 You don't need to be an 'investor' to invest in Singletrack: 6 days left: 95% of target - Find out more
This summer I meant to do more exploring beyond my beloved Stanmer (here in Brighton, home of the Big Dog) but sadly the summer whizzed by and here we are with not nearly enough riding done.
So I decided to pop my forum cherry and ask STWers in my neck of the woods: what would you recommend hitting up. I've got Friston and Steyning. Swinley too. Anything else I should be checking out before the mud sets in?
Ta.
even after the mud sets in, Surrey should be on the list of places to visit. ONly 40mins from here.
alot of the SDW is still rideable in the winter TBH. It's only STanmer that gets proper sticky.
Rides from Shoreham to take in Steyning, round Chanctonbury there are some good trails. Lots.
OP Surrey Hills before Swinley especially driving from Brighton. I have sadly moved away but many STWers to show you around.
at the risk of stating the obvious....wild park.
Rogate?
Stoughton close to Rogate or Whiteways just north of Arundel. QECP just over the border in Hants.
Cheers for the replies, folks. Swinley is top of list. I'm on the SDW quite a bit, so was looking for something a bit more technical than my normal XC and Stanmer.
at the risk of stating the obvious....wild park.
It's terrible but I've never been into it... completely foreign to me. Just found this on YouTube, looks great. Thanks for heads up
Swinley is top of list
Leave Swinley until the depths of winter when you're sick of mud on all the natural trails - that's the only time I'd bother driving past the Surrey Hills to get there.
Wild Park is excellent and rides much better than Stanmer through the winter due to the steepness aiding drainage and the lack of traffic.
Depends what you like. Swinley official trail network is a motorway of cobbles (and motorway like traffic at weekend peak hours). Some nice off piste though once you get to know it. The new cobbles stand up better in the wet than in the old days, but can be just wet slippery rather than muddy.
QECP is pretty nice now. I prefer the official trails there to those at Swinley. Slippery when wet as chalky/clay. Nice off piste bits. SDW runs through it and there's plenty to do along there for an XC spin.
Rogate for downhilly stuff is fun and nicely progressive with enough for less gnarly types to have a go on. Works well in the wet.
Then there's Hindhead. Whole bunch of downhilly stuff if you can find it, plus a load of XC and nice views. You can go further out from there and there's Frensham, Thursley, Hankley, Borne Woods, up to Puttenham Common, etc. Loads. Needs a lot of exploring, a guide or good maps.
Surrey Hills is the MTB mecca up this way. Virtually nothing marked, mostly unofficial trails, and tonnes of them, but will take time to learn. Lots of trails, lots of XC, DH, bit of everything.
Friston is turning properly horrible now. The idiots will continue riding it all winter turning the singletrack into a muddy motorway with loads of puddles. I'd avoid it until we have either hard frosts or spring arrives.
Plenty of lovely open downland riding to be had in the area though (emails in Profile if you want a local tour).
Just got in, Steyning and Lancing running absolutely perfect, fast and dry. Get in whilst the getting is good!