Reviews for Powerline Trail - Chopwell

Summary:
Good for a few quick rides.

Review:
Trail was rather challenging on the first time around, this was more so because of the constant braking into tight corners after a steep descent. The berms were fun but as I said tight. I haven't had my 650b very long but cornering is still something I have to perfect as they don't seem to respond like the 26"s .. But where else better to learn than at chopwell.

Little bits of timber trail are fun!

It is a shame the trail only took us 15-20 minutes despite it being rated at 45min... This meant we did go 4 times around!

I will most certainly be visiting this trail again, yes it needs work but it is on our doorstep.

Like on of the other reviews here - good for beginners and for keeping your hand in.. Although beginners be careful. theres a few nasty ruts that can easily take you off.. happened to me first time around!

Summary:
An atrocious waste of time.

Review:
I should have paid attention to the other negative reviews.

I completed this route in 15 minutes, having spent about 25 mins warming up on the blue shared trail. It was not 15 minutes of thrills however. Starting from the car park, the red trail immediately drops off downhill. And that is all it does. For about 5 minutes. They've clearly had to squeeze this trail into a tiny space as it follows a constant and very tight S shape. It's so twist and narrow that it is impossible to get any kind of speed built up. The layout seems to have been developed with little thought. One section has an extremely steep drop but it isn't long and has a 90 degree right turn at the end, so you have to brake and crawl down the loose drop to be able to negotiate the turn. So so pointless.

I visited on a very rainy day and the route was littered with huge puddles. I wouldn't have been bothered by this, however several turned out to have large rocks in them, hidden by the water today. I nearly got thrown off the bike twice because of this. Very annoying. I am not a fan of dangers you cannot see and do not even have a fair chance to avoid.

Anyway, not to worry because before you even realise you are on this trail it ends! And then you have to trudge back uphill. I prefer trails where you have to out some work in then received the reward of going downhill. This does things in reverse. A boring and annoying end to a short and annoying little bit at the start.
They need a rethink. There are so many paths criss-crossing the forest and the red trail could be extended so much, by a few miles easily. It frankly needs to be way way longer and for the start to be either half way down or at the bottom of the valley, with a cyclists car park added.
Honestly, for cyclists Chopwell is only worth visiting if you can easily cycle here. As I discovered, if you are going to the trouble of coming by car (and all that is involved in bringing your bike etc on the car) you may as well just keep going and head to Hamsterley instead. If you're coming by car you presumably have a day available, so honestly make it worth your while and go a little further afield. This was literally a waste of time.

Summary:
Great for beginners

Review:
I've just started getting into mountain biking and with this being the most local trail its where i've spent most my time. Its enough to test beginners and make you improve quickly but imagine it would still offer enough for more experienced riders to have a laugh on too.

it has recently has a bit of attention paid to it and a lot of the over grown bushes have been cut right back (as of 20 Sep 2011)

Defo worth a go especially if your pretty local, its not very long as you can see but there are a lot of little paths that mean you can ride the same section a few times without going right back up to the start every time.

Summary:
Great fun!

Review:
theres lots to have fun on like the northshore gap and the tabletops! but theres also a bomb hole which is fun to play in!

Summary:
a good half day visit

Review:
its a good laff on a sunday mornin,its good 4 keepin your hand in,we cant all make glentress or hamsterly every weekend