Learn to mountain bike
A friend has invited you to do this with them.
Forest trail centres grade their routes by colour, so you can start on wide green trails and move up as your skills grow. A short skills session teaches braking, body position and cornering faster than working it out alone.
Moderate£100 to £500 / $130 to $650A few weeksOutdoorsAlone or with othersUK and US
Someone who has done it
These are real people who did this, as reported by the outlets named. We opened each one before linking it. None of them is connected with this site.
Reading the trail grades
Forestry England grades its singletrack by colour. Green (easy) is mostly flat and wide and suits beginners on most bikes. Blue (moderate) suits riders with basic off-road skills and has some short steep sections, small roots and rocks. Red (difficult) brings technical singletrack with berms, large rocks, drop-offs and water crossings. Black (severe) is for experts, and orange marks bike parks with mandatory jumps.
Forestry England is introducing new symbols (a green circle, blue square, red triangle and black kite, plus a double-black grade for extreme trails) and says to check your local forest's cycling pages for current grades. US resorts use a similar colour system; at Bogus Basin in Idaho the beginners' clinic stays on the easiest green trails.
Cycling UK adds that in England and Wales you may ride only on bridleways and byways, not footpaths. Trail centres avoid that question altogether.
Where beginners learn
| Where | Course | Cost (as last listed) |
|---|---|---|
| Ridelines, Glentress (Tweed Valley, Scottish Borders) | Get Started: essential skills for new or lapsed mountain bikers | £100 (listed as reduced from £110) |
| BikePark Wales | Improver course on the blue trails, 3 to 3.5 hours, uplift pass included; for riders already happy on blue trails | Not listed; ask the head coach |
| Bogus Basin, Boise, Idaho | Fundamentals of MTB Riding, three hours on the easiest green trails, five students per instructor | $89, plus bike rental and lift access |
Bogus Basin requires helmets and closed-toed shoes, and its rental packages include a helmet and pads. Cycling UK suggests renting a bike at a trail centre so you can try the sport on a good bike before spending a lot.
How to start
- Read the trail grades for your nearest forest trail centre and pick a green or easy blue route.
- Hire a bike at the centre before you buy one, and wear a cycling helmet.
- Book a beginners' skills session, and ride with a companion rather than alone.
Where to go
- Forestry England: cycling and mountain bike trail grades UK
- Cycling UK: how to get into mountain biking and off-road cycling UK
- Ridelines: mountain bike skills courses at Glentress, Tweed Valley UK
- Bogus Basin, Idaho: mountain bike clinics US
We opened these links on 9 November 2026 and found them to be what we say. Dates, places and prices are on the official page, where they stay up to date.
Plan this
Pick a day, or a month, and we will set out how to get ready, step by step, with a date and a reason for each. Courses and classes have start dates and can fill up, so the plan begins with finding and booking one. Kit comes after the first session, once you know what you need.
Questions people ask
What colour mountain bike trail should a beginner ride?
Green. Forestry England says green trails suit beginners and novices, with blue the next step for riders with basic off-road skills.
Do I need my own mountain bike to start?
No. Cycling UK says trail centres often have hire fleets, and renting lets you try the sport on a good bike before buying.
How much is a beginner mountain bike lesson?
Ridelines at Glentress lists its beginners' course at £100; Bogus Basin in Idaho lists $89 for a three-hour clinic, with bike rental extra.
Can you mountain bike on footpaths in England?
No. Cycling UK says that in England and Wales cyclists are limited to bridleways and byways and are not allowed on footpaths.
Where this comes from: Forestry England, Trail grades – cycling and mountain biking; Forestry England, Changes to the cycle trail grading system; Cycling UK, How to get into mountain biking and off-road cycling; Ridelines Mountain Bike Tuition, Courses; BikePark Wales, BikePark Wales Improver; Bogus Basin, Mountain bike clinics. Opened 9 November 2026.
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