BRITAIN'S BEST DESCENTS

From brake-fluid boiling downhills to scenic, sweeping rides that mix flow and fun, the UK has it all - you're sure to find your thrill in our ultimate gravity addict's hit list

- Sim Mainey

For most riders, descents are the reason we ride. A climb can be satisfying, but it's when the bike starts pointing downhill that the fun really starts. The sound of a freehub clicking faster, the rush of air on your face (the Germans call this 'fahrtwind'...) and the feeling of gravity doing its best to pull you back down the hill - it's addictive. There's a bit more to it than that though. How the trail uses that elevation drop, the terrain, turns, technical sections and features, all come into play in creating a great mountain bike descent.

For that reason, putting together a list of the UK's best descents is no mean feat. For a start, we're spoiled for choice. From old mountain tracks that predate bicycles to upto-the-minute purpose-built trails designed for modern bikes and riding styles, the UK is pretty well served for downhills. Not bad going for a relatively flat little island.

What constitutes best anyway, and how do we sort the best trails from the merely good? Within the mbr-extended family we have a wide range of riding styles and equally wide preferences in terms of what we ride. From loam-loving flow-riders to rough and rocky tech-heads, we've got all bases covered. Our criteria for defining the best descents was that they had to leave you buzzing by the end. That feeling of elation and excitement that comes from either going flat out, feeling in the zone and at one with the bike and the trail, or that sense of accomplishment you get from clearing a gnarly section. Talking amongst ourselves revealed some definite favourites as well as some more obscure choices, but all matched our criteria in one way or the other. So, whatever kind of descent gets your adrenaline glands pumping, we're sure there'll be something for you in this list of the UK's best descents.

TORRIDON, SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS