By Phil Harvey

With Halloween on the horizon, now is the perfect time to get your heart racing and your nerves on edge attempting these adrenalin pumping routes dotted around the UK. Recommended by the enthusiasts and experts at Formby Cycles, are you brave enough to try any of these 7 terrifying cycling routes?

Glentress Forest: Scotland

Glentress offers a range of routes suited to beginners to experienced mountain bikers alike. A few of the routes will certainly get your heart racing, in particular the ‘Red Route,’ which is over 18km and cuts through the aptly named, ‘Spooky Woods’ . Definitely not one for the faint heart, challenge yourself with climbs, jumps, hairpin turns as you cycle through eerie mist that settles over ragged branches of the woods.

Lee and Cragg Quarry: Lancashire

Described as a ‘playground for mountain bikers’ Lee and Cragg Quarry is packed with berms and turns designed to drive momentum and propel you down the rough, snaking track at speed. This route set in an old, disused quarry in the wild moors of the West Pennines and can be extremely treacherous in wintry conditions and is quite simply, creepy as hell.

Revolution Bike Park: Wales

Looking to get your heart racing? You’ll certainly get it at Revolution. With some of the steepest, fastest, most technical trails available, these challenging Welsh woodland routes will certainly test your riding abilities and push your senses to their limits, especially if you’re brave enough to take them on after dark…

Rhyd Ddu, Snowdon: Wales

This natural trail features rocky outcrops, unstable surfaces, hidden obstacles and generally unpredictable descents for around 24km that will keep you on your toes. You’re likely to need to jump off and hike up some of the route so we recommend only taking along only the bare essentials for this ride: water, GPS, a small first-aid kit and perhaps a change of underwear!

Gnossall Old Train Line: Stafford

The Gnosall Old Train Line may be a pretty easy ride in terms of ability, but cycling over sections of disused railway, past creaking, abandoned farm buildings and under foreboding bridges, in the dark, with a variety of unfamiliar sounds and shadows playing tricks on you makes this a truly scary ride.

The Devil’s Staircase: Glencoe Pass, Scotland

This is one of many routes around Glencoe but is easily one of the scariest. You’ll find yourself hurtling down 5 miles of isolated and exposed rocky, slippery trails on this route. If the sharp drops aren’t terrifying enough, Glencoe Pass is also home and breeding ground to adders, the only poisonous snakes in Britain!

Gisburn Forest: Lancashire

Although the mountain bike trails through Gisburn Forest are suitable for novice and experienced riders, it’s impossible to complete any of them without feeling like you’ve cycled into Blair Witch territory.

Endless root, rock and branch obstacles down tight tracks laid out with blind curves and berms designed to propel you at speed beside sheer drops and dense, creepy woodland, the Gisburn Forest is not a place where you want to get lost – especially when there’s a full moon!

These are just some of the scariest rides in Britain but there are many more for every kind of cyclist. For more insider tips on thrilling track locations or advice on selecting the right bike and accessories to take on any terrain, contact the nice-not-scary experts at Formby Cycles.