Today sees the opening of a new bike route around Whinlatter Forest in the Lake District. The trail is called the Gorse Cycle Trail.

>>> Whinlatter Forest, Lake District trail centre guide

The Whinlatter Forest Gorse Cycle Trail is around 10km in length and mostly made up of well-surfaced forest roads.

Whilst the new trail is not a triple black super-sick bikepark gravity gnarfest, any and every new trail is worth knowing about when it comes to trail centres. Mainly because they can enable you to mix and match different sections of the forest to come up with a tapas of trails that suit you best. More tracks equals more freedom to piece things together however you wish.

It goes without saying that relatively mild trails are also ideal for kids and beginner riders. Or for people wishing to head off-road without a proper full-on mountain bike, whether it be a commuter bike pressed into weekend service or one of those new fangled gravel bikes that apparently aren’t cyclocross bikes.

Those of you who have visited Whinlatter will already be aware that what this route can’t be is flat. It’s hilly in Whinlatter and the Gorse trail doesn’t shy away from a bit of extended climbing, or for that matter, extended descending too.

The route is named after gorse shrub because it passes through several expansive section where gorse is in abundance.

Quoted in the excellently named Cumbria Crack website, Paul Brown from the Forestry Commission: “It’s fantastic to provide a new cycle route at Whinlatter for the ever-expanding cycling community, particularly as gravel and e-bikes become more popular. You can reach more quiet areas of the forest, with amazing views across the Lakes. This is a great addition to our much-enjoyed mountain bike routes in the forest.”

Whinlatter’s on-site bike shop is called Cyclewise. Cyclewise’s Craig: “This new trail opens up the forest to a much wider cycling ordinance, we are proud to work with forestry getting more people to enjoy this fantastic forest.”