Words by Maiken Hansen
Cumberland is one of my favorite places to ride (at least on Vancouver Island!). Between Cumberland Mountain (aka. Cumby) and Forbidden Plateau, there’s a bit of every type of riding you could ask for. From smooth, fast single track to technical XC climbing trails to sticky rock faces. Five MuddBunnies, Tina, Tammie, Christine, Vicki and Maiken, made their way up to Cumberland last weekend to find summer fun in the mountains. Here’s the highlights…
The Riding Fool is a great hostel, located at the base of Cumby, right in the small town of Cumberland. Staying at the Riding Fool feels like staying in someone’s home. It takes about 90 minutes or less to drive here from Nanaimo.
MuddBunnies taking a break between trails on Cumby. There’s a huge network of trails on this mountain and with 3 new trails recently built (That Dam Trail, Pot Luck and Missing Link) you could spend an entire weekend here alone.
Tammie crossing Sykes Bridge on our way to Teapot and Thirsty Beaver. It’s a nice place to dunk your head and cool down!
Pot Luck and Thirsty Beaver are full of woodwork. Pot Luck has a wooden skinny that’s over 100 meters long. The woodwork on these trails is nice and wide and welcoming to any level of rider. Trail builders in Cumberland are constantly running out of nails! United Riders of Cumberland is the association responsible for the majority of trail building and maintenance (http://www.unitedridersofcumberland.com/).
Atlas Café is a restaurant that I fell in love with the first time I went to Cumberland last summer. They have a delicious menu and a great atmosphere. It’s located in Courtney just off the main drag and is definitely a local favorite! www.atlascafe.ca
Forbidden Plateau is a gem of a mountain found on the other side of Comox Lake. This is a shuttle mountain that you can bike if you’re full of energy. Quite a few of the trails are full of long, sticky rock slabs.
Post ride lunch and beverages were had a Nyphm Falls which is a short pedal away from the lower parking lot. It’s ice cold and refreshing after a long day’s ride.
