Nottinghamshire
Access note: The Skills Loop is currently closed for maintenance. Pedal and Play is a separate skills-development area.
Sherwood Pines is a practical Nottinghamshire choice when a group needs different levels of riding from one visitor area. The signed network moves from a family circuit to blue and red singletrack, with Pedal and Play for practising individual skills. Its character comes from woodland flow, roots, berms and rollers rather than a long mountain ascent. That can make progression approachable, but the red trail and separate jump area still deserve their published technical grades.
Use the current route names when planning: Maid Marion, Robin Hood Adventure and Outlaw are the main graded circuits. Match the riding to the least confident person in each group, then agree a meeting point near the visitor centre if riders split up. Sherwood Pines also has walking, play and forest-history activities, so non-riders can have their own day without needing to wait in the car park.
Green: Easy · 6.4 km
A circular route on the forest’s all-weather network, starting near Sherwood Pines Cycles. Picnic benches give useful stopping points for younger riders, and optional blue sections offer a separate progression choice.
Official route information →Blue: Moderate · 11.2 km
The longer intermediate circuit is designed for developing handling skills. Fast, flowing sections make this a step beyond the family loop, rather than simply another green route with extra distance.
Official route information →Red: Difficult · 13 km
An almost entirely singletrack circuit connecting pine and broadleaf woodland, heathland and clear-felled areas. Rocks and roots add technical difficulty between berms and rollers; the limited elevation does not remove the challenge.
Official route information →A skills-development area with Arrowhead Loop, Quiver and Duel challenges. Riders can practise turns, berms and rollers on different lines, with a bike-themed play area alongside. Trail widths and accessible seating are designed to include adapted-cycle users.
Official route information →Orange: Bike Park
The separate park has dirt jumps, a linear pump track and four interlinked downhill runs with rock drops and jumps. It calls for specialised bikes, protection and skills; it is not a compulsory extension of the blue or red circuit.
Official route information →The cycling map marks Maid Marion, Robin Hood, Outlaw, Pedal & Play and the bike park around the visitor-centre base. Read current Skills Loop maintenance signs.
Start a family visit with Maid Marion, choosing picnic stops before tired children turn the final stretch into a struggle. Pedal and Play is useful when you want to repeat a specific skill rather than commit immediately to another full circuit. The older Skills Loop is currently closed for maintenance, so make Pedal and Play or the appropriate signed main trail your starting plan instead. Do not send a beginner into the jump zone because it happens to be called a bike park.
An established red-trail rider can make Outlaw the main lap, treating its roots and rocks as the technical focus rather than looking for a mountain-style descent. A blue first lap is a reasonable alternative when returning to riding or borrowing an unfamiliar hire bike. Keep jump-area ambitions separate from the main circuit: inspect the available features and choose only lines that fit both your experience and equipment. Meeting back at the visitor area works better than assuming everyone can follow the same technical route.
The forest entrance is on the B6030 east of Kings Clipstone; NG21 9JL is the postcode. The main car park is closest to the visitor centre, with overflow areas for busier days. Official directions →
The forest entrance is on the B6030 east of Kings Clipstone; NG21 9JL is the postcode. The main car park is closest to the visitor centre, with overflow areas for busier days. Parking uses number-plate recognition and card-only payment machines. Current charges are £4 for one hour, £7.50 for two hours, £11 for three hours or £12.50 for longer visits. Pay using the correct vehicle registration before leaving.
Forestry England points public-transport visitors towards Stagecoach services from Mansfield bus station; confirm the current service before travelling. The roadside bus stop is about half a mile from the visitor centre. Check bicycle carriage independently if bringing your own bike, or arrange on-site hire so the bus journey does not depend on carrying one.
Find the planning area on a map →The visitor area has a café, toilets, accessible toilets, baby-changing provision and a Changing Places facility. RADAR keys for accessible toilet access can be borrowed at the visitor centre. Picnic benches provide another lunch option, and the forest asks visitors to take litter home because it has no bins. Pack a bag for food wrappers before setting off.
Sherwood Pines Cycles provides bike hire, including electric bikes and options advertised for children and adapted cycling. Reserve the necessary bike in advance rather than relying on the remaining fleet on arrival. For electric-bike hire, its published conditions require riders to be at least 16, bring photo identification and wear a helmet, which is included. Discuss suitability for your chosen route with the hire team.
Sherwood Pines Cycles is the on-site hire provider named by Forestry England. Electric hire requires advance booking, photo identification and riders aged at least 16; a helmet is included.
Open daily except Christmas Day. Winter hours are 8am–5pm, switching after the clocks change; spring/summer hours are 8am–10pm. The visitor centre opens 9am–4pm.
The forest remains a useful riding destination beyond summer, but wet roots, loose surfaces and leaf cover change how confidently you can carry speed through Outlaw’s corners. Make the first lap an assessment rather than assuming a familiar trail feels the same every month. Winter visitor hours are shorter, while the published opening calendar excludes Christmas Day. Work back from gate closing and any hire-return deadline, leaving time for the walk from visitor facilities to your car.
Edwinstowe is a useful nearby village base when you want an evening meal away from the visitor area. The Royal Oak on its High Street offers pub food and takes table reservations, with separate published food hours for Sundays. Book a meal with enough margin for collecting bikes, paying for parking and changing after the ride. Ask accommodation providers directly about secure bike storage, especially if you plan to return for a second day.
For a non-riding forest stop, visit the reconstructed First World War trench at Sherwood Pines. The area once formed part of the training ground for men based at Clipstone Camp, and the display explains local soldiers’ stories as well as trench conditions. It is free to view through the main forest site. This adds a different perspective to the woodland landscape and makes a worthwhile pause after a shorter family ride; normal parking charges still apply.
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Displayed distances are straight-line estimates using OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), not road journeys. Ask the property about secure bike storage and wet-kit arrangements before booking.
RIDE PREPARATION
Consider what suits the route, forecast and your own experience.
Forestry England currently marks it closed for maintenance. Pedal and Play is a separate skills area with its own challenges.
Maid Marion is the green 6.4 km circuit, with picnic stops and optional blue sections. Choose those optional sections only if they suit the riders.
Yes. It is a red-grade singletrack route with roots and rocks as well as berms and rollers; technical grading is not determined only by elevation.
No. The access information specifies card-only parking machines and number-plate recognition. Bring a payment card and enter your registration accurately.
Yes. Sherwood Pines Cycles advertises e-bike hire for riders aged 16 or over, with photo ID and a mandatory helmet.
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Choose manageable family trails, fit children’s bikes, pace the day, assess clubs and coaches, and make a separate safe plan for dogs.
Plan winter and night mountain-bike rides with suitable lighting, road visibility, confirmed access, shorter routes and a dependable escape plan.
Book the right uplift, riding pass, hire bike and coaching session, check equipment and carriage rules, and plan a controlled first bike-park day.
Trail conditions change — check the official page before you travel.
Open official site →