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well two new ones too me, they certainly we'rent they're a few months ago, nice tight switchbacks with mini berms, muchos fun. You know Swinley Forest always impresses me, the elevation is obviously not there but my god what they have they make the most of. Labyrinth... Love it.
As a member of the club that builds and maintains the trails there, it is nice to hear something positive instead of the usual criticisms.
Thanks mate
Wohoo. Off for a night ride there this week. Love it.
Where is that new track (is it the one near the start of nine mile)?
Can't believe people moan.
Actually, yes I can, but stuff 'em 🙂
The trail is good... was a little sticky yesterday but should bed in nicely (fingers crossed it survives the winter).
the elevation is obviously not there but my god what they have they make the most of
I've ridden in quite a few places, including That Abroad's Famous Abroad, and have to say that for what resources are there, the trails at Swinley are fantastic. You can string together miles and miles of sweet flowing singletrack and there's stuff everywhere. The Labyrinth is one of the best little trails anywhere I reckon; it's a mental blast through some dense foilage that twists and turns ooh I dunno what way up I am any more!
What Elfin said. And it's not like everything is crowded either. There's a few popular trails that can get busy but others stay relatively free of traffic.
Haven't been for ages, worth a trip at this time of year?
As a member of the club that builds and maintains the trails there, it is nice to hear something positive instead of the usual criticisms.
No problem with the trail building efforts. Criticisms if any are more directed to the attitudes of certain people 😉
But just to have a rant about the trails... 😛
Actually only niggle with the new stuff is it's a bit nuts with the tight switchbacks and my 750mm bars are a killer to get round them 😀
Quite pedally and difficult to keep momentum, though the fresh yellow stuff has turned into glue. Always manage to time these things with a fresh downpour.
Haven't been for ages, worth a trip at this time of year?
Worth it any time of the year. Nicely getting some mud at last after a very dry year. Still as busy as ever, if not more so recently! (won't last once the parking charges kick in 😉 ).
It's great in the snow.
[quote=cha****ng]Haven't been for ages, worth a trip at this time of year?
Definitely still worth it.. some of the low lying areas get a bit boggy after extended rain but most of the main trails drain well.
Another thumbs up for the new stuff.. what's the plans for the 'work in progress' over by the Corkscrew?
As a slight aside (scud?).. any insight into what the score is with charging for car parking? We were canvassed about it last week so I guess it's just a matter of time.. any idea on the timescales they are looking at?
What? Folk moan about Swinley? Really?
It's flipping ace!
Don't know on the timescales for the parking charges but sounds like a definite intent to go ahead based on the survey I got. What got me were the suggested pricing under "what would you find acceptable?", all in the 'per hour' rate!!
Suffice to say, "none" was my answer. Permit or parking charges, not both, and even then parking charges only as high as a typical Welsh trail centre (e.g. couple of quid for the whole day), and only if there's no other choice. Give that the vast majority are families who don't get further than The Lookout, just charge the fatties walking their kids more for their burgers.
We ride swinley every week, always a good ride and much credit to the trail builders for keeping it consistently great.
We're loving the latest additions too 😀
I was at Swinley yesterday for the first time since July.
I hadn't seen the new section before but it does look very new. It seems to be an extension to Stickler. I guess the whole section is between a 1.5 and 2.0 miles long.
Good work trailbuilders
Always good to hear positive feedback to resident trail fairies.
Quite fancy a bit of Swinley action ... and seeing as I only seem to hit it about once a year I think I'll make the effort in the next couple of weeks.
I love Swinley, the riding is great... its worth more than the couple of quid trail charge!! Thanks trail fairies 🙂 will probably ride again it some time this week
That's interesting - is it am extension at the end away from Tank Traps?
[quote=gee]That's interesting - is it am extension at the end away from Tank Traps?
Yup, carrys on from where it used to come out onto the (usually muddy) double-track...
The new bits of trail will take time to bed in, difficult when it is wet, but needed to be done before it got even wetter.
It is a difficult to place to build trails as we have to agree what is done with the Crown Estate and others and the material used has to come from the quarry there, nowhere else. The new head ranger there though is amenable and although not a rider, he welcomes bikes there.
Plus none of us our professionals there isn't the money for that.
Deadkenny, the tight switchbacks are very tight! But they follow natural bombholes that were uncovered when the foliage was cut back
With regards to charging in the car park, I know it is an idea, but I must admit I am just a digger, I'm not party to the negotiations with Crown Estate, MOD and Forestry bods that govern Crowthorne woods
yes i think thats what he is talking about. Its a sort of bermy swoopy smooth "blue category" trail, but taken at speed is certainly testing with tight switchbacks and good size berms...great fun!
Cracking place, i was there getting Tuition from a resident trail builder yesterday. I honestly can't fault the place.
I did like some of his thinking too.
"we could make some bits smoother, nicer, remove trees etc" "but where's the challenge then ? Where's the fun if you don't have to think ?"
I like that logic... build the trails so they require a modicum of thought to get round. 🙂
Can this thread be closed please? I can't ride and am missing Swinley. 🙁
[quote=scud]Deadkenny, the tight switchbacks are very tight! But they follow natural bombholes that were uncovered when the foliage was cut back
Did you find any more rocks for the 'rock garden'? ;-p
The issue of parking charges is a tricky one.. I also wouldn't mind too much paying a daily rate or something tied in with the permit/year pass - times are tight and resources like Swinley have to be funded one way or another. However, I can foresee the cafe perhaps suffering as people may not spend their cash there if they've had to pay for parking instead - it may even put off some of the casual regulars (e.g. dog-walkers) entirely...
What? Folk moan about Swinley? Really?
It's in the byelaws!
Must visit again, possibly next Saturday.
Very swoopy, enjoyed them last week in the dark. Clearly made for 26ers as I struggled to keep up with Son1 on my rigid 29er 😆 I liked the more technical one over buy the Bomb Crater (my collar bone nemesis)
Cracking place, i was there getting Tuition from a resident trail builder yesterday. I honestly can't fault the place.
Were you with a group of about 8-10 people? If so I think we saw you. We may have looked like we were watching the coaching session but my lungs felt like they were bleeding so we needed the rest.
People will moan about anything. I loved labyrinth, brilliant trail. I'm looking forward to going back and hitting the jump gully.
You're most welcome Scud, definitely worth the £2 permit to ride. All kinds out yesterday enjoying the trails.
Were you with a group of about 8-10 people? If so I think we saw you. We may have looked like we were watching the coaching session but my lungs felt like they were bleeding so we needed the rest.
No sir, me and 2 blokes. One in an 'Orrible purple/white top... LOL.. he was our instructor so it's his 'advertising' shirt 🙂
We were not the only group out under tuition though.
People will moan about anything. I loved labyrinth, brilliant trail. I'm looking forward to going back and hitting the jump gully.
Let us know when, we'll get the ranger on duty and ready 🙂
It was funny on Sat watching for a bit there with people having a crack at it... i doubt the percentage of them that LOOKED like they were getting ready for an ambulance was the same as the percentage who thought they were lol 🙂
I rode past a young lad maybe 6 or 7 doing Labyrinth - good lad.
It's still one of my favourite places to ride anywhere. Ever. I've ridden lots of Tasmania, NZ, California, Peak, Wales... yet Swinley still holds a very fond place in my MTB-ing heart.
Swinley, great place and def underated imho sure its not the peaks or full blown dedicated trail centre but if you know where to look there's some great bits of fun singletrack (and if you know where to go you can keep away from the crowds too 😉 )
Would love to see more trails built in the forest and would be happy to help if diggers are in short supply
Never been to this place and im only based in watford so gonna head down there on Saturday morning , any locals willing to show me around a bit ?? or just go play ?
I'm going to head over there on Thu or Fri to break my Swinley cherry. Is it just a case of heading off and exploring or do you need to know your way around?
Found this route......this cover the good stuff? Looks twisty.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/125247836
Spent my youth running on those trails out of RMAS, is the forest still called Barossa in some quarters?
is the forest still called Barossa in some quarters?
Yup, there is a part still named that 🙂
mcboo - Barossa Common is the army land which forms the southern part of the land between Bracknell & Camberley. Part of that is closed off as a range for the RMAS, the other part doesn't really have much in the way of built trails on it. Swinley 'proper' (for MTBs anyway) is the crown estate land that's more toward Bracknell.
That route covers some of the main trails but only pays one visit to the (IMHO) better stuff in the SE then does multiple runs down other parts, and skips the Stickler altogether (maybe it was closed for trail building that day?). It's relatively easy to find trails but the art is linking them together without lots of fire road.
Might be out myself on Thurs...
Cheers
Any of you have "The Definative Swinley Route" on Garmin or another .gpx? I'd like to ride for 2.5-3.5hrs say so 30-50km would be perfect if someone had such a thing.
mcboo - I can email you the GPS track from my last ride. Doesn't have anywhere near everything but is a good intro (and has the new stickler extension too). Only 20km so not too lengthy. Email me if you want.
Love Swinley,
Really appreciate the work BOB and others do.
Happy to pay for an annual permit and have done for several years. (I get that it covers insurance and sweetens the H&S banning brigade)
I would be happy to pay for parking if it became necessary. I don't think the permit has anything to do with the car park. If you don't want to pay to park don't drive, get the train or cycle there.
It's not a trail centre, it's not forestry land, bikes don't really have a 'right' to be there and once you get your head round the fact it's an agreement then it all makes sense.
If it ever gets mapped and made one way with prescribed routes it will lose some of the ingredients that set it apart.
(My only moan is at other riders; pick your ****ing rubbish up you lazy chavy c-nuts, and if somebody has taped a black bag to a tree and made it so bloody obvious by using hazard tape that you can't miss it then dropping a family size bag of Doritos 10 yards away doesn't make you cool, it makes you an oxygen thief of the highest order!)
^
Accepted this is a minority but picking other people rubbish up annoys the flying **** out of me 😈
atlaz thanks, please do
mcboo09 at ymail dot com
Found this one too......
http://connect.garmin.com/player/66968728
There's a fairly good JPG map knocking around too, though there may be objections to posting it 😉
Most of the main trails are marked on Openstreet map.
I actually think that first garmin map by MTB_ROB is quite good. Its just it misses out stickler, but it does includes most of the stuff over in crowthorne which is often less busy and often not mapped.
Just a side note that it's the [url= http://www.gorrick.com/racing/autumn/ ]Endura Autumn Classic[/url] in the Crowthorne Wood area this Sunday so will be quite busy...