[Closed] Micheldever Wood / Black Wood near Winchester - worth exploring?

local but no knowledge, interested as well, there's a bit round farley mount etc but i'm sure you've already explored that

yes both are good fun.

micheldever has a criss cross of paths, some are quite flowy singletrack type affairs - made nice by the fact that the whole thing is on a gentle slope.

black wood has a motorbike enduro course. which is long and almost entirely singletrack. i think it's 11km (could be miles) but definatley a good ride.

Have you had a look on the Hants CC web site. [url= http://www3.hants.gov.uk/winchester-2.pdf ]This[/url] takes you through the woods.
Was going to do it myself a few weeks ago but never got around to it so can't tell you what it's like.

Brilliant news! Yes, I have explored a fair bit of the countryside round here but it's always difficult to find the best bits without some good local knowledge! Singletrack can be surprisingly hard to find round here, and 'technical' riding just as scarce. I think I will have to catch a train to Micheldever then wind my way back down South through the woods...

@Mulletus Maximus
I have done that route before actually, it does take you to the wood but you cycle through it on a road before joining a bridleway to Arlesford if I remember correcly.

Can you know what it's like if you find any, it's only about 7ish miles from me and have never ridden there.

[url= http://www.gorrick.com/index.php ]Gorrick [/url] held a race there a few years ago it was the stickiest mud I have ever encountered, good fun though.......

[i]"Those of you who missed our first visit to Black Wood last September, you can look forward to masses of excellent technical and flowing single track through beech woodland, with the odd bomb hole thrown in for good measure! We have reduced the lap length from last time to our normal length, and the field has been mown for our visit so trackside parking is on offer.
Unfortunately Black Wood is a private forest so please do not ride there outside of our races as this could jeapordise future use."[/i]

That's a bummer. Micheldever is FC land as far as I can tell though.

so is black wood.

there is a car park with one of those green wooden signs....

dunno about bridleways though...

No cycling is allowed in Micheldever Wood. There is a bridleway that runs along the northern perimeter. Really odd, so close to the motorway but it feels rural.

You can ride opposite in Itchen Wood, I reckon there is some little secret singletrack in there. Have had a little nosey and ventured off piste. There's very little in the way of technical riding in that area although there is an interesting track through Hampage Wood towards Ovington.

There is some stuff in Farley Mount and I believe there is some top secret single track. Don't forget that generally the area is chalk based and like a skating rink when wet.

I used to live in New Alresford and have a pretty good knowledge of trails in Hampshire 🙂

No cycling is allowed in Micheldever Wood.

Are you sure? I found this website:

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/website/Recreation.nsf/LUWebDocsByKey/EnglandHampshireNoForestMicheldeverWood

Which states:

[i]There are no waymarked cycle routes but cycling is permitted[/i]

Which got me all excited! 😥

Well, it must have changed in the last few years but would assume that you can only use the stony track. Can't ride over the tumuli 😯

In Spring, the bluebell display is fantastic 🙂

Oh and I would be a bit nervous about parking there too.

Oh and I would be a bit nervous about parking there too.

Actually, I don't really want to ride in that area again cos I broke my collar bone close to Itchen Wood 😥

The Woolpack at Totford serves mighty fine coffee on the terrace. It's a bit posh inside 🙂

Ah the Woolpack. New the pevious landlord and his son quite well. Best mates parents lives next door too.
Had many a forgotten night after hours drinking there. 😆
It's a very good foody place now. Highly recommended.

Black wood is marked as Forestry Commission Access Land on a 50K OS map - not sure what that means.

As for Micheldever wood, IIRC it is full of tracks and trails, but I haven't ridden there since before that section of the M3 was built!!! (It had even more of a rural feel in those days!)

if my understanding of access land is correct, it's and set aside for the general public to wander freely on. There's an area i've been looking at that would make a cracking downhill singletrack (with a bit of riding in)

Poppa, the answer to your OP seems to be yes and maybe report back on your findings.

Rumour has it there is a SouthernXC race in Blackwood next year just before the motorbike enduro. How muddy does it get?

will have to check out that area sometime, sounds interesting

M_M - it looks lovely inside, totally different to how it used to be. Was surprised that it closed down but even more surprised when it reopened again.

Not the sort of place to go after a muddy ride?

Which bridleway from Kings Worthy do you mean? The Drove Road?

dobo - has anything happened up at Farley Mount re new trails?

wasn't the trail centre plans supposed to be approved by now?

C_G, The last landlord had a good offer for the place and retired with a very nice pension. It was completely gutted and refurbished and turned into a more foody place, it's getting a good reputation. I believe it's been bought by the Heineken family.

The bridleway is on Stoke Charitry Road opposite Alresford Drove (Wallers Ash), it's about a mile out of the village.

CG, not seen any new trails appearing at farley yet, i'm starting to think i'm looking in the wrong area, have seen more bikes recently though

Plenty of places to park in Kingworthy and there's a bridleway that leads you to the woods.

Surely youd be better off parking at Micheldever or Micheldever Station and riding from there, as it's quite a drag uphill on the road from Kingsworthy to that bridleway and the bridleway itself was always heavily rutted and underwater IIRC.

Regarding Farley Mount, here is the proposal:

Plus there is a group on Facebook with info:

Andy T has had more meetings with more big wigs and more progress has been made.

It is looking like there will be designated trails running through ancient and new woodland, some path ways will be re graded as cycle routes, Sparsholt post office will quite possible open on sundays as a bit of a rest stop....tea and chocolate bars etc etc.

The council are interested in getting kidz envilved by offering some sort of educational experience (or some sort of ting!), possible a centre.
Ian warby (i forget which society he is from...but one of the biking jobbies!!)has been down for a look and is very excited by the whole affair....reckons that he could help to design (as he has had envolvement in some major ones) and get funding etc.

This is all good news.......'but' I have to say that this is all a little more professional than perhaps I had anticipated when setting up this 'gang'. I hope that it will still remain a riders trail and not turn into a bit of an undulating treasure trail to avoid famillies on......please don't get me wrong, i am a family man and love family outdoor activity; but we need some serious trails as well as that.
To all you riders out there ......don't panic i will be trying to put in your views so PLEASE PLEASE speak out .......what ever you have to say - apart from just abuse aimed at ME!
Still no fixed dates i'm affraid......but hey the council are involved so!!!!!!!!

But the most recent coment is:

Well, no news. As you'd expect FC are strapped for cash and have mothballed all projects. I have a reliable source that tells me it's worth bangin on their door come the autumn, so I will.

I'll keep you all posted.

So i'm not holding my breath.

MM - we are in danger of getting a reputation for being pub know-it-alls in the North Hampshire area. No prizes for guessing What we wasted our time doing in the late 80's / early 90's.

Farley Mount proposal looks promising, if it ever happens.

FC seem to be ploughing lots of cash into other places still, i.e. Gisburn, Llandgla, Haldon, so they seem to have cash to spend still.

Poppa,

Was having a trawl on the NewForce website and seems they are riding Micheldever Wood at the end of Nov. Might be worth tagging along.

http://www.newforce.org.uk/rides.php

I could be completely wrong here but Farley Mount appears to be chalk downland just like QEP, and look what has happened to the trails there.

What happened to the QECP trails then?

Haven't been there for ages but when wet the chalk is lethal. Also the turns were too tight but I will happily admit I'm a rubbish rider!

The proposal highlights this pitfall and talks about importing material to "weatherproof" the trail.

I don't believe that was done at QECP.

I believe Andy T was contemplating using 'Hampshire Hoggin' (similar, I think, to the stuff at Swinley) for armouring the trails at Farley Mount though Ian Warby reckons its the decaying leaf matter that makes its slippy, not wet chalk per se. Keeping the leaf mulch off the trails is another matter though...

There is an entrance at the northern edge of Micheldever Wood accessed from a bridleway from the old Basingstoke road which gives you a bit of singletrack before you hit the main fire road.
There's more stuff in Itchen Wood (where the bluebells are) and it can be linked up with tracks over Abbotstone Down and the Oxdrove that runs parallel(ish) to the Candovers. It's also links West to tracks towards South Wonston and then onto Crawley/Farley Mount.

Tim

Completely off track for a second.
UnderTheWood, your're not an ex Testbourne pupil are you. The name is familiar!

Hi Mulletus Maximus
Nope, Winchester born and bred!

T

Do you think we're the only ones on here Mulletus?

<useless info>
It's not the chalk or even the wet - it's the tiny amount of clay that inevitably comes with chalky land that gets wet and lethal. Can't re ember where I learnt that, I'm from the North Wessex Downs, have long experience of chalk putting me squarely on my arse. Or head. Or shoulder.

Whatever it is, its lethal. There is a rutted track down from Butser hill that is almost all chalk. If it is even slightly damp you can have both brakes full on and still slide down uncontrollably.

The first Gorrick there in the dry was awesome, really fast, very very bumpy, swoopy trails, excellent venue. Then we went back the next spring in the wet and it was horrendous, just a dull boggy, muddy mess. Probably the worst Gorrick course I've done in 9 years. Considering all the other Gorrick venues are largely unaffected by adverse weather I guess they gave up on it!

It would be great for a summer race though when it **should** be much drier.

OK, what we need is a pub ride led by Mulletus and Rusty in mid-Hampshire, ones that they haven't been banned from naturally 😉 I personally would like a cream tea 8)

I thought that you could not "import" materials to FC/AONB's?

There is a fun single track descent (Beacon Hill) from Farley Mount.

Underthewood - yes, I know exactly where you mean 🙂

Yes the Woolpack at Totford has been bought by the Heinekin familly as a familly hunting / shooting / fishing base.
I think a STW venture into the woods around winchester is called for. Alll we need it to do s stop raining for a week. I have ridden in and around Micheldever wood, never found too much snigle tho.
The Newforce thursday night fast and furious riders are the ones who will know. They were too fast and furious for me so I never found anywhere worth a return. They ride out from winch on a Thursday, so will know all the local woods. I need to make up a good Candovers loop for after work riding in the summer. If we get one next year.

I think a STW venture into the woods around winchester is called for.

i wouldnt recommend a stw ride around farley on a sunday with as many people as at swinley, you will continuously be bumping into ramblers and dogs and generally wont be enjoyable. its a dog walking heaven. They also have 10k runs and weird events there on occasion. A night ride would be well good though.

Also farley isnt anymore lethal with clay, chalk, leaves than the south downs, and many surrounding areas. theres is one patch that i recall being ice ring like but fairly good really. Can get very muddy though when wet.

Thanks for the farley MTB proposals pdf

Sounds like a plan is forming.

Singletrackmind, as you are the Master Brewer, where's the decent beer to be had in the vicinity? Obviously we need to check that Mulletus and Rusty are not serving ASBO's from those establishments 🙄

We could either start from Farley Mount (easy for parking) and head westwards through Parnholt Wood then towards Crawley. Or it might be easier to start from Avington (eastern side of Winch) where there will be a much larger choice of tracks (I can certainly help here).

All is ok c_g, i'm a happy drunk. 😉
Please don't plan anything for the next couple of weeks, i'm not around.
There's also the Gorrick Test Valley Tour on the 22nd from Andover, not sure if people are planning to do this?

the Gorrick Test Valley Tour looks good, thanks for that, I might do it, looks very friendly.

Just resurrecting this, for a possible January ride.

dobo - could you lead a fast ride around mid-Hampshire? I will take my rightful place leading the Slackers 🙄

It could involve Mulletus and Rusty revisiting old haunts (pubs) and Singletrackmind having a busman's holiday 😉

Anyone up for this?

I missed the Swinley ride, but YES! 😀

Why not come along to our thursday night rides,we ride from the Queen inn st,cross, winchester. set off 7pm distance 20-30 miles,all the best bits you can only ride at night. The Madras single speeders.

Yep, i'm in. I've lived in Dorset for the last 7 years, so they wont recognise me anymore! 🙂 Dont ask me about booze though, i dont drink. Winchester area a little off my riding radar, bit further north and i might be more help.

Count me in. It's always nice to go back to Winchester.

Have been meaning to do some exploring here for ages so the sun was shining and where better to ride than Hampshire!

So ... no mention made on the information board sited in the car park as to whether we're allowed here. However, I noticed a few tyre marks as I rode that nice little track through the beech trees. Will be gorgeous when the bluebells arrive. 🙂

Just bimbled around and couldn't really find anything although the information boards explaining the tumuli etc were interesting.

What was disappointing? Being unable to somehow link Micheldever Wood with the South Down Lane bridleway at the Northern end of the Wood. It's a nice track and so unexpected beside the M3.

On a positive note though is the close proximity to the Winchester Services where an all-day fried breakfast can be enjoyed. 😉

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So ... any interest in a wee Winchester pootle some time?

I wonder why they didn't put "motorcycles and horse riding prohibited". Oh well.

I'm interested CG! date depending.

Put me down for it! I grew up in South Wonston, so I used to go up there all the time. Haven't been back there in ages.

i'll come if i can. pretty local.

Looks as though this could be a goer then 😀

Shall sort out a date but meanwhile if anyone knows any "must do" legal tracks, e-mail in profile.

i'm in if it fits with my shifts

Very interested, dependant on date, if it really is a pootle!

It will definitely be a pootle cos that's my only speed 🙂

Am studying the map and plotting. Thinking of starting from a choice of Farley Mount Country Park (is it that busy at weekends?), Wherwell, New Alresford etc.

I'm on the case. 8)

+1 here. Lots of local tracks, but as you say its linking them all together.
See if I can drag Dez and the mad Pointer along too.

Please see new thread! Saturday 8th May is the day.

Black Wood is superb, and no-one goes there. A hidden gem. For combined quantity and quality of singletrack, I don't know anywhere else in Hampshire that comes close. The annual moto endurance is this weekend (24/25 April 2010). Get up there during or soon after, and follow the track around (over 13 miles). It is often damp in there but I don't remember it ever being sticky, just soft. There are some vehicle tracks in the SW corner that flood. I think the entire route is covered by tree canopy, so it will never completely dry out. Also in the SW area is some interesting singletrack that is not part of the m/c enduro course. Black Wood is definitely Forestry Commission, and there are no signs saying no cycling. So few people use the woods that you're unlikely to annoy anyone, or even see anyone.

Micheldever Woods has a wide-ish singletrack running up the east side of the gravel road, a bit unexciting when dry, much better when damp. Coming back south down the gravel road, turn off right to the west, about half way up the long incline, then you can pick up a narrow and winding track to the left (after 50-100m?)(there is a big bomb hole a bit to the right) taking you back south, with a wider fast downhill runout right back to the car park. You'll cross a few other tracks and if you explore along these, you'll find some more tracks. Enjoy!

Hi Brian, thanks for all that useful info! Do you know if you are allowed to ride in these woods? Will I get a telling off if I do? Micheldever is listed as FC and cycling appears to be allowed, but I can't find much info on Black Wood.

Poppa, Black Wood is marked the same as Micheldever Wood: An FC sign and no mention of cycling being prohibited. It's so quiet, you are very unlikely to encounter people, except maybe the eastern side on weekends. As they allow the motorcycling event, they can't be worried about damage from cycling. And if anybody should ever object, they can do no more than ask you not to - but I'm sure it's ok. I've been through Micheldever Woods loads and never had any comments, in fact you'll find quite a few families cycling in there. Go for it!

Also, re. mention of Farley Mount elsewhere, try the western perimeter for an excellent and little used singletrack. From the exit for the bridleway that heads north out of west wood, stay inside the woods and follow the track (quite wide to start) as close to the northern boundary as possible, then pick your way thru the logged area in the NW corner, to pick up the track right by the western fence. The northern part of the west side is the best, tight and twisty with a few roots to catch you out. Then this joins a larger track to continue south. I shall be enjoying this one this weekend 🙂

Thank you BrianofWinchester. 🙂 More exploring to be done!

Why don't you come along on the 8th May for the Winchester ride from New Alresford?

Hi cinnamon_girl, thanks - I will see if I'm free on the 8th May. Where do I find the 'new thread'? (Presumably with all the details). Cheers.

Here you go:

http://www.singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/winchester-area-ride-saturday-8th-may-maymay-not-include-bluebells

Thanks! Will let you know a bit nearer the time...

I'm hoping to get up to Black Wood (maybe Micheldever Woods too) sometime over this bank holiday weekend, if anyone's interested in a tour.

Will have to have an explore. I've cycled lots in Micheldever woods but never ventured into Black Wood.

Saturday 1st May: Black Wood: Excellent 🙂

OK, it was hard work, with plenty of uphill, and damp but firm ground adding resistance, but well worth the effort. The motorcycle trail is currently well defined on the ground. Anti-clockwise is the preferred direction. The route is slightly different from last year's. Measured 14 miles and 1000ft of vertical, following the motorcycle trail.

Where do you park for Black Wood Brian? I'm not far away and a 14 mile loop sounds interesting, but having trouble determining where to park from looking at maps. Where's the best place to start/ finish?

I'm not going to have a bike for at least 2 more weeks, so getting myself prepared to get back in the saddle!

Well, I started in Micheldever Woods car park, which adds 11 miles and a ride thru M.W. Just for Black Wood, there are a few options:
Micheldever Station car park, think it costs a quid;
Or follow the road up from West Stratton, then the north side of Larkwhistle Farm Road is a little access road for industrial units (not sure how safe this is);
Or a bit further east along L.F. Rd, by the Black Wood sign may be possible;
Or there is a small car park on the east side, off the A33 (I think just opposite the road to Woodmancott).

I thought there was a little pull-in beside Black Wood, off the A33, leading to Micheldever? Or is there parking in North Waltham?

Obviously it's a case of trying to minimise time spent riding on the A33.

Presumably it is not worth checking out following the recent rain?

It should be fine. Plenty dry enough on Saturday, and not much rain since. Looks like it could take quite a bit of rain and still be OK.

Where's the best access point to the trail?

Just about any way in will do, as the trail loops around so much. If you continue up the road from West Stratton, and in past the industrial units (was 'Grainfarmers'), then after the tarmac, continue up the rutted grassy track and cross the perimiter bridleway, then aim to continue up the grassy track into the woods, but you have to climb over a log or two (nettles starting to appear here too). As soon as you're over the log, look to the right and in an opening you should see a hairpin bend of the motorcycle route. Take the righthand leg for anticlockwise. I have a GPS log of the trail, this year and last, but not sure how to make them available here. Maybe I can sort out a picture...

try this: (but you must replace the three $ symbols by ampersands (this forum does not appear to like ampersands!) Don't just click on the link: copy, paste and edit it.

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2$cp=51.17017215671135~-1.2581191653671908$lvl=11$cid=507C42E2FB8E0467!113

and here's last years trail (again, replace the $s with ampersands)

http://www.bing.com/maps/?v=2$cp=51.15843863412685~-1.2164054507675814$lvl=12$cid=507C42E2FB8E0467!117

On the maps you can select OS maps and zoom right in to the 25k map.