[Closed] Cambridge - is there any off road riding up there?

Also if theres some DH/FR bits up round there that would be great.

Lol 🙂 You have heard of Cambridge haven't you? Do you know how to use a map? 🙂

Thetford is your best bet afaik but hilly it ain't.

well i was hoping for a big speed bump or something :D.

Thetford looked good when i did dusk till dawn, however it was stupidly muddy so kind of put me off.

At least you now know that Thetford isn't in London hey Andy ! 😆

As i told you before Cambridgeshire is VERY flat 🙁

btw a google search of Cambridgeshire MTB reveals 1 club in Cambridge itself who ride out to a pub on Tuesday & Thursday evenings but thats it.

Thetford looks to be about 12 miles from March so get yourself a good route there off road and get some miles in. I wouldn't sell the Blur XC just yet as i think you'll be using it quite a bit 😉

Just a had a quick look at their website. looks like its just bridleways. so no singletrack 🙁

ah, Thetford is closer than i thought, BONUS :D.

Was thinking about replacing it with a 29er, depends what happens with the warranty on the blur.

I think there's tons of singletrack in Thetford...

Plenty of singletrack in Thetford, just not that much gradient (couple of good if short blasts that run down a slope - The Beast and Double Shocker). Quite a lot of fun 'off-piste' stuff that I don't yet know about too I think.

Hit these guys up for info - http://timbermtb.org/website/

If you're going to be based in March that's about your lot (apart from flat bridleway XC) unless you have a car and are prepared to drive a fairly long way to ride.

slainte ➡ rob

I'm not sure how you got 12 miles - it's 42 miles on Google Maps...

Thetford is the best around, though. I live in kings Lynn and tend to do most of my "proper" riding in the Peak. It's not that far, really...

Rachel

just googled the distance, how did you get 12 miles si? ❓

im aiming to have my liecence by the time i move up there. so getting about will be alot easier.

By 'its really not that far'....how far are we talking rachel? couple of hours drive?

I didn't want to upset the poor lad. TBH 12 was a bit of a guess without looking at it too closely 😉

I'll let you know when I'm next up in the area and meet you at Thetford for a spin then Andy

couple of hours to drive 42 miles ! With your sense of direction Andy I'd say that was quite possible 😉 😆

Shouldn't be more than an hour on open roads so just like getting to Peaslake only without the ups & downs to look forward too 🙁

Oh & if you got a CX bike then you could ride there & back for a proper days riding 😉

si i meant how long is the drives to the peak?

there seems to be alot more at thetford that i orginally thought, so should be alright. however abit of climbing would be nice, but looks like im going to have to travel a fair way for that

Cruzer,

I move at the end of the month to Chippenham but currently live in St Ives (not the one by the sea) which is just down the road from March and its fair to say Cambridgeshire is devoid of any great mountain biking, although;

Thetford is well worth a look, a couple of way marked trails and loads of single-track, if you want access to the local knowledge then its worth giving these guys a checkout

http://www.thetfordmtbracing.com/ Racing Group

http://timbermtb.org/website/ < Trail building social riding

Also Woburn Woods near MK is a good day out and these guys are a nice bunch

http://www.cyclonembc.co.uk/website/

and with the new duel carriage way open less than a hour from St Ives

I have also ridden with Mutts Nutts MTB Club who ride off road in the Cambridge area and operate using a forum http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/mutts-nutts/

http://www.catsmbc.com/ may also be worth a look about a hour away

I have been a member of http://www.treadsmtb.co.uk/ Treads who are a Northampton based club for longer than I care to remember. They organise regular Sunday rides with various trips out both UK and abroad.

For shops I can recommend http://www.rutlandcycling.com/article/201/Grafham.html

So not a doom and gloom as you first think

youre only real option in cambridge is limekiln quary behind the spinney opposite the robin hood on cherry hinton rd
has some fun jumps and drops
chalk though so lethal in the wet but the entire place turns pink at sunset
not sure if its still going and acccess was always on the cheeky side

[url= http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=52.180754,0.172337&spn=0.003368,0.010986&t=h&z=17&iwloc=lyrftr:h,1636578648836574697,52.18305,0.177305 ]http://maps.google.co.uk/?ie=UTF8&ll=52.180754,0.172337&spn=0.003368,0.010986&t=h&z=17&iwloc=lyrftr:h,1636578648836574697,52.18305,0.177305[/url]

Looks like a driving licence is going to be essential Andy.

Good luck 🙂

The two hours was to the Peak. I think I did 2:15 to ladybower last time. Your journey should be similar I think.

Rachel

2.5 hours to Sheffield from Cambridge

Moved here (Cambridge) a year ago. Its a bit of a desert in terms of decent off-road compared to where I moved from. Woburn and Chicksands (45mins - 1hr in car) are ok for SHORT DH, jumps and 4x. Thetford (45 mins) is flat but fine when its not a mud bath. Theres the odd bit of ridable stuff locally (e.g. Roman Road out the back of Cherry Hinton over to Linton) but not too inspiring I'm afraid. I've pretty much given up on off-road for this year and embraced the darkside which I'm enjoying a worrying amount. So probably not too encouraging for you then 🙂

Chicksands is always a good laugh. and thetford does look alot better than what i orginally thought, but definately agree with you about the mud bath.

Well im contenplating getting a decent road bike for general local riding and commuting to and from work.

Cheers for the responses, defiantely surprised at whats actually up there

It's not too bad. It turns out it's only a 12 hour drive from Cambridge to the Alps 🙂

When I lived in Cambridge my bike fun was group road rides....

Take up climbing I basically transformed my bouldering on the Kelsey Kerridge wall. There are also some cheekey bits on local bridges

I used to ride my bmx round magog down woods when i was a kid. im sure bikes are banned by now, this was 1982/84!

Woburn and Chicksands will probably be the nearest dh/fr places but again don't expect much of a gradient, the longest runs at woburn probably only take about 20 seconds to get down at most.

And we think it's bad in Suffolk! There are some hilly bits hereabouts to offset the flat.

March to Thetford (Brandon Car Park) is probably about 1hr 20 mins, maybe a bit less.

You can easily get onto the red & black from there, although once you've been a couple of times it would be worth having an explore on the Brandon side.
TIMBER or the Thetford MTB Racing team should be able to show you around.

Don't worry about the D2D mud - that is the exception, rather than the rule, although it can get sloppy in the winter.

CAMMTB ride out on Tuesday & Thursday to a designated pub covering 25-35 miles at a Good pace taking in the local bridleways & as many Hills as we can find. We are a good sociable group who make the most of where we live. It can be great fun riding with a good group of like-minded people on a regular basis.

stumpy01 - Member
March to Thetford (Brandon Car Park) is probably about 1hr 20 mins, maybe a bit less.

Should be a fair bit less - from Peterborough it takes me about an hour and a quarter, so I would think March is about 1/2 hour closer.

slainte 😀 rob

Thetford is normally pretty good in the wet. I ride there about 3 times a month and D2D was by far the worst I have ever seen. You can still see where the course went as the singletrack they used is wrecked.

What are you all like??
There's tons of off roading around the Cambridge area!!!
Fair to say tho, anywhere north of the A14 is pants, it's all as flat as far as the eye can see!! Come over & join us on Tuesdays, and last Sunday of the month for some rides and we'll show you all the best trails!! Normally have a furious group on Wednesdays too but it's suspended at the mo cos I'm time trialling! May move to another night tho! Give is a nudge if you're up for it!! Details in profile! 🙂

If you've moved to Cambridge for the awesome DH trails, you will be disappointed. But if you accept that, and just want to get out on your bike and go for a ride and enjoy being out, it's actually OK.

March - mnnn, well you can't get much flatter than that! Read 'Waterlands' (novel by Graham Swift) for a pretty accurate insight into the fenland mentality and what being surrounded by ultimate flatness does to people. Kind of beautiful in an eery way though. Look at the lights in the sky........!

Re offroading, yes Thetford and Brandon have quite a lot to offer, so long as you don't demand serious elevation - many tiny unofficial bits of twisty singletrack beneath the trees, as well as the marked routes. Been going there for 3 years and I'm still discovering new trails. Then there's the bombholes (Madgett's Pit, etc). Talk to the guys at Bike Art, the bike shop at High Lodge, for more tips.

As someone said, the only 'hills' are South of Cambridge - the Gog Magog Hills and Wandlebury. Lots of unofficial trails, but little which is legal. Likewise Linton to Haverhill and Saffron Walden.

You'll live, and even have quite a bit of fun, but just don't expect it to be laid on for you - you've got to go out and find hidden trails and green lanes.