Any been out in the last few days and could report back on conditions? I try and steer clear during the winter to avoid damaging the area but its been fairly dry over the last few weeks so wouldnt mind a spin.
Thanks in advance.
mashiehood - Member
I try and steer clear during the winter to avoid damaging the area
Are you American by any chance? 😉 😀
Not been over since last week but it's been dry for a bit and chilled so should be mostly okay. Last weekend wasn't too sloppy.
It's always rideable round there. Just seasonal variation which makes it constantly changing which is nice rather than same old hard park trail centre stuff.
Only bits to avoid really when especially wet are north downs chalk/clay trails.
And Walking Bottom car park 😉 . In fact best avoided at weekends anyway, especially mornings. Oddly it seems to get even more busy after the end of summer.
Not long got back from there. It's pretty much perfect at the minute.
excellent - thanks
Drying out well. No standing water left.
Some of the well used trails with softer ground a bit cut up but generally running well.
Simply glorious out there and quiet too.....
I hate reading stuff like this when stuck at home. Please stop telling everyone how great it is!
Was awesomenes! Like summer but with better grip. Lots of new trails about too!
I am guessing you've witnessed it yourself by now, but near perfect conditions as others have said.
Just had a quick blast on Holbury and Pitch - amazing how good conditions are. Trails smooth and dry and fun to ride. Only hiccup in the normal puddle at the bottom of reservoir dogs (I think - acid's alternative way down from H Hill to start of BKB) - where the normal puddle at the bottom of the descent before the short climb back to the reservoitr caught me out yet again - I hate that puddle, its deeper than it looks and a lot muddier. Three close shaves on it recently!!
Feels odd riding BKB after the recent court ruling. Didn't stop but hard to see how the unfortunate guy bailed out left?
"Reservoir Dogs"?
Pretty flippin good over at the lesser spotted western end of the Surrey Hills, too. Couple of PBs out there last night, go me.
Reservoir dogs short apparently woppit.
Short climb back to reservoir 😮 that one kills me!
Is this the puddle at the bottom of van goghs missing ear? There is a line avoiding it if so
Not sure of names - but yes there is sensible line on the LHS and the stupid one on the centre and RHS which for some bizarre reason I have chosen three times in a row now
Anyone ridden C Bronson end of W'fold recently. Is it correct that they are logging over there?
Need to stretch my legs and fancy that side of things if they are OK condition wise
Anyone ridden SH is past 36 hours - is it very boggy on Pitch and W'fold?
Sun's shining and feel like a little pootle later on but might wait a couple of days if trails are too wet.
I rode there on Saturday - lots of big puddles and boggy and slidy on the softish stuff. Proper Bo and Graveyard where OK but very puddly. I live about 5 miles away from Pitch and we had a lot more rain last night, so I wouldn't expect an improvement I'm afraid.
Boggy boggy boggy, and yeah it's been chucking it down on and off in the week and very heavy last night so it won't have improved.
Problem is it doesn't stop getting ridden. Not that I'm a "don't ride wet trails!" obsessive, but when it's reached saturation point such that you're going to be covered in mud on every trail, zero grip and puddles up to your cranks you have to consider that the less shitty trail is a better option.
Last week the fireroads were sticky and draggy making it hard to pedal up. The car parks are pretty bad also, especially WB.
Even Holmbury is sloppy in parts. Yog Pots was back to living up to its name.
It's messy, rode Sun evening and given it rained last night as Hicksy said probably unlikely to be any better.
South side of Pitch looked ok (not sure about T&C) but trail where T&C, Eric, Bagpuss end up is a quagmire.
Was up Redlands / Coldharbour on Saturday - Redlands is good up top, but quagmire near the bottom (as always)
Leith / Coldharbour hill was ok for the most part with a few localised sticky bits
Thx, guys pretty much waht I expected given incessant recent rain. Might nip over to Punchbowl or even Swinley instead.
The rain has eroded some of my fav cheeky trials on he Punchbowl. The fairies have built a medium-ish drop off one particular favourite that has now been washed down, making it more like a gap now. Too much for me!!
A nice new bermed section of Gibbet looks fun though.
Agree DK, makes sense to leave SH alone when they are this wet.
Did fancy a leek and pork slice for lunch though!!!
The pull of a pork and leek slice is strong today...
Rode Holmbury and Pitch last week and was ok despite the wet.
Anyone ridden Winterfold area in past 36 hours? How's Evian area? Ditto N monkey and Summer Madness etc?
Bit parky out first thing though - so will need to wrap up!!
It rained really heavily here on Sunday night and yesterday, so I'd imagine it's going to be very heavy going.
That was my concern - its lovely and bright now but yes belted it down yesterday. Not too bad on dog walk first thing.
Winterfold likely to be wetter than Holm though I expect? But fancy a change...
Rode CB /SM and LL on Sat and then again Sun evening.. the end bit as usual is a bit slick. They were running quite nicely.
Didn't tackle anything in Winterfold on Sat other than Rockstar which [s]is[/s] was also dry.. I'd avoid following on through the [i]Waterfall[/i](the bridle way/foothpath) into Farley Green (if you are heading that way that is) as it's wet..very wet.
Avoid any bridleway as most if not all of them are a right mess completely churned up.
Pitch Clunk, Curly Wurly and Supernova were all ok.
Thx. Need to make mid up in next 15 minutes!
Clubk was awful at the top last week!
You have given me two new names to find there!!
Holmbury always driest. Steeper South side of Winterfold with be a lake/bog at the bottom. After a big rainfall I just rode NDW xc loop out to say above Gomshall, down and via Shere/Albury back to Newlands, in part to protect trails.
Forgot to mention XR3l was also quite good but that's probably cos it's under so much foliage
XR3i ??
That's yet another new one!
Embarrassed to say that went to P'lake - had a pork and leek slice, the rain started to come down hard, had another, couldn't be bothered, came home 😳
First time I have wimped on a ride but just couldn't be bothered yesterday - a heavy cold is the only excuse. Drier today, so perhaps a ride tomorrow
Looks like a certain landowner has been busy in the winterf area - a few of the trails have had their entrances and/or exits blocked..
Exit blocked could be entertaining !
Jambs - Looking at the "[i]crime scenes[/i]" I would hazard a guess that there seems to be use of some heavy machinery involved given the size of debris placed across the trail. Effects trails that start or end on fire roads.
However, most of the affected trails are still ride able albeit with a bit carrying over the debris.
SH is seeing some very heavy usage these days.
Yep, The start of Secret Santa was blocked off, along with carpet land - and the new extension into SS. The 2 old trails either side of the valley after Evian have had the exits blocked. The new trail 14A seems to have survived though
I know it was almost ideal conditions this weekend, but i've never seen it so busy.
Interesting extension on Indian Summer now - just what's needed, more jump lines!
I do think we could help ourselves with less broadcasting of what's been re-opened, built et c. Is it just coincidence for example the P&S' Facebook page showed a particular trail up and running again and now it's been blocked off? Admittedly it might well be a vigilant landowner in this case, but it's not difficult for a non-cyclist to put the internet and Strava together these days.
Sorry to sound grumpy, but I do worry about the long term future of riding round there given the amount of traffic and digging these days.
The hills were in hero-dirt condition this weekend though! No cake left in the stores by the time I got there however..
The regulars over there are really doing no one any favours. Also I wonder if people are aware that there are more than two car parks on Pitch. Locals and landowners are getting really really really pissed off with us.
Had a long conversation with some local dog walkers there on Sunday and I think it's the way we exclude everyone else that's an issue.
Need to spread out a bit!
lcj - hard with the broadcasting part - every now and then one of the well known mags put SH on the map, in addtion videos popping up every now and then of the 'loam shredding', add Strava to the melting pot and even the less discreet trails get blown open.
Jump lines being built in open view, large groups of upwards of 6 riding around etc all add to the issue I guess.
jools - even the not so frequented car parks were packed right from the Winterfold area up to the YHA, it seemed a busy day in the hills as there were loads or walkers and orienteers etc. (even CP 7 was full)
This kind of stuff won't help. Giving way to walkers is a basic thing really but to be fair seems like the walker couldn't have been in a worse spot. If someone does get hurt I fear eventually they'll curb our enthusiasm.
@jools saw that on the ranger's facebok, hard to blame the mtb-ers if the walker is scrambling / climbing up a non-footpath trail
As above Starva etc means there are very few secrets. In the past people where put off going there as they might find nothing. Now its all heatmap and segments.
Yup no secrets anymore. It's a good thing as long as people are careful and maybe park a little further afield.
I park near box hill for my normal 35 mile loop! Just riding around peaslake is a bit lame.... go explore
So what are the conditions like - I'd like to head out this weekend
Conditions are horrific. Mud is at best thigh deep. Any trail that hasn't been destroyed by the armed vigilantes is overrun with tigers and insurance salesmen.
I'd leave it and head to swinley 🙂
Admittedly it might well be a vigilant landowner in this case
Everything on Jim's land is fair game to be blocked off or trashed and aside from new bits on Hurtwood land he's apparently bought, there's no right to be there.
There's often negativity on warning that it may be a daft location, too visible, well publicised, plus the scale of the digging, but then moans and rants when it inevitably gets trashed. Still though, just accept it as change. Trails come and go and it's more interesting with something new than the same old stuff getting wrecked through over saturated used 😉
Thanks Rob - I'll head out to SH on Sunday 🙂
Talking of insurance salesman robbing barstewards - my home insurance has gone up 20%!
To all the illegal trail/jump builders.
It's not your land. You're not the only type of user in a relatively crowded space, you selfish nincompoops. What you're doing is just vandalism and on about the same level as fly-tipping.
Personally, I'd be happy with arrests and fines.
Jerks. 👿
Though nice trails/features at times 😉
As a rider and the illegal stuff is there, that's not my problem. I'm just trespassing 😀 . Their act is criminal damage though.
But more seriously it doesn't do the community much good when the scale of digging is really taking the piss and churning up huge areas of someone's land, plus the blatant obviousness of it.
