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@Hendrik
I think the definition of a 'black run' is something involving obstacles that cannot be rolled over slowly by a novice. You have to be committed to clearing it at speed and possibly with specific skills required. For example a gap jump with a big hole in the middle where you either clear the jump or die horribly on the spikes in the hole.
There was only one bit we did that could be described like that, which was the very last bit where James tried to kill himself. I did warn the guys about it but evidently not quite strongly enough! There are other bits of Swinley that could definitely be described as black run type stuff, including gap jumps with nastiness in the holes. However, I wouldn't do any of those myself let alone take a newbie over them.
The bits we did were all things that you can roll over slowly. Some of it was 'technical' in that there were slimy rooty bits, steep slopes (up and down), small drops, loose ground, berms, jumps you can roll slowly or take faster and get airborne, etc.
I would definitely recommend Swinley forest as a place to start even for a complete novice. It will give you a good introduction to off road riding but there is nothing you have to do if you don't feel confident enough to try it. On the other hand, as you build your confidence up, it also offers more technical and difficult obstacles to try. So even for the expert, there is still fun to be had.