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Was trying to think the other day where Follow the dog used to go.
I seem to remember the start headed off in the direction of the concert field before looping round and coming back along what is now the Heart Of England way
And before S8/High Voltage/Zig Zak was built the trail used to go down the hill to the right and then back up the fireroad to S9
Chainslapper and the mellow S15/16/17 back to Birches Valley I used to enjoy that
Anyone got a map or any info on the original sections?
Ta
An older one but its still not the first one I ever saw
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and the mellow S15/16/17 back to Birches Valley I used to enjoy that
Yep. The lovely little, tight rhythm section through the trees was a real favourite of mine!
The map above isn't too far off. The sections marked 2 & 8 were different in the trails original guise.
Section 2 now cuts back sooner and misses the nice snoopy section behind Slitting Mill and then lead on to the flat footy section through the tight trees which was rarely dry but always fun.
Section 8 "High Voltage" is a newer addition. The old trail climbed to the top of the fire road and then went right (shown in blue on the map) and climbed another shorter fire road section to Section 9.
The above map basically shows the trails in its transition from original route to new and improved after a visit by the contractors, but before the new section was built in Tackeroo.
Riiiiiiiiiiight
Thanks for the map that's going back a bit. It implies there used to be a S3/4/5 at the start which I guess were the concert field/Slitting Mill sections. Do you know why they were closed st?
S15 was still rideable up until March last year when some trees came down across the start. 16 lasted until some forestry work chewed it up but 17 is still there basically an overgrown track connecting two fire roads
It seemed really good at the time 🙂
Sections 3 & 4 were closed primarily because of the need to direct the trail away from the village. Section 4 through the trees was also a muddy option for a large part of the year as it was really just a line which was ridden in rather than fully constructed. When funding became available the new Section 2 was built up the the Stegasaurus rocks / bridge and the old line closed. The section behind Slitting Mill was still rideable up until a tad or so ago but last time I tried to follow it with my kids it was largely overgrown.
I miss what I think is section 13 on that map, what I used to refer to as "Chain Slapper", that was a lovely but if trail that was.
I miss what I think is section 13 on that map, what I used to refer to as "Chain Slapper", that was a lovely but if trail that was
Used to love that too - would quite often fo back up the fire road to do it again. I used to quite like sections 14 and 15 too.
Never liked section two though - the end of of it was always like a bog even a dry summer.
Ok thanks for the replies much appreciated. I think everyone enjoyed Chainslapper 🙂
I rarely used to ride the first sections starting as I did from the Chainslapper and then going from 17 - 6 as it's shown on that map. Any idea when those early sections were closed?
Chainslapper was great. There was some old brickwork near the top that made an interesting drop-off.
A version of the old section 16 is once more navigable - starts and ends differently.
The end is particularly 'different':
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I tried to ride the whole old FTD during the summer and it was nigh on impossible, trees had been cut done and laid to block the trails round towards the lookout for birders as the trail rises overlooking the lakes. Some of it was still pretty good and less braking bumps than the current FTD/Monkey 😆
Off piste is more enjoyable unless it's cutting up then we just avoid the trails tha are cutting up and go elsewhere where they aren't.