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To me it seems that Bedgebury's holy grail was to fit as many hair pin turns into as small an area as possible.
I like my singletrack to swoop and flow.
Will I enjoy Swinley if I didn't like bedgebury?
Yes
Swinley has some really nice sections in it, but there are some tight twisty sections through the trees in bits too (stickler and labyrinth)
Why not try the Surrey Hills?... choice of whatever you like there.
Anyone know how far they got with the freeride lines in Swinley?
Swinley any day of the week.
Bedgebury is as you said, trying to get in as many twisty turns in as possible. They have really ruined a few nice lines by doing this.
Anyone know how far they got with the freeride lines in Swinley?
On Friday they looked like they're coming along nicely, but not finished yet
Not keen on either to be honest.
Like you say, Bedgebury is tight rather than flowing. Swinley has got a weird surface IMO.
I think Bedgeburg has flow. I think you need to be in decent shape to ride it fast. Some good leg burning sections in there.
Have ridden Bedgebury quite a few times over the years. Have never thought of it as tight and twisty.
No, you won't like Swinley if you didn't like Bedgebury.
Where do you enjoy? Go there, job done.
I found Bedgebury to be a total anti-climax. I can only remember one 'descent' and it was on a fire road. £9 for parking was also a bit salty.
Swinley wasn't much better IIRC.
Surrey Hills is way better IMO, more variety of trails that are better quality. Of course it helps to know your way around.
It can only be an anti climax if you have built up to be something it isn't.
Bedgebury, Swinley, Thetford and Sherwood Pines all spring to mind as similar places. They are not trail centres based on a mountain but forest centres aimed at families. They have twists and turns because they are trying to fit as much trail as possible into a fairly small area.
True enough, some trails don't live up to hopes/expectations but mountain biking is really just biking and the simply pleasure of riding a bike always tends to win out for me.
Personally I like the twists and turns. I tend to view every corner as a way of gaining speed and love the challenge of carrying speed through the bends.
One thing I have noticed is that a good level of fitness greatly enhances the ride, allowing me to 'play' in the corners.
As for Surrey Hills being better, well it is so long as you can handle a bike and have some fitness. If not then it will ride a lot like anywhere else.
Plus you don't get the 'comfort' of a waymarked route. Though for me exploring and getting lost on my bike is part of the appeal.
A trail is a trail, a bike is a bike... the organic mass that gets involved is the discerning factor when it comes to whether putting the two together is any fun or not.
Now I have to drive into London.... where I can guarantee there will be very little in the way of flow!!
Cannock.
muddyground - Member
Cannock.
is very similar.
Though it has some technical options perhaps better than the likes of Swinley, but for me the drive up there was long and I felt I get far more reward for the same drive time to Wales.
Still though, parking is way cheaper than Bedgebury, and unlike Swinley the parking fee goes to the forest (FC in the case of Cannock), not the local council.
zippykona where are you based?
Bedgebury is good if you live fairly close by and want a quick morning or evening blast.
They have reduced the parking now for mornings, where I think 3 hours is £3. Any other time you'll be paying £10 mid week, £12 weekends.
I used to live near Bedgebury, there's a few places you can park on the road including a layby on the a21. Also there's a car park the other side to the main entrance here: https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Hawkhurst,+Cranbrook,+Kent/ @51.0733785,0.4900667,163m/data=!3m2!1e3!4b1!4m8!1m2!2m1!1sbedgebury!3m4!1s0x47df3c41d2471a25:0x8adb439ee96bdc14!8m2!3d51.0733777!4d0.4906139
You can park in Hawkhurst and ride in which is just a couple of kms.
mrwhyte - Member
Any other time you'll be paying £10 mid week, £12 weekends.
Gone up again! That's just taking the piss big time 😯
Yeah £12 for a walk in the woods is taking the piss. I bet a lot of the mtb trail maintenance is done for free.
acidtest - Member
Yeah £12 for a walk in the woods is taking the piss. I bet a lot of the mtb trail maintenance is done for free.
Afan manage it on £4 a day. As do most trail centres.
(actually, Afan probably still gets funding from the EU, but we'll see how long that lasts now 😉 . Still though, most English trail centres are around the £4 mark without EU funding. Swinley manage it despite that £4 going to the council and very little comes back to them!)
Anyone know how far they got with the freeride lines in Swinley?
Getting there.
Although unless you're really into your drops/gaps you may find it disappointing, it's not looking like the orange areas of Dalby or Glentress with 1/2/3 graded drops lines in a trail with chicken runs, it's go big or go home!
Gap jump:
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Go big or go to a&e more like.
Next time you're thinking of going Bedgebury just head over to Eastbourne and try Friston Forest.
Next time you're thinking of going to Swinley just head over to Dorking and try Surrey Hills.
Love them all