You won’t believe what is on your doorstep, but how do you find your local trails? Here are some ideas on how to go about finding trails in your area.
As girls who love the mountains it’s hard to except we can’t be there all the time, but for most of us we can’t. So it’s time to think local and think community.
Just heading off into the wilderness (or your local suburbs) by yourself can be daunting so try to find some people willing to go with you. How do you do that then? Well a quick google is a good place to place to start, check out the forums on some of the mountain bike websites like Singletrack and Bike Magic, put up a couple of posts and see if there is anyone in your local area willing to show you around a bit. Your local bike shop is also a good place to ask, they will know the low down of the local biking scene, if there are any clubs and give you any contact numbers.
Once you have some biking buddies it’s time to grab your local OS map, the ‘Explorer’ maps or 1:25000 are best for mountain biking as they clearly show bridleways and other permissible trails. If you’re not confident with map reading (I’m no girl guide!) then check out some Apps – there are some great ones out there with full maps that show you where you are at all times, just don’t forget to charge your battery before you head out!! Or you can grab yourself a GPS system, Garmin is the most trusted out there – these have the added benefit of being made for the outdoors so you don’t have to worry about getting them wet!
So you know where you are going (sort of!) get out there and start finding trails! Build up a selection of routes around where you live, some will be good for winter some will be summer only trails and will turn into a boggy nightmare during the winter! Some will be good for a quick blast – others could become all day epics! Once you’ve found your trails don’t forget to share with others!!
Got a great local trail? Share it with us. Drop an email to hello@ownthetrail.co.uk with your name, article and any pics or tweet @ownthetrail