The Site Just Got A Lot Bigger

We've been busy. Over the past few weeks FoDMTB has grown from a handful of pages into something closer to what we always wanted it to be: a proper, honest, locally-written guide to riding the Forest of Dean. No sales agenda, no corporate gloss — just the stuff we'd tell a mate who was coming down for the first time.

Here's what's new.

Trail conditions, from actual riders

The big one. Trail Conditions is a page built entirely from ride reports submitted by people who've actually been out on the trails. Not an algorithm, not a forecast — real riders saying what it was genuinely like.

Been out recently? Submit a report — it takes two minutes, and it helps everyone else decide whether it's worth the drive.

Proper trail guides

Two of the Forest's best trails now have full write-ups of their own:

• The Verderers Trail — 11.3km of blue-graded flow, voted Best Blue Trail in England, and home to the Dragon's Tail.

• The Freeminers Trail — 12km of proper red-grade singletrack, built and maintained by the Dean Trail Volunteers.

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There's also a live Trailforks map on the Trails page now, so you can explore the whole network before you arrive.

For however you ride

We've tried to cover the fact that "mountain biking in the Forest of Dean" means very different things to different people:

• eMTB — which trails suit an e-bike, range, charging, hire, and the etiquette bit nobody wants to talk about.

• Night riding — the trails never close, and winter evenings at Cannop are a genuine secret. Lights, trails, safety.

• Family riding — which trails suit which ages, balance bikes, the pump track.

• Accessible riding — Old Bob's, adapted bike hire and what's actually available.

• The progression pathway — green to black in a sensible order, with what to work on at each stage.

Planning a trip

• Weather and conditions — the honest answer to "it rained this week, is it worth coming?" (Short version: yes, if you pick the right trail.)

• Build Your Day — tell it your time, level and who's with you, and it'll sketch you a plan.

• Getting Here — directions, drive times, parking, and the sat-nav quirk that catches people out.

• First trip checklist — what to pack, book and check before you set off.

• What I wish I'd known — the unofficial stuff nobody tells you.

• Ten myths about riding here — including a few we hear every single week.

Looking after the place

Two pages we think matter more than most:

Keep It Clean — tree disease is hitting the Forest hard, around 285 acres of larch have already been felled, and Forestry England are clear that bike wheels help spread it. A two-minute clean before and after you ride genuinely helps. Please read this one.

Trail First Aid — what to do if it goes wrong out there, how to give your location when there's no signal, and what's worth carrying.

And a few extras

• Wildlife — including what to actually do if you meet a wild boar on the trail, which is more likely than you'd think.

• Ride Through History — you're riding over old collieries and railway lines. Here's what's underneath.

• Forest of Dean vs BikePark Wales — an honest comparison, including where we lose.

• Best Of — our picks for best descent, best wet-day trail, best café stop.

• Plus1 — the ride-share app we built, because nobody should have to ride alone.

• The FAQ has grown to 21 questions, including all the ones we get asked most.

Tell us what's missing

This is a one-person project and it's better for people telling us what's wrong or what's absent. If something's out of date, or there's a question we haven't answered, get in touch — and if you've been out riding, send us a report.

See you on the trails.

Paul