Location
Sherwood Pines is a large area of publicly accessible forest. Please do not confuse it with Sherwood Forest home of Robin Hood and the Major Oak which is less cycle friendly. The forest is located to the East of Mansfield and around 15 miles North of Nottingham. The nearest town is Clipstone an ex-mining village built on the site of a WW1 army camp from which the Kitchener trail gets its name. Check out the history page for more information about its army background. There is free parking at Vicar Water Country Park in Clipstone but before you forego the on-site parking and make use of this facility you may want to check out the Chavtowns website. To the North of the forest is Kings Clipstone also known as Old Clipstone, a much nicer village where the Dog and Duck pub will provide welcome refreshments if you choose to ride outside of the forest.
What it is
Sherwood Pines is primarily a trail centre. It has dirt jump and downhill bike park areas and there are signposted green, blue
and red graded trails ranging in difficulty. There is a car park toilets and cafe. Read more about the facilities.
It is suitable for a range of abilities from families with young children to competitors in national XC race events. The Kitchener is one of the easier red graded trails so its a good place to start mountain biking. If you're a more experienced mountain biker don't be detered from visiting as the challenge can rise if you are fit enough to hit the trails with some speed.
Designated trails
There have been a few recent trail improvements and the red trail now takes a different route through the bike park area. This now means the red trail is a bit shorter (about 8 miles) but you can do a second lap of that section and do both the old and new trails if you choose. See the map above. The trail now incorporates many more berms than it did when new. It still needs a few small jumps and kickers on the downhill sections though. Lessons could be learned from the Hicks Lodge Shell Brook Trail at Ashby. Some sections can still get muddy and it's best to visit after a few rain free days to minimise trail damage and maximise your enjoyment. There is a map on the routes page that you can print off or load onto your GPS.
The new route takes the XC crowd away from the bike park and dirt jump which is a shame as the dirt jump has also been recently improved and looks worth a visit.
Off Piste
In addition to the designated trails there are also some natural trails to explore within the forest but you will need some time or local knowledge to find them. Check out the unofficial trail map on the routes page to help you discover these hidden trails.
Night Riding
Night riding is a popular activity at Sherwood Pines. On Wednesday nights throuought the winter the shop / car park stays open later and you will find many groups of riders equiped with the latest LED lamps hooning around the forest. The lack of rocks does make it a more practical affair than many other mountain bike venues. Should the direction arrows on the route markers be ignored after dusk?
Further Afield
Sherwood Pines is situated in a region known as as the Dukeries comprised of the former estates of several Dukes. In contrast with much of the Midlands farmland this region is endowed with a large number of bridle paths and forest roads which yield a great deal to explore by bike. Unlike the muddy farm tracks or bland Sustrans routes there are some nice bits of twisty woodland singletrack. There are many loops outside of the forest park that can be undertaken if you are looking for rides with greater mileage. You can find some of these as well as the designated trails on the routes page.
If you want to share information about routes, trail conditions or meet up for a ride post it on the forum or if you have any suggestions or comments about this website use the contact form.
