FOREST OF DEAN | MALLARDS PIKE | CRASHES | 4k | MAYHEM | STEEPS | LOAM

🚵‍♂️ Mountain Biking Around Mallards Pike & Forest of Dean
• Mallards Pike itself is more of a woodland recreation area with a lake, café and surfaced trails — not a standalone purpose-built MTB park. 
• The main MTB action in the Forest of Dean is at the Forest of Dean Cycle Centre (near Cannop, Parkend) — that’s where you’ll find:
• Graded mountain bike trails (Blue, Red, Downhill). 
• A skills area and pump track. 
• Bike hire, trail maps, uplift service and facilities. 

🚴‍♀️ Colliers Trail (Connects Mallards Pike)
• The Colliers Trail (also called the Family Cycle Trail) is a 9–14.5 km mixed-use circular route that passes Mallards Pike. 
• It’s mostly gravel/forest road, suitable for most bikes and riders, and is scenic rather than technical — good for:
• Families
• Touring bikes / gravel bikes
• Beginners and moderate riders
• Mallards Pike is a great mid-ride stop on it — lakeside views, café, picnic area. 

🏔 Off-Trail & Local MTB Riding
• There are natural MTB/off-piste trails around Mallards Pike and nearby woods (e.g., Pillowell, Barnhill), used by locals — these are informal, variable and often technical and change with forestry work. 
• These aren’t formally waymarked or maintained like the Cycle Centre trails, so be cautious if you explore them.

📍 What to Expect If You Visit

Mallards Pike area:
• Lakeside walking and family path (cycling around the lake isn’t permitted — dismount here). 
• Colliers Trail access (good multi-use ride). 
• Café, toilets, picnic spots. 

Forest of Dean Cycle Centre (main MTB hub):
• Blue and Red cross-country trails, technical downhill lines and skills zones. 
• Bike hire available if you don’t have your own. 

🗺️ Tips for MTB Riders
• If you’re after true mountain biking with jumps, berms, technical climbs/descents, head to the Cycle Centre trails. 
• For a scenic forest ride with a stop at Mallards Pike, the Colliers Trail is perfect. 
• Off-trail local MTB routes can be fun but variable and not officially maintained — consider maps or local guides.