and run the UK's Kawasaki Z Owners club & forum but the motorbike hasn't been out as much as last two months as i'm enjoying the MTB so much. Coming from the background of modified motorcycles i'm wondering how long i can leave the voodoo alone

Will post a pic or two in coming days, cheers!

The Rookie

Welcome....

Upgrading bikes is a slippery slope....once you start you can't stop until you get to the end with a bump....

simey83

Hi mate,

Welcome.

I am from Norn Iron too (Lisburn) Just got into MTB'ing there a month or so ago. Already put these guys heads away with questions. You're well looked after here.

roverthehill

Finaghy here. Been riding 9 months on a Sunn prim S2. Just be heading in and around Belvoir forest/Mary Peters. Not bad over the summer but soon to become a bog lol!!

Great site this. Check out the lights advice!! Winter darkness stopith no man!!

screemin187

Alright guys

I'm based in Galgorm. Just in from a quick jaunt around the golf course and alongside the river and yeah was thinking the dark nights came in very fast. Had a good rumble around Amazon, Chain Reaction etc etc earlier for decent lights so i can get out a bit more at night over the winter. Looking out for a set i can clip on and off handy

Its easy to get carried away as a newbie, don't want to turn up like one of those all the gear no idea types so a few wee subtle changes to the bike and nothing major

Really looking forward to Tollymore on Saturday, the youtube vids look pretty cool, have any of you ever headed down to it?

simey83

Not yet mate. I am itching to get down there. Does look amazing!! Let us know how it is

I am round Belvoir/Mary Peters all the time gathering the courage to do some bigger jumps :P

Aye the light just drops these days. Seen myself near in the lagan a few times on the way home. Need to get lights myself.

Greer_

Just moved to Belfast myself. I was usually out around Helens Tower in bangor/newtownards but I've gone to uni. I'm gonna bring my bike up soon and then attempt to find my way around belvoir etc. Simey83, are the trails easy enough to find?

screemin187

simey83 wrote:

Does look amazing!! Let us know how it is

Will do mate, heading off early in the morning. No Fri night beer for me then. Well maybe one. Or two

roverthehill

Hi Greer,

Aye the trails are easy enough to find. Head down the toe path as far as the lockkeepers inn then head left over the bridge and through a wee gate. Head up the fairly steep patch until you come to a wee junction of 3 walking paths. Head right and look for trails going off the main path. Start exploring from there....

Also you can head past the lockkeepers to Shaws bridge. Go through the car park, then take an immediate right up a little dirt track and again start exploring up round there.

If you find any fun stuff let us know!

screemin187

@roverthehill this is also on our to do list but we'd be arriving in a van. Any idea the best base point for us would be to park etc. We would be coming from Antrim side up the motorway. Must get a look on trailbadger too

roverthehill

Cave hill would be handy for ya from the M2. never been there but meant to be good.

i guess get off at Stockman lane and head round the outer ring. You can either park at Shaws bridge which can be a bit busy at times with walkers etc. I'd park at Malone house which is a stately house owned by belfast city council - loads of parking. Just head down the path beside the house. Take left down the steep hill to shaws bridge and towards belvoir forest or take right towards lady dixon where there are some fun bits too. Nice central place to park but a steep hill to come back up

screemin187

Cheers rover! Ah did Tollymore today. Two of us with a seasoned mtb friend who offered, well, some coaching . To be honest i thought cycling 50 odd miles a week had me in good stead but today nearly literally killed me. Trails were awesome, pretty technical but learned a lot. Its the constant climbing in that place from the Outdoor centre, its hard work for newbies. I use a gym, play squash twice a week and ride as much as possible between work and motorcycling. Probably no question Tollymore is the next level and for mountain biking a level up from average fitness. Enjoyed it, don't get me wrong but we left like war wounded lol

The old voodoo hoodoo to its credit handled extremely well

roverthehill

Sounds fab - what's the story with Tollymore? How much is it? Is it busy? Never been to be a proper trail centre.

Noticed a load of wee flags down by Lady Dixon yesterday - looks as though someone was marking out new trails. I had heard a rumour that some money had been set aside to open up some trails around there so not sure if this is the start of it....

screemin187

Turn off just before Newcastle on the right for Bryansford and head to the National Outdoor Centre. There are a couple of skills courses to try out first which are pretty good. You pay £3 and sign in at the desk, thats it. Place is pretty busy with climbers hikers and other mountain bikers and i think the centre is also used as a sort of hostel.

The trails are all good but the climbing up constantly to the top is tough going. In fact unless you are really fit you will do a lot of pushing too as they can be a bit relentless. But the downhill trails are amongst the best i've seen so far. We were all shattered last night

Proper gear is a must, everyone fell off a time or two. One sore foot and one sore knee with the other two guys today. I think its something you need to experience although i need to up my fitness before the next visit for the climbs. Let me know if you give it a go. Think next weekend is Davagh, not 100% sure yet

roverthehill

cheers the screemer.

found this website for projects in NI. including Mary peters WOOP WOOP. That must have been what the flags were for yesterday. Due to open April.

http://www.outdoorrecreationni.com/proj ... ke-trails/

screemin187

Ah thats fantastic, I have also heard rumours of one being planned for Castlewellan (i think it was) The guys were talking about it yesterday. Wicklow is supposed to be incredible and i have an invite to go down with a mate just not sure i'll manage it this year

Thats good news, must tell my mates

Threw the bikes in the van this afternoon and went up around the Lough Shore for a quick spin. The ole legs were straining a bit after yesterday but all in all a very good weekend

97th choice

I live about 10 mins from Castlewellan and Tolly although Tolly would be my main stomping ground. Plenty of decent technical runs and I've always thought if you can ride tolly well you can ride just about anything.

Dedicated single track is being built and rostrevor (well in progress) and castlewellan (not yet started) but is due to completed march 2013. If you are new to MTB then the centre and tollymore runs beginners and advanced mountain biking sessions. There's also dedicated singletrack opened at blessingbourne nr. fermanagh.

simey83

roverthehill wrote:

cheers the screemer.

found this website for projects in NI. including Mary peters WOOP WOOP. That must have been what the flags were for yesterday. Due to open April.

http://www.outdoorrecreationni.com/proj ... ke-trails/

Yes, I saw those flags on Sat when i was hoking about Class!!

moltryn

More greetings from NI.. in the Coleraine area and regularly ride Downhill, Ballycarton, Garvagh, Davagh, Tardree, Cave Hill etc. And even Mountsandel from time-to-time too!!

screemin187

Hello! Have enjoyed most of the places you have mentioned. Mountsandel isn't a place you'd normally highly recommend but i had a bloody enjoyable morning there too. Got chucked out of Davagh last weekend because of some car rallying. We ended up stopping at Drum Manor in Cookstown on the way home, like mountsandel, not high on the normal recommendation list but a fantastic afternoon finding jumps and overgrown trails

moltryn

Yeah Mountsandel isn't really up to much at all - I only mentioned it cos it's a five mins cycle from the house here and grand for stretching the legs sometimes, and thought you are maybe in the Coleraine area!! Was at Garvagh this morning and it was great fun.. but I'm more into dh side of things and mainly ride at Binev' / B'Carton and Cave Hill.

97th choice

Tried balinastoe in wick low on the w/e. Top, top place. Very technical and rocky but you can get some decent speed if you can thread the turns together. Devious trail builders discourage corner cutting and leave stumps at annoying, painful heights. If you fall off you WILL hit about a dozen rocks.

screemin187

@moltryn I'm in Galgorm (Ballymena) Aim to do Cavehill in the near future, i hear its very good

simey83

@Screemin178! I was at Tollymore on Saturday. Amazing! Next level ahhaha. Even did a really steep 8-10 feet drop (came off on the last attempt, hah) Its on the black trail somewhere near the bridge, on your left hand side. Look out for it!

Tell me, where are the pre made tracks? Purpose built ones for mtb? I have seen a video of them but couldnt find them.

Cheers

Greer_

I've been out a few times now exploring round Belvoir, I've only found a few trails though and I'm averaging around 12 miles. Can someone give me directions to lady dixon from belvoir? I tried today using the directions on trailbadger but got lost

97th choice

simey83 wrote:

@Screemin178! I was at Tollymore on Saturday. Amazing! Next level ahhaha. Even did a really steep 8-10 feet drop (came off on the last attempt, hah) Its on the black trail somewhere near the bridge, on your left hand side. Look out for it!

Tell me, where are the pre made tracks? Purpose built ones for mtb? I have seen a video of them but couldnt find them.

Cheers

The one with the north shore drop that comes out near parnells bridge I'm guessing.

simey83

Greer_ wrote:

I've been out a few times now exploring round Belvoir, I've only found a few trails though and I'm averaging around 12 miles. Can someone give me directions to lady dixon from belvoir? I tried today using the directions on trailbadger but got lost

Hi mate,

Ok, if you continue down the tow path, cross the red bridge at Lock Keepers, you will then come to a park type area, follow the bike lane on down and eventually round to the left, then go under the big bridge (where people go kayaking). After the bridge go up into the car park and through the gate (left ish) here you have to go up a road a wee bit (over speed bumps) and rejoin the path. Keep her lit (lagan on your left, eventually Malone golf club on your right) until you go under another bridge (Think there is graffiti on the bridge, 15 mins or so down the path, depends on how fast you're riding) as soon as you go under this bridge you have 3 options;

1. A narrow path on your right.
2. The main path in front of you.
3. A short path, up a hill on your left to the road.

Take number 3 and go left on the footpath. Lady Dixons is a few minutes up the road on your left.

Hope this is correct and helps, more than confuses you cant really get too lost as there is only one tow path

Also just before Malone golf club on your right hand side (coming from Belfast) is the forest at Mary Peters. There are some decent trails and jumps in there too.

Il probably be about there on Saturday if you want to meet and i can show you.

screemin187

@simey83 that drop you mentoined could be at the end of the bombhole trail, most of them are on youtube and worth checking out. We went with a guy who knows the forest well and some of the trails he took us on were quite overgrown and we would not have found them on our own. Yes its a fantastic place and i have heard a few people say that if you can ride Tollymore well you can tackle pretty much anywhere else in the UK

I personally found the climbing hard work although i'd say i was fairly fit and active. In saying that a lot of people were pushing bikes up. But the downhills were worth the climbs, would like to go back in a few months and try it again

Greer_

Thanks very much, at least I was going in the right direction I'm not free until Sunday so I'll give it another go then but thanks for the offer. Have you noticed that when you're in the car park by shaws bridge and you go through the stile, there's a grass trail that goes of to the right? I'm pretty sure that this takes you to a path that leads to Mary Peters (I've been talking to others) but I got a bit confused trying to find Mary Peters from it! I've found out a bit more about those trails so I'll hopefully be able to find it! If not, I'll just go down the towpath like you said. Cheers

simey83

screemin187 wrote:

@simey83 that drop you mentoined could be at the end of the bombhole trail, most of them are on youtube and worth checking out. We went with a guy who knows the forest well and some of the trails he took us on were quite overgrown and we would not have found them on our own. Yes its a fantastic place and i have heard a few people say that if you can ride Tollymore well you can tackle pretty much anywhere else in the UK

I personally found the climbing hard work although i'd say i was fairly fit and active. In saying that a lot of people were pushing bikes up. But the downhills were worth the climbs, would like to go back in a few months and try it again

Yea mate that must be it! I was sh*ting myself Aye, i met a guy and he showed me another trail also, farther up from the bridge. Its a class place. Bit more practice and il be in good stead!

The climbs are brutal, but definately worth it for the following downhills, ya get up some speed! Great exercise and fun at the same time, cant beat it. Il hopefully be back next weekend.

simey83

Greer_ wrote:

Thanks very much, at least I was going in the right direction I'm not free until Sunday so I'll give it another go then but thanks for the offer. Have you noticed that when you're in the car park by shaws bridge and you go through the stile, there's a grass trail that goes of to the right? I'm pretty sure that this takes you to a path that leads to Mary Peters (I've been talking to others) but I got a bit confused trying to find Mary Peters from it! I've found out a bit more about those trails so I'll hopefully be able to find it! If not, I'll just go down the towpath like you said. Cheers

Not sure about that bit mate, i just go the towpath! you will eventually get there!

As for Mary Peters, there is no "proper" way in from the towpath. There are a number of ways into the forest, you can take. Once youre in its kinda up to you to find the trails. Not hard though!

I could be out sunday too mate (depending on alcohol consumption :P), il let ya know on sat and sure we can meet up.