Mountain biking in Sperrins & the West

The Sperrins and the West combine four different forest riding plans: Davagh Forest’s rocky technical riding, Gortin Glen’s named blue and red descents, Blessingbourne’s compact estate loops, and Garvagh Forest’s short town-edge routes. Choose the pair that best fits your experience and your accommodation. Cookstown is the useful reference point for Davagh, Omagh for Gortin Glen and Fivemiletown for Blessingbourne, while Garvagh supplies its own town base. Treat the region as a touring choice rather than assuming all four centres operate from one convenient trailhead.

Davagh’s green route follows broad forest roads and a riverside return, while the blue introduces woodland, open hillside and rocky sections. The published red circuit is 16 km, climbing towards Beleevnamore Mountain before technical descending options with rock slabs and drops. Current harvesting diversions change that outing: Golan and Sika Corner are closed during the works, while Beleevna, Wolf’s Hill and Big Wig Jig have longer-term closures. Use the signed available route rather than treating the original 16 km as a measured diverted circuit. The skills park and pump track offer a separate handling session.

Gortin Glen gives riders clear named choices without requiring invented circuit distances. The blue Roller Coaster follows a gradual approach climb before the forest descent; Kelan’s Chase climbs towards Ladies View Point and returns through tight corners and short pedalling sections. The red Mountain and Sika’s Run adds a higher climb towards Mullaghcarn, then berms, switchbacks, rock drops and steep forest riding. The River Run is another red descent from the blue approach. Choose the descent and the climbing commitment together, leaving enough energy for the return rather than judging the day solely by the hardest feature.

Blessingbourne offers a more compact estate outing near Fivemiletown. Its 4 km blue trail winds through woodland, while the 8 km red adds log rides, rock drops, table tops and berms with optional black features. The pump track is currently closed after storm damage, and the estate’s hire offer is residents-only. Bring your bike for an ordinary day visit or arrange hire as part of a stay. The estate’s separate woodland and lakeside walks make it useful for a mixed group that wants one shared destination without one compulsory riding grade.

Garvagh provides a short 1.3 km green multi-use introduction beside its trailhead. The normal blue and red routes are published at 2.8 km and 4.7 km, but Yellow Skills Trail, Blue 1, Red 2B and Red 2C remain listed closed. Plan a short open route rather than a full-network challenge. For two days, pair Davagh and Gortin Glen if technical forest riding is the priority; for three, add Blessingbourne or choose Garvagh according to your onward journey. OM’s observatory programme, the Mullaghcarn Guardian walk, estate heritage and Garvagh’s Pyramid walk give non-riders distinct alternatives. Check the current official notices before finalising the chosen forest itinerary.