I´m off there on Saturday to give the Explosif a proper shakedown. I see it has had some changes recently - has anyone been their recently?
Swinley Forest - anyone been recently?
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secret_squirrel
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Not for biking but have been twice with the kiddly winks in the last couple of months and seen lots of happy muddy bikers.
I'm very jealous been dying for an excuse to test the Vit out there. Give me a shout with a couple of weeks notice and I could meet ya there.
I'm very jealous been dying for an excuse to test the Vit out there. Give me a shout with a couple of weeks notice and I could meet ya there.
Here's a plan. I reki it today, report back, then we get a date in the diary. I chose it since I can take the train; a short blast from Martins Heron.
So I spent just over 3 hours there today and had an absolute blast. Its nice to know my legs and Explosif easily beat kids with all the gear and no idea.
Its very easy to get to from Martins Heron; took just under an hour from Waterloo. There looked to be tons of parking for those with 4 wheels.
There are 3 courses, the 1st very short for families. The intermediate took me about 25 mins to complete but add in the red route and you have a good 90 minute loop.
Theres a real mixture or terrain, the majourity is packed hardcore. Its got a big variety of singletrack. Highlights were the labyrinth in the pine trees (very narrow, very twisty, loads of roots), this sort of corkscrew thing in a big ditch (really tricky to keep the speed up so not to fall off or out!), and an excellent series of berms over a 1 to 2 mile stretch.
I think this would be a good, easy place to meet for a rb ride. Sure it doesn't have the vibe of a normal ride but it left me buzzing.
Recommended!
Its very easy to get to from Martins Heron; took just under an hour from Waterloo. There looked to be tons of parking for those with 4 wheels.
There are 3 courses, the 1st very short for families. The intermediate took me about 25 mins to complete but add in the red route and you have a good 90 minute loop.
Theres a real mixture or terrain, the majourity is packed hardcore. Its got a big variety of singletrack. Highlights were the labyrinth in the pine trees (very narrow, very twisty, loads of roots), this sort of corkscrew thing in a big ditch (really tricky to keep the speed up so not to fall off or out!), and an excellent series of berms over a 1 to 2 mile stretch.
I think this would be a good, easy place to meet for a rb ride. Sure it doesn't have the vibe of a normal ride but it left me buzzing.
Recommended!
secret_squirrel
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And the Brucey bonus is you can drop any partner or kids at the outlook discovery Center whilst you head off for a blast.
That's true. In other words there are no excuses not to go!
Gnarly Mavis
Retro Newbie
I'm often at Swinley - it's kept me sane living in the SE for the last 13 years!
The Rowan Sorrell built trails are good but I still do hanker after the freedom to roam - to learn that forest by getting lost and trying to link it all back up again was great fun and this is no longer allowed - fire roads and the built trails are the only thing officially allowed. Reason being that the public liability insurance premium (plus ground nesting birds) for the (land owner) Crown Estate kept rising year on year by persons injuring themselves on bikes in the forest who were then suing them.
Personally I got bored of the new trails on my 07 Turner 5 Spot hence my return to my rigid 96 Kona Kilauea (which is now bent - see other post from me).
For 3 rides the grin factor was seriously back then a stick in the rear wheel....
The Rowan Sorrell built trails are good but I still do hanker after the freedom to roam - to learn that forest by getting lost and trying to link it all back up again was great fun and this is no longer allowed - fire roads and the built trails are the only thing officially allowed. Reason being that the public liability insurance premium (plus ground nesting birds) for the (land owner) Crown Estate kept rising year on year by persons injuring themselves on bikes in the forest who were then suing them.
Personally I got bored of the new trails on my 07 Turner 5 Spot hence my return to my rigid 96 Kona Kilauea (which is now bent - see other post from me).
For 3 rides the grin factor was seriously back then a stick in the rear wheel....
"Swinley Forest - anyone been recently?"............... Living five minutes from there, I've been no where else for a while! 
I mainly ride more modern (100mm hardtail) , but also take Stumpy and the Green Dome out when the trails are dry. I think the recent changes are largely positive and that we've gained a lot of good quality trails. I did/do worry me that we'd get bored riding the same loop in the same direction all the time, but we seem to be evolving our own ways of doing things. It's easy to do a bit of Crowthorne end, then pick up Blue, do a bit of Red, then back onto the end of Blue again ~ mix n match sections to suit. Easy if you know your way around. Seem to be avoiding sunday mornings these days; it gets mighty busy!
I mainly ride more modern (100mm hardtail) , but also take Stumpy and the Green Dome out when the trails are dry. I think the recent changes are largely positive and that we've gained a lot of good quality trails. I did/do worry me that we'd get bored riding the same loop in the same direction all the time, but we seem to be evolving our own ways of doing things. It's easy to do a bit of Crowthorne end, then pick up Blue, do a bit of Red, then back onto the end of Blue again ~ mix n match sections to suit. Easy if you know your way around. Seem to be avoiding sunday mornings these days; it gets mighty busy!
I can imagine it would do - it was busy at the centre when I was there but on the red run it was pretty much myself to myself which was cool.
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