[Closed] Swinley forest

If you like peddling, It's awesome - faster you go, better it is.  Remember, It's in the south, there is nothing up or down of note.

The 2 hour drive will be more fun than Swinley!

If you enjoy flatish rides with no real features then its great or if your a novice and want to get used to riding offroad its ideal

If your heading down this way then go to Surrey Hills, much better riding, lots of unofficial trails for varying degrees of skill or head to Wiltshire and hit up Windhill

It's great, I really enjoyed it and it's relatively long but I dunno if it's worth a 4hr round trip.

I think the above is a little harsh on Swinley. My usual riding spots are Cwmcarn / A bit of Forest of Dean / Leigh Woods / Flyup 417 / Windhill / BPW etc.

Swinley isn’t exactly like any of those. It doesn’t have huge big climbs and descents but I find it quite entertaining. I’ll drive there from Bristol to ride with a mate and enjoy it every time. There is a bit of pedalling but there are some nice berms and yumps although nothing really technical.

I’ve been to Swinley maybe 5 times and I’m still happy to ride there a couple of times a year.

Depends what you want. If you're in it for the downs then swinley is not the place for you, if you can pedal till you puke it's perfect.

It's not even worth a half-hour round trip, let alone four.. So many people seem to love the place, but I just don't get it. There's far, far better riding - Tunnel Hill (the bits that are still open), Hindhead/Devil's Punchbowl, Surrey Hills, etc. If your idea of a good ride is following 20k of polished yellow stones with minimal natural features, crack on..

Snoozefest xc trailcenter designed for roadies. Dont waste your time.

If you like peddling, It’s awesome – faster you go, better it is.

This gets said a lot. It’s not true, all that happens is that you spend less time being bored.  I rode Swinley for the first time a few weeks ago (on my Genesis Vagabond, basically a rigid, drop bar 29er) There was nothing that I needed a bigger bike for and the Strava segments I looked at show me comfortably in the top 10%. If I’d been going any faster I guess I’d be a pro. 😂 If you like wiggling pointlessly around trees, you’ll enjoy it.

I’m amazed that people go there in preference to the Surrey Hills. (Looking forward to going there this week. )

It’s not even worth a half-hour round trip, let alone four.. So many people seem to love the place, but I just don’t get it. There’s far, far better riding – Tunnel Hill (the bits that are still open), Hindhead/Devil’s Punchbowl, Surrey Hills, etc. If your idea of a good ride is following 20k of polished yellow stones with minimal natural features, crack on..

This.

If I was a (riding distance) local then I might feel different. But 2 hours? Absolutely not. Go the extra 30 minutes to Peaslake and ride there instead.

I've been to Swinley once this year for the Swinduro last weekend, and even that was dull to race!

It's a tedious, contrived waste of time.  You'll be driving past much better riding to get there.  I don't mind flat but I kinda want my flat trail centres to go places instead of twisting and turning aimlessly around the same bland bit of woodland block.

I rode it on my stooge and never felt underbiked, I could have gone quicker but it wouldn't have improved the entertainment. I'd have been bored to tears on the proper bike.  Given Surrey hills are maybe 30minutes further away I'd go there every time.

Hmmm fairly damming replies for swinley then! I’ll find somewhere else to go.

Thanks all.

 the Strava segments I looked at show me comfortably in the top 10%.

Swoons. Swoons HARD.

I quite enjoy it, it's not super technical or anything but has some fun bits. If you're on a 160mm slack machine then obviously it's all a bit tame but if you want some financial needs doing view pedaling as a chore then it's fine.

Does your mate have to travel to ride with you? Your getting close to 2 hrs to get to FOD from swinley.

i am local to swinley, and whilst it is not the best place I have ever ridden, it is not terrible. It is a quite fun loop, to be honest I can’t see what makes it significantly worse than the red and blue at the FOD or Cannock. It’s not afan or Brechin though.

Why dontbyou go, have a laugh with your mate, have a beer afterwards and make your own mind up.

If I lived where you did, I wouldn’t drive two hours just to ride there.  But ,visiting  your mate and riding somewhere local to him sounds ok ,for the crack at least . For a change . Once every few years maybe. Ask him to learn the Surrey Hills, the riding there is excellent.

Its riding a bike with a mate, whats the worst that can happen?

I’m local to it and it’s great for fitness and there’s little chance of being run over (although an ebiker managed to hit me on an overtake) so it’s a win. Would I drive two hours, probably not but if it was to meet a mate I would.

If you don't enjoy Swinley you're too slow.  No question.

If you are fit enough to go flat out the whole way it's absolutely brilliant.  Well - parts of blue go on a bit but that's not a deal breaker.  I love it.  Faster and faster each time, and a bigger and bigger grin.

If you're a better rider than me then the blue is full of big jumps requiring serious commitment - just look for berms you can take straight off and hit the trail as it snakes back around.  I'm sure I saw a video of one of these but I cannot find it now.

However, Surrey Hills is also good.  TBH I'm not sure what better riding you'd be driving past from FoD area!

If you’re on a 160mm slack machine then obviously it’s all a bit tame

More fun on a bigger bike IMO.  Bigger tyres, brakes, wider bar etc means more speeeed.

I think Swinley is more of a fun and varied route than freeminers at FOD just about. But then I’m not a massive fan of roots.

More fun on a bigger bike IMO.  Bigger tyres, brakes, wider bar etc means more speeeed.

Brakes not not so much.

If you don’t enjoy Swinley you’re too slow.  No question.

If you are fit enough to go flat out the whole way it’s absolutely brilliant.  Well – parts of blue go on a bit but that’s not a deal breaker.  I love it.  Faster and faster each time, and a bigger and bigger grin.

If you’re a better rider than me then the blue is full of big jumps requiring serious commitment – just look for berms you can take straight off and hit the trail as it snakes back around.  I’m sure I saw a video of one of these but I cannot find it now.

Guess i'm too slow then.

Also, confused as to where the big jumps are on the blue (or red for that matter). On R15 or R25 even if you double up a couple of the rollers they are 15/20ft max. Not work 20km of tedium for some not very big jumps.

I don’t think I’d drive 2 hours to ride Swinley alone. But I drive 2 hours to visit my mate and we ride canal paths and round flat fields and it’s a pleasure to be out on my bike with my mate. If he lived near Swinley that’d be great! cos I enjoy riding there and I enjoy getting out on my bike with my mate. I dunno why you’d have to ask really.

I used to go there a lot years back as I lived about twenty minutes away, is it very different since they put marked, rated trails in?

I used to enjoy it as I knew it like the back of my hand, could spend a couple of hours bimbling round and not go on the same bit of track twice.

I'm a local. I can see why people might not like it and it's a bit of a Marmite place. If you're meeting a mate then I'd say it's worth riding it and making up your own mind. Maybe if he knows it well he can guide you on the non trail centre bits?

(Lol at top 10% of Strava swooning)

<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;"> is it very different since they put marked, rated trails in?</span>

Its similar, but there are blue/red posts at the start of the runs. The jump gully has gone. Last time I was there they were mucking about with babymaker and the labyrinth, so if those go, it really wouldn't be worth the occasional trip I do now.

Its pretty much an exercise in riding hard until you vomit. Slower than that and its dull. If your vomiting pace is still slow then its dull.

Also loving the idea that a 20ft gap at a trail center isn't big or testing enough. I've never got my tape measure out to check them, but then I can't reliably make them either so its moot how long they are.

Its not Glentress, but at least it's not Cannock or Dalby.

the Strava segments I looked at show me comfortably in the top 10%. If I’d been going any faster I guess I’d be a pro.

Come back when you break into the top 2000 or so then ey?

Swinley is a great place for just blasting around on a bike having fun, especially with mates. It ain't the most technical, but it flows well, its a damned good work out if you push your pace a little, and if folk can't enjoy themselves there I'm not really sure we "get" biking in the same way. No, it doesn't have much techy stuff, though "apparently" there is some nice off piste stuff if you nose about. Of course I wouldn't know about that, or how to get to it after turning right somewhere near Red 6 and past a green metal bench into Crowthorne Woods, as obviously nobody would ride off piste, when its apparently frowned upon.

Happy to agree that Surrey Hills offers far more variety and techy stuff if that's your bag, and I do prefer it, but it does annoy me when folk diss Swinley as if its boring. How can riding a bike near your limit both physically and technically, with a bunch of mates for several hours and the associated banter that comes with friends, be boring?

Worth the 2 hour drive from most of Southern England, especially once the mud arrives everywhere else.

The cafe is rubbish, and the parking a pain in the arse on a busy weekend though.

Also loving the idea that a 20ft gap at a trail center isn’t big or testing enough. I’ve never got my tape measure out to check them, but then I can’t reliably make them either so its moot how long they are.

Poetic licence much? It's not a 20ft 'gap jump', it's not even a 20ft table, there is literally just a couple of points on some of the trails where you can double up some rollers if you're reasonably competent and can carry some speed at features.

it’s not even a 20ft table, there is literally just a couple of points

You are literally not looking hard enough.

There are at least 3 rollers on the blue that are double-able if you have sufficient skill (not that I have). More on the red, esp. down from the clubhouse

The hub have serveral ride outs with locals who can show you the features if you’re keen.

That said, I rarely go in the summer, it’s chockablock. Would I drive 4 hours to ride on my own? Def not. Meeting a mate, definitely.

Can't think of any on the blue, where are they? As I said above there's a handful on the (official) red, there is the one on babymaker which has been eroded down over the years & is a lot smaller now, but that's it. There's a few reasonable jumps in the camel area, but nothing official (yet).

I quite like it there for a flat out ride.  it's not very mate friendly not many points to chat unless you are both the same fitness or one of you waits about.

I travel an hour maybe once a year for a quick spin.  and I used to have a couple of strava top tens (get me)

the labyrinth section is brilliant.  the first time you are through it I was like 'where the **** am I' some of the strava times through there are incredibly fast I'm not even close flat out and it's not the legs or lungs holding me back.

worth it for a one off is say.

I prefer FOD but haven't been for some years now

Who the **** wants to ride 20ft doubles anyway? I’m not really into big pointless features.

I work all over the country and take my bike with me and still like a lap of Swinley.

Can’t think of any on the blue, where are they?

Couple before Stickler  5, 6 or 7 I think, then there's one or two on 14.

There's one on red 25 too, but the lad I saw doing it was going a lot faster than I'd be comfortable with (esp after the lad that died there).

Edit:

I think this is 14, but haven't been for a while.

This is labelled as 14

If you do it enough you can start shaving seconds off the various bits. I got quite good at riding Labyrinth on the rigid bike I was bringing at the time.  Not a particularly great trail, but I really enjoyed learning it well enough to memorise lines at specific spots to nail it.

How can riding a bike near your limit both physically and technically, with a bunch of mates for several hours and the associated banter that comes with friends, be boring?

I personally generally prefer trails with an un-artificial surface where the technicality comes from the trail itself, not having to go flat out to make it interesting. Plus I don't ride with friends, am not really into "banter" and typically ride places and times that give me a good chance of avoiding people, not being amongst crowds of them.

I actually really liked "old" Swinley, before all the surfaced waymarked trails got put in as you could pretty much make up your own loop, and it wasn't all that busy. The original Whole Nine Yards trail was great..

If you are fit enough to go flat out the whole way it’s absolutely brilliant.

this is true - if you keep a solid pace up for the whole blue/red circuit then it is decent. If you've ridden tunnel hill with the trolls you will get the idea, the tracks they ride are often hardly present and boring if you rode them slow, but at their pace it is all a blast.

I personally generally prefer trails with an un-artificial surface where the technicality comes from the trail itself, not having to go flat out to make it interesting.

By that token, Brands Hatch or the IoM TT or the Nurburgring are dull as ditchwater, if you went round them at 30 mph.

Surely the point is that you do go fast and make it interesting.

Don't get me wrong, different folks have different strokes, and maybe super nadgery steep technical is your thing, but to write Swinley off because it isn't your thing is wholly incorrect.

I don't like super steep technical, can't ride it, don't enjoy it, therefore the Alps are shit? Or me?

I actually really liked “old” Swinley, before all the surfaced waymarked trails got put in as you could pretty much make up your own loop, and it wasn’t all that busy. The original Whole Nine Yards trail was great..

Yup  🙁

I do the odd ride over there during the week (ride from Bagshot when working there).  I take my CX bike as it makes it a bit more interesting.

I wouldn't go anywhere near the place at the weekends.

By that token, Brands Hatch or the IoM TT or the Nurburgring are dull as ditchwater, if you went round them at 30 mph.

Surely the point is that you do go fast and make it interesting.

Don’t get me wrong, different folks have different strokes, and maybe super nadgery steep technical is your thing, but to write Swinley off because it isn’t your thing is wholly incorrect.

I don’t like super steep technical, can’t ride it, don’t enjoy it, therefore the Alps are shit? Or me?

Absolutely... I simply cannot grasp how people don't enjoy it...

I enjoy BPW, i enjoy Afan.... Does that mean i cannot enjoy Swinley ? Hell no, it's a bloody fabulous afternoon/morning out. It's 45 mins each way for me and worth every minute.

Some of the loamy winter/autumn rides there have been highlights of my riding for most years. Yes, they're years i've also been to Morzine, Andalucia etc..

Surely the point is that you do go fast and make it interesting.

But it doesn't, that's the point people are making. Me included.

I quite like riding it at night, it also drains well so a good option when the local stuff turns into a bog. Just go with the expectation that it isn't the alps or even BPW and you should enjoy it.

Back when this forum was busy and friendly, there were a few group rides at Swinley.

Don't recall any of this lot saying they were bored 🙂

Ah.. wonder what philconsequence is up to these days ...

Peoples views on Swinley (it's boring, don't go there, not worth it) don't seem to be backed up by the number of folk who go there (the car park is rammed at weekends) and enjoy it...................

But it doesn’t, that’s the point people are making. Me included.

Yes, it does. That's the point I'm making.

It might not TO YOU but writing it off for everyone because it's not YOUR idea of fun is wholly wrong.

write Swinley off because it isn’t your thing

While we're on, the South Downs Way is also a boring snooze-fest with little in the way of technical riding.  And it takes aaaages.  Never in the field of humans riding bikes have so many been so bored for so long.  Total waste of time.

I know a massive majority will disagree, but personally I'd drive past Surrey Hills to get to Swinley.... I found 1 trail enjoyable at SH, but the rest, meh, i could take them or leave them.

100% agree that, all being equal I'd rather ride the Surrey Hills.. but...

Swinley is pretty close to being all weather in a part of the world that tends to turn into a hideous bog for 6 months of the year.

It's a great intro to MTB for newbies, nothing too steep and little chance of getting lost.

My 6-year old, who's keen as mustard but can't get up steep gradients, LOVES the Blue and the massive playground at the Look-out makes it great for families.

So, yeah I love Swinley and I'm very grateful that it's there, despite being fully aware that there is more scenic, natural and interesting riding to be had.

Yes, it does. That’s the point I’m making.

It might not TO YOU but writing it off for everyone because it’s not YOUR idea of fun is wholly wrong.

The point being, that works both ways. My point being riding it faster doesn't make it more fun.

You can state your point as much as you like, some people like it, others don't. That's life.

For the same reason above, why I wouldn't ride the SDW, because for me, I would struggle to thing of something less fun to do on a bike. But at least that's a big challenge.

little chance of getting lost

Ha! I can easily get lost there, have to use my Garmin every time 😆

simple answer to the question; is it worth the 2hr drive? absolutely definitely not.

there is some decent stuff in fairness; i stayed in Bagshot for a while for work and kindda developed a little regular loop to do that took in  (imo) the better sections and babymaker etc with a load of off piste. some quite big jumpy features and nice loamy turns to be found but its few and far between and more often than not id elect to ride elsewhere.

honestly the first (and only) time i followed the official route, i nearly sold my bike!!

My point being riding it faster doesn’t make it more fun.

I think it does if you can look into the progressive features that are built into the trail. If you just roll it faster then yes, that would be boring.

TBH, I think most people's view of Swinley is coloured by Stickler, which is too much effort for too little reward IMO.

There are other parts (see earlier post) which make it worthwhile.

Stickler, which is too much effort for too little reward IMO

One of my favourite trails in the world ! How can people not enjoy twisty, turny, turny, bermy, tighty, twisty....

If i could work out a way to get back to the start, i'd ride that time and time again 😀

If i could work out a way to get back to the start

You can session the middle bit really easily 😀

How can people not enjoy twisty, turny, turny, bermy, tighty, twisty….

I've only got a 29er 😛

The point being, that works both ways. My point being riding it faster doesn’t make it more fun.

I think you're missing the point. The swinley h8ers always appear on these threads to slag it off because you/they don't enjoy that sort of riding. Which is fine. But to say it is shit and write it off full stop because you don't like it....

The OP said: "Is it worth a trip there or will i find it boring?"

to which the honest answer has to be - some people love it, it's quite pedally but to them the more effort they put in and the faster they go, the better it gets. Others who prefer more techie trails don't like it. Depends what sort of rider you are and the only way to find out is to go and see.

For the same reason above, why I wouldn’t ride the SDW, because for me, I would struggle to thing of something less fun to do on a bike.

I was taking the wee-wee.  It's an amazing ride.  My last go was one of the most amazing rides I've ever done.  I'll probably always remember it.    Pick a nice day and give it a go.  Or maybe not.  Maybe it's not for you.

I like riding bikes. That's pretty much the start and finish of it.  I've got my preferences, but the only type of riding I don't like is stationary/turbo work.  I've only ridden track once, I guess that's the most ostensibly boring riding there is.  Still a lot of fun (/fun*) though.</span>

Swinley's good, fun for an occasional blat, and if it was my local, I'm sure I'd ride it regularly and get fitter - head out for a loop and try to squeak all the speed you can out of every little thing.  I'd certainly improve my technique in a few different areas too.

The OP asked if it's worth a 4 hour drive.  2 hours driving radius from Bristol gets you to a lot of riding, and I can understand people saying there are better places, but if it's a visit to your mate 1st and foremost and it's his choice, then you won't have an awful time.

There's a lot of features at swinley that I look at and think that's designed to be a jump if I could figure out how to go fast enough.

I've always been inclined to make a challenge out of whatever trail is there for me to ride rather than seek out specific features. And trying to pick up and carry speed through some of the flat sections is definitely a challenge for me.

absolutely definitely not.

Wrong. Answer is, as is so often the case: It depends...

The trick with Stickler is because it's flat you have to find the point where you're almost blowing up, and sit there for the 7 minutes or so it takes to ride the whole thing (never take the chicken route half way). Then sprint out the last bit after the bridge to try and beat your previous time.

If your riding it sat upright and just turning the pedals for 10+ minutes I imagine it is pretty dull, and the surface is pretty uncomfortable, but once you get into the flow of the corners and can ride it mostly off the brakes (and not just coasting) then it becomes a challenge.

How many 8 minute trails with 100+ corners are there in the South East? Yes you have to pedal for it, but it is meant to be a sport remember!

There’s a lot of features at swinley that I look at and think that’s designed to be a jump if I could figure out how to go fast enough.

That's part of it's challenge though. It's a friendly red, but by no means an easy one. The population of Bracknell can descend on it at a weekend and not kill themselves, but trying to figure out what the trail builder was thinking takes a bit more effort. I've been riding it for 10 years now and still found a new line on Blue14 the other day which spat me into the last section at warp speed turning the rollers from "I hope I dont hang a wheel up on this" into "ohh **** that was the landing back there".

Whereas a road trip to Glentress is fun in a different way, the trail looks a whole lot more technical with bigger jumps, but the reality is you can hit the whole thing blind at full chat and those features just work so it's a lot more flattering of average skills and fitness*.

*there's more climbing, but the memorable trails are mostly downhill so you can just ride them at a coasting speed and still be going fast enough.

If your riding it sat upright and just turning the pedals for 10+ minutes I imagine it is pretty dull,

Exactly - if it's your first (& only time) you'd think "what is the point of this trail, it's boring".

Can Swinley still be ridden in the old way, or is riding off the marked trails banned, frowned upon or just not generally done?

The thing I really used to enjoy about the place was all the little off-piste trails that linked it all up, I particularly liked the area round Crowthorne Woods, I got to the point that I knew every little bit of the place, there was one trail near the back of Caesar's Camp that you could tell was hardly ever ridden, one of my favourites there too, is this now a thing of the past?

Can Swinley still be ridden in the ‘old’ way

Dunno, but "old" Stickler is still there. Don't think my lad thought it was boring first time we went down here

I have a trail bike and live local , I find swinley great . Yes you pedal alot but I find folks these days are getting lazy . Keeps you fit 🙂

Swinley used to be my local trails and have ridden it a few times since the revamp. It’s certainly not the best riding in the world but it’s really pretty good fun. I reckon it’s probably best on a hardtail though. I think standing up and properly trying to rag it brings out the best. Also other than that hideous pebbly bit near the start it’s not really rough enough to challenge a decent trail bike these days.

Absolutely… I simply cannot grasp how people don’t enjoy it…

For me Swinley is a nice place to have a quick ride ... but it's not got anything to recommend it over other places.

You can't really blast around at weekends ... just too many people and all the secret hidden away stuff is all .. well secret and it's easier to just go to Rogate or wherever...

The last few times I've been Jnr has just said "it's too boring"... vs Surrey Hills or other options.  (I think he came about once in the last 5 trips I've made)

If anything over the last 3-4 years it's now possibly more justifiable to take some suspension, doing the labyrinth on a rigid bike used to be lightning quick, but with the amount of traffic it now gets the older un-armoured bits are quite hard work on the body! It's certainly not possible to ride it quite as flat out as I used to ona  rigid bike when the corners were nice smooth berms. Then entry;s are all braking bumps and the berms are sharper and hollowed out which makes pumping them a challenge.

‘Haterz gonna Hate’ as the kids say.

Swinley isn't my favourite palce to ride but it is the closest to home.

With Swinley, as in much of life, you get out what you put in. Here are my tips for making the most of it…..

1 Put in more physical effort. What Swinley lacks in elevation and prolonged gradient can be made up for in part by going at it harder. As other have already said, try doing the whole thing non-stop at or near Theshold, it’s quite a challenge. Some sections taken at ten tenths pace require skill and nerve too.

2 Explore. There is loads of natural singletrack from ‘old Swinley’ and plenty of off piste technical riding if you follow those little trails that head off through some shrubbery.

3. Extend. There is lots more interesting riding surrounding Swinley. Head out over Crowthorne Woods, Old Dean Common and beyond and you can make a loop as long and interesting as you like.

4. Mix it up. Because of the compact nature of Swinley you can easily change it up from one ride to the next by changing the order in which you cover each area of the forest.

5.Session it. The short nature of the section of trail mean that you can spend time practicing on the more challenging  sections, particularly around the clubhouse area, working on skills. Jumps, Drops, Doubles, Berms, Tight Switchbacks, are all there, so you can work on improving your riding.

I used to ride it most weekends with the old mtb Britain forum lot, before all the changes came in, great fun and liked it back then...these days I average 1 ride a year there as I prefer elsewhere in the area tbh. Still a great place for a social though and it has its place, not sure I'd drive 2hrs though.

I mainly ride it with the kids, and they love blue red blue. About an hour from home for me makes it perfect - fun to do on an INSET day, but don't ride it to death every week. That said I'd happily ride it every week in an evening session from work if I could organise myself to do it.

‘Haterz gonna Hate’ as the kids say.

Swinley isn’t my favourite palce to ride but it is the closest to home.

With Swinley, as in much of life, you get out what you put in. Here are my tips for making the most of it…..

1 Put in more physical effort. What Swinley lacks in elevation and prolonged gradient can be made up for in part by going at it harder. As other have already said, try doing the whole thing non-stop at or near Theshold, it’s quite a challenge. Some sections taken at ten tenths pace require skill and nerve too.

I'm quite fond of Swinley but .... weekends its pretty impossible to put in any pace.  It's even worse when you're riding with a kid as every Tom, Dick and Harriet seems to want to hang about the trail start then set off just before you get to it.

2 Explore. There is loads of natural singletrack from ‘old Swinley’ and plenty of off piste technical riding if you follow those little trails that head off through some shrubbery.

3. Extend. There is lots more interesting riding surrounding Swinley. Head out over Crowthorne Woods, Old Dean Common and beyond and you can make a loop as long and interesting as you like.

The secret stuff is just too secret.... it puts it into direct competition with Surrey Hills for me drive wise.  I guess if you're in the secret handshake club it might be different but cripes even the photo of the official Swinduro route is too secret to be posted in the official SFMB group!

On the positive though the compact nature and flatness does mean when you do explore you don't find yourself at the end of the day and climbs or road to get you back or starting what looks promising and half way down realising that you picked something unexciting that is going to mean climbing back up.  I'm not adverse to climbing, I just like to get some change.

I ride Swinley pretty much every week as its on my doorstep, I rarely ride much of the official stuff, a lot of the old stuff is still there and the off piste still has a fair bit of big stuff, as much as a lot on this thread say it's all too easy, boring etc, there are still some 20ft+ gaps and one or two decent (over 6ft) drops about.

I wouldn't even say its that hard to find, Camel trail has a few half decent size features on it / near it and most people that ride swinley even occasionally know where it is. One particular 23ft gap (has been measured) is pretty much ridden past by almost everyone who rides the red trails, they just don't look in the right direction when going past it to see it.

Don't be put off by what a lot of people on here tell you, sure, if you stick to the official stuff it can be a bit dull in places, but even that has a few sneaky double etc that most don't see (even if the trail team do their best to flatten anything and everything that's slightly fun) It's just more of a place you can session the same sections/ features a few times rather than long jump filled decents

I'm in Reading and while Swinley is not exactly an MTB Mecca, it's worth a visit now and then as a change from my from doorstep riding, but it's under 30 mins drive for me...

I think Swiley suits a HT nicely, although you see plenty of #Enduro Weapons about and the riders seem happy enough, the place does reward fitness to some extent (and maybe punishes a lack thereof) so yes you have to pedal a bit, but it's mostly relatively short upwards efforts for a bit of downwards trundle time.

Plus It's worth remembering the whole place is setup as more of a family friendly venue, so the Gnarr factor has to be toned down to minimise the risk of those Shirtless/Lidless chavs caving their skulls in on stumps or kids out on their first off road ride breaking their arms...

Obviously it's no Welsh or Scottish Trail centre but then it's just a hop and a skip off the M4 and easy for West Londoners and half the M4 Corridor to get to, so it's popular and busy without the trails getting too log jammed.

TBH if I was visiting from any distance, I'd look to stay locally a night or two and make a weekend of riding in the area, Surrey Hills, Swinley, maybe go a bit further and try QECP? But it all depends on what you want, Surrey/Berkshire/Hampshire aren't exactly famed for their Mountains...

Of course it could be worse, I visited Thetford once...

go a bit further and try QECP

Not sure how that would appeal to people who don't like Swinley... "whinge whinge, it's got no flooowww" 😆

(and anyway, it's another hour away!)

Peoples views on Swinley (it’s boring, don’t go there, not worth it) don’t seem to be backed up by the number of folk who go there (the car park is rammed at weekends) and enjoy it……………….

Car parks being rammed often has little correlation with how good the ‘thing’ is. It just means that there’s convenient parking and possibly a cafe and toilets. Around here, the parking for the walk up Pen y Fan is always rammed on the weekends. Is it the best hill-walk? No, far from it, but it’s easy to get to, easy to park and perhaps most importantly, easy to find your way to the top of the hill. (And also, your wife’s friend has just posted pics on Facebook so your wife is now nagging to walk up it. But that’s maybe a different thread. 😀 )

Not sure how that would appeal to people who don’t like Swinley… “whinge whinge, it’s got no flooowww”

As a Swinley disliker, I would probably, without fail go to QE over it. 22km round QE (red, blue and a few other runs of Swinley) you are lucky to see 300m of elevation. 22km round QE you're looking at 3/4 times that.

If you have the legs for it you can easily do 40km & 2500m of climbing there.

But it is sh*t in the winter!

There isn't anywhere on the official trails that require any skill whatsoever.  Even flat out they require no braking.  So if you're competent they are dull as they present no challenge.  Maybe on an e bike or enduro mx bike it'd be fun.

Great for the masses but not for all.

Back to OP - riding with mates is always good but worth changing the venue.

LOL how's the KOM JOeFM ?

Even flat out they require no braking.

Or steering or weight transfer or line choice?  No matter who you are, if you go fast enough it'll be interesting.  Hence your comment about mx bikes.

Summer evenings after 8pm is definitely the time to be there.  It's glorious 🙂

any trail which is more fun on a 26in bike than a 29er is going to be horrible on a motorbike.