The Danesborough trail is a shorter sister trail to Lonsdale making use of the woods to the west of Sandy Lane.

The trails here have been ridden in an ad-hoc fashion long before any attempt to structure the riding at Woburn. The creation of an official trail, by linking segments in a continuous loop has definitely reduce traffic and conflicts on the many footpaths, although be careful as there are still a few sections that are definitely considered shared use. Riding there today I came across a family picnic in the middle of the trail complete with blankets and tiny-tots. A bit bizarre, not least as it was a bit damp. But hey the forest is for everyone, smile and say hello is always the best policy.

What’s it like to ride:

I think this really depends on the recent weather and time of year. Unlike Lonsdale there are some sections that are more vulnerable to the wet, although the new duck boarding fixes the worst quagmire.

The trail also features some quite stamina dependent climbs (says an old man prone to huff and puff a bit). So whilst if you follow the true blue trail (there are a couple of red alternative lines), it may still feel top end of blue. But that’s the challenge right, newbies will get a sense of real satisfaction by getting all the way around without a foot down.

My final thought is naughty and nostalgic. As with a few other bits at Woburn some of the climbing segments used to be ridden as descents. Perhaps when the trail pixies get together in the pub one night, a magical way might be found to extend the trail and exploit this somehow?

How best to ride to this trail, from Cranfield, without a car: It’s about 12km, taking a route that is mainly (70%?) off road. Allow about 30 minutes to reach Aspley woods where you can then start the real mountain biking.

The Start: immediately look for the entry on the left after crossing Sandy Lane, the first part of the trail then follows the hill down parallel to SL. From here you shouldn’t get lost the trail is well signed.

One more thing, the trail builders have a buy-me-a-coffee link which allows us to show appreciation directly.