Going Outside of the Trail Centres - Video

Oct 25, 2016 at 9:12
by George Laight  
DLT

by ProspectVisuals
Views: 3,924    Faves: 7    Comments: 2


Up and coming rider James Digges La Touche (DLT) hits up some of his favorite trails on his 130mm Saracen Kili-Flyer. Hidden deep within the local forests, or even within the grounds of an official trail centre, James rides some of the best unofficial, unknown trails in the midlands.

MENTIONS: @SaracenBikes / @Downhill1Enduro1James1 / @ProspectVisuals


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Member since Oct 29, 2015
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55 Comments
  • 28 8
 Well those trails look shit. I remember when secret/local/unofficial trails or whatever you wanted to call them pushed the envelope. Were so technical they looked impossible and the features were bigger than anything youd find at a trail centre. That just looks like a shitty bit of singletrack!
  • 10 5
 Constructive criticism?
  • 19 3
 The best unofficial trails in the midlands??? If only my keyboard would allow me to express how hard I'm laughing at that statement....
  • 2 1
 @oldmanDan: I second your statement sir
  • 1 0
 @oldmanDan: Decently shot video etc but I agree with that one (im not canadian dispite the flag on here)

Ridden some much much better stuff in Cannock - Most stuff isnt far away from the trail centre but a local helped when I was there.
  • 2 1
 Cannock has some amazing hidden runs that people have made. This video does nothing justice. I miss the smell of cannock chase.
  • 1 1
 @bolloksitsmeee: You mean the smell of the local people surely
  • 1 0
 At least soundtrack never been used before and half decent...oh wait...
  • 17 0
 Looks like the best unofficial trails still remain hidden Smile
  • 10 1
 I think the standard of videos and riding are so high on Pinkbike front page it can be easy to be negative about riding which is pretty much on the level of most people on here. Rampage, Fest and crazy talented pro riders riding other big terrain make the insane look almost normal nowdays.
  • 11 4
 I waited 2 mins for something interesting to happen and then the video ended. Waste of 2 mins ????

Boring trsils and boring riding . ☹️
  • 7 2
 agreed just looks like a very lumpy bit of pancake fat single track
  • 8 3
 Go ride your bike instead of moaning mate. Haters gonna hate.
  • 1 0
 @biggrbsky: But riders gonna RIDE!
  • 9 0
 Shit bunny hops the new whips you heard it here first!
  • 2 0
 big skids are where its at now bro. Big long 'uns on tarmac till the carcass shows spokey dokeys will be back for xmas
  • 8 2
 Wow. Unimpressed with the haters here. Good effort mate Think everyone else is too used to superhuman videos! For me, your a bloke riding your bike. Good on ya!
  • 8 1
 If it was entitled 'Up and coming James, check him out'. I would and indeed do applaud him. Well done James keep at it lad, What is a little misleading is the following statement 'James rides some of the best unofficial, unknown trails in the midlands'. I'm not sure if the dull, lifeless, all too often flat, walking path that James is riding qualifies as 'Best in the Midlands'. Its simply a bit insulting to all the diggers around there. But no matter what anyone says James, keep riding.
  • 1 0
 @Small-Tales-Epic-Trails: good point dude as well done james
  • 1 0
 @Small-Tales-Epic-Trails: Fair point, it does sell the midlands short somewhat.
  • 4 0
 its refreshing to see some more normal riding and not the mad superhero stuff i am use to seeing. Its nice to see some people were decent with there comments. Im happy watching videos of less crazy stuff too sometimes as it makes me wanna get out on my bike more than see a ton of backflips and manuals for miles. Sure they get me stoked too but sometimes it feels like everyone is insanely good except me which also can be a buzzkill. Like its easy to feel like a pretender in this sport/hobby and that i must ride double black diamonds just to try and fit in when i bet the vast majority of keen cyclists are more like me and are out there come all weather just trying to enjoy getting fitter and enjoying the escapism without the thought of doing 30ft+ road gaps every 2 mins. It almost seems that unless your doing huge jumps thet nobody cares for how fast you may be round a loop of a certain trail or how much elevation you can climb without stopping for a rest....there is so much more to riding than just hucking huge features even if we can agree that it does look cool.
  • 1 0
 Seem to forget all the people which use strava on unofficial trails lol. But wouldn't say it's the best unofficial stuff in Midlands Wink there the best kept secret. That's just my optinion, like arse holes,everyones got one. Just some people's smell worst and should be kept to them self lol
  • 4 0
 I feel sorry for people who don't live in the Peak District
  • 3 1
 That was awesome, where abouts are those trails though? They looked damn good for the Midlands!
  • 5 1
 I recognize a few from around the Cannock chase, Stile cop area. The one at 0.29 literally starts from the stile cop car park.
  • 3 1
 There's loads of good unofficial stuff round the Chase. Only problem is that it is somewhat seasonal - the way it holds water all the unofficial stuff turns to a sloppy mess ever so quickly. I tend to do Dog and Monkey in the winter for that reason, although some of the unofficial runs hold up better than others... You're probably better off putting your hunting down to the start of next summer the way it's been recently!
  • 3 2
 Unofficial Chase trails getting flattened in 3..2..1..
  • 5 1
 @gibbon-on-an-orange: Whats to flatten? the entire terrain is already flat!
  • 4 2
 @Small-Tales-Epic-Trails: Flattened/bulldozed/wiped/closed. We all know that unofficial trails exist on the Chase, and yes we know that a lot of the time they can be better than the official ones, but it's never a good idea to advertise it. The guys who run the official trail network (both XC and DH) do a huge amount of work with the forestry commission in order to keep the official, single use/bike specific trailcentre network running and actively advertising unofficial stuff built on Forestry commission land surely just farts in the face of this (if this particular area isn't FC land then fine)
Don't get me wrong, I'm all for building more trails, but if doing it in a particular place acts against work being done to a well established official network then it can risk ruining it for everyone.
  • 3 0
 @gibbon-on-an-orange: We all know its Cannock, but its never mentioned in the title/ overview. We could argue it looked too dry and grippy to be Cannock! Feckking hate that place.

Anyway looked tame, but well done for getting out there and riding, good quality vid.
  • 1 0
 @yeti-monster: Fair comment actually yes, you're right, the location isn't actually mentioned.
  • 2 0
 @gibbon-on-an-orange: Dude, I'm not sure if you get my sarcasm.. You seem to be insinuating that because of this video, these trails will get flattened. Could you possibly point out which features of this particular trail will be flattened/bulldozed/wiped/closed? Maybe closed, you could put some logs across the trail. But that's as far as it goes. there was literally one man made feature that got filmed from about 79 different angles. That one feature comprised of 2 logs with dirt on top. taking a bulldozer to it is a bit extreme...
  • 2 0
 To be fair I don't think anyone has exactly given anything away! The forestry commission are going to know that people ride unofficial trails there like anywhere else (not that I've ever found a sign telling me not to ride a trail... Honest...), and if they are searching Pinkbike to discover their location then all the secret stuff is going to be safe a while yet! Nobody had exactly drawn a map, and most of the stuff is pretty obvious when you are actually out on a bike... I agree with being defensive to protect the trails, and being respectful to those who build them (hence not riding them in the wet), but no-one has overstepped the mark here in my opinion...
  • 1 0
 @slimboyjim: I don't even see why you should protect the trails. At least the ftd and monkey anyway. If you can go to Cannock you can go to the Wrekin or Wyre forest for much better than Cannock tree farm trails.
  • 1 0
 @Cefn: To be fair I've not really explored the Wrekin or Wyre Forest, although I keep meaning to, but there is some very good stuff over the Chase like I said. Some is mellow, some is definately not, and whilst I can't compare them all to where you've suggested I'm pretty happy up there! I know I can route big days out on 60% singletrack too...
On the why protect the trails side I'm only talking about the unofficial stuff. The Donkey holds up fine in the wet but that's because of the build. The unofficial stuff turns to thick claggy slurry very quick. It is not much fun to ride, and I'm not taking the mickey with other people's hard graft by trashing the trail. I think it's the right thing to do, but like I said some trails hold up better than others so I just try to be sensible...
  • 1 0
 @slimboyjim: I used to live in the mids, nothing used to make me moan more than Cannock chase, theres just no fun to be had there. Its full of litter, slow riders who don't pull over or talk to you, bike envy, thieves, biting insects and chavs. The air isn't clean thanks to rugeley power station and the fc just goes round ruining the good off piste. Not to mention no flow at Cannock, just small techy sections that are literally designed to send you over the bars. I get that the locals love it but then if you live in the black country, visiting a tree farm minght feel like a nice day out.
  • 1 0
 @Cefn: It's certainly not the best place out there, but it is probably the best we have locally. The problem is that there is little on the scale of Cannock locally so it is over ridden. I have the luxury of shift working so never have to visit at peak times, but I understand everyone else's frustration. There is lots of off piste stuff which I prefer but, like any unofficial stuff, it's best in the summer and hard to find. There's always new stuff up there though to keep it interesting, and it's got a good night riding scene.
  • 1 0
 @slimboyjim: The m6 has a good night riding scene too, and similar air quality. You can't defend the nook when you've never been to the other local places that are better. The reason Cannock has a night riding scene is because itstoo busy during the day.
  • 1 0
 @Cefn: Ha! I disagree in that I don't think it's that bad but I like your humour! I've done Cannock, Malverns, Hopton Castle Dh, and Bringewood locally, as well as various Welsh and Scottish trail centres, Aston Hill and the Surrey Hills. I've been around a bit and whilst some of those put Cannock to shame, it's not quite as bad as you make out (in my opinion)! It is what it is (there's only so much you can do with local geography) and, like I said, I avoid the worst of it with my working hours... We can agree to disagree!

I've got Eastridge, Hopton Dave Peace Trail, and Minton Batch on my local to do list. What would you recommend out of those, or where else should I be looking? You say the Wrekin and Wyre Forest has good stuff - are there any local Mtb groups or places to go for information that you would recommend?
  • 2 0
 @slimboyjim: eastridge is great and the stiperstones right next to the woods are an absolute gem, loads of steep natural trails. Sandy who runs the trailhead bike shop in Shrewsbury is definitely your local go to man. As for the Long Mynd. The legends of golden singletrack are all true, classic destination. Love the shire!
  • 2 0
 @Small-Tales-Epic-Trails: I second this, the shire has it all. And it has Ludlow food center.
  • 1 0
 @slimboyjim: The Wrekin is hush hush, but just goto the top and pick anyway down, there are at least five to chose from. even the big boring path is fun and you can get 40mph on it. You descend the full 1000ft on trail.

Hopton xc track which is I think what you are refferingn to is a prime example of what can be done with little height range. There is more of the hill they could have used but they don't need to.

And the Wyre forest just park up and head down any family graded path till you find singletrack. You won't get lost as theres signposts, glad you took it as humour and didn't get butthurt. ????
  • 1 0
 @Cefn: Definately humour and not butthurt!

Cheers for the recommendations - I'm always on the lookout for close options so Wrekin and Wyre are within an hour and look good. How's are they in the wet now winter months have hit?!?
  • 1 0
 @slimboyjim: As stated above I USED to live in the midlands. So I wouldn't want to speculate. I was always on hopton in the winter though, its perpetually wet there even in the summer, don't worry about mud and wet sand
  • 1 0
 @Cefn: Thanks buddy!
  • 4 1
 Top stuff,top music..like ittup
  • 4 1
 waiting for the progressiveness and ...... no
  • 4 1
 Are these walking trails?
  • 4 2
 Looks good that mate ...nice bit of filming
  • 4 1
 That was shit.
  • 4 2
 Sick! Cheers george!
  • 4 2
 Nice clip - Enjoyed it!
  • 2 0
 George>James
  • 1 0
 Badical trails bro.
  • 2 1
 lols







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