Hamsterley Forest Blue route

This is a steady ride around the blue route at Hamsterley Forest. It's a 9 mile route on 95% wide forest tracks. The other 5% is on narrower singletrack through the forest. The route is slightly undulating with 2 'hills' one slightly longer than the other. This is a great introduction to off-road mountain biking if you have little or no experience of it. You will need a bike with offroad tyres, ideally with front suspension (hardtail) but hybrid bikes with offroad tyres will suffice.....your tyres must have enough grip as some of the terrain is loose grit. The terrain varies from tarmac road to uneven track, with some loose gritty sections. It is advised that due to the undulating nature of the terrain you should be able to use the gears on your bike and of course your bike must be in good working order and a helmet should be worn.  The pace will be an easy pace and it will take approximately 2 hours to complete the ride. There is a lovely tea shop for a cuppa, cake and a chat afterwards for anyone wanting to stay.  The route is still OK to complete in the rain but please make sure you wear suitable clothing for the weather conditions If anyone is unsure about transporting their bike please let me know on the Facebook page and we will look at car/bike rack, sharing and help with transporting bikes, and also advice on removing your wheels. If you have quick release wheels its really easy and you bike should fit in your car with the seats down and 1 wheel removed. Just let me know if you aren't sure. The car park costs £3 for the day but all money goes towards the up-keep and development of the forest and cycling trails. Bike hire is also available from Wood 'n' Wheels for about £15 per half day Any questions please let me know on the Breeze Facebook page Here is a link to the cycle route maps if you fancy checking it out first http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/nee-hamsterley-cycle-trails.pdf/$FILE/nee-hamsterley-cycle-trails.pdf I look forward to seeing you all soon Hazel :)