MTB Route Planning

[akb]

Just wondered how others plan their MTB trail routes?

Myself and a mate are looking to explore more of the local trails / bridal ways etc and need some tips on making the most of the routes around us. When I ride; i like to have a defined start and finish point to the ride (be it the pub! or a loop from home)
How do you go about planning your routes off road? Any tips or pointers? We are looking to do a 5-10 mile off road loop at the weekend but not sure where to start.

Cheers, Anil.

 

[Howard]

Check out strava for your area. Look for the bits that are ridden a lot - they are likely to be the most interesting trails. Otherwise google, or pop in to your LBS and ask them for local knowledge.

 

[dan_bo]

https://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/

 

[Cubist]

Lbs recommendations, mapmyride and mapo.eter searches. A lot depends on what you want. You could get the mountain iking bible for your area, search v-publishing.co.uk the books have 25 or so routes, from 10km to long distance epics, and grade by ability. Where do you live?

 

[Cubist]

Try google. Just type in mtb and your county into the search box . MBR site lists rides, as does cyclesurgery. Of course you could just look for bridleways on an OS layer on Bing maps, then switch to Birdseye or aerial to see what it really looks like.

 

[akb]

Thanks all. Very useful info. Shall use all of the above to see what I can come up with.

 

[Deleted member 23692]

This is useful for checking routes too - http://wtp2recorder.appspot.com/wheresthepath.htm

 

[gaz]

opencyclemap.org has well labelled cycle routes and bridle paths.

 

[Deleted member 23692]

opencyclemap.org has well labelled cycle routes and bridle paths.

There are also errors and omissions a plenty. Granted it's not as bad as it was, but it's a long way off accurate

 

[gaz]

bing maps also allows you to view the map in OS mode, which is useful for looking at bridle paths etc..

 

[GrumpyGregry]

strava, then plot it using bikehike OS mapping then dump it on an Extrex or similar and accept the opencylemaps have errors and omissions (er just like OS maps!) and then when you've done your ride, correct the errors and omissions and help improve opencyclemaps.

 

[Globalti]

Buy the OS map and it will reveal a mass of trails and byways that you won't find on the internet. It will also show you places of interest nearby. You need to be looking for yellow or white roads and green dashed bridleways. This is the area covered by Explorer map 208:

 

[Cubist]

Let's hear it for good old paper maps, but you can print legally if you subscribe to the OS Getamap site. I plan on OS and print a copy, then plot on Garmin Connect at satellite layer for accuracy before downloading to the Garmin.

 

[Globalti]

You can't beat an old-fashioned map. They're affordable, they need no batteries, you can study them for hours and work out interesting routes (they make excellent on-the-bog reading) and Britain has the best maps in the world. They show you the whole picture with contours and you won't miss any attractions just off your chosen route. The 1 in 25,000 map covers just about the right area for a day tour by bike, on or off road, in fantastic detail.

Using a GPS is like reading the map through a cardboard tube.

 

[fossyant]

Maps and GPS as the backup !! I bought some MTB maps on CD from a local company who had some great circuits in the Dark and White Peak.