XC in kent- Any willing volunteers!!!
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PAPA SMURF wrote:Me & Thorpy82 are going for a ride around Blue Bell Hill this Saturday, around 9am.
Nothing to fancy or overly long but if anyone fancies coming along then be my guest...
Meeting at the BBH View point 9am sharp.
As long as I can avoid 'avin it large' Friday night (as if :roll: ) I'll be along Saturday @ 9am (or thereabouts
).
Been wanting to check out BBH for years.0 -
Where is Bluebell Hill? Would like to come along but might have transport problems this weekendPAPA SMURF wrote:Me & Thorpy82 are going for a ride around Blue Bell Hill this Saturday, around 9am.
Nothing to fancy or overly long but if anyone fancies coming along then be my guest...
Meeting at the BBH View point 9am sharp.
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pittpony wrote:
Where is Bluebell Hill? Would like to come along but might have transport problems this weekendPAPA SMURF wrote:Me & Thorpy82 are going for a ride around Blue Bell Hill this Saturday, around 9am.
Nothing to fancy or overly long but if anyone fancies coming along then be my guest...
Meeting at the BBH View point 9am sharp.
It is off junction 6 of the M20, the hill going up to the Medway Towns, the A229. There is a village about half way up call Blue Bell Hill
http://www.streetmap.co.uk/newmap.srf?x ... ill,+Kent+[City/Town/Village]&searchp=newsearch.srf&mapp=newmap.srf
I might tag along to this if that is OK, only live in Maidstone.0 -
Your best bet is to look up Blue Bell Hill on Google Maps Pittony.
Not being a driver I'm totally useless with directions..
It's very near the big Asda here and buckmore park racing circuit backs onto it.
If memory serves me correct, you want to find the route leading to the crematorium. Once your off the main road you come onto a slightly built up area (still heading to crematorium) where the road kinda swaps over... You go over the the left, then back to the right..
Ignore any directions from there on and follow said road straight up, when you get to the end there is a blocked off side road going straight ahead, and to your right there is a road leading over the bridge, crossing the motorway. 20 or so metres off that bridge on the left is the viewpoint. That's where we're meeting.
Someone else may be able to do that alot better than I did, but like I said.. I'm useless with directions.
Places and landmarks yes, directions and road names... Don't even go there.0 -
SBezza wrote:I might tag along to this if that is OK, only live in Maidstone.
Yeah more the merrier!!
As of now, we don't really have a set route. Thorpy rhode a trail a long time ago and would like to do that, but whether he'll remember where he's going or not is another story...
I know the area pretty well anyway, but never stick to a route.. I just go where looks good...
Still, no harm in abit of delegating on the day...
I have a route I like (Or rather a section)... Tis a nice little route down past the standing stones and into aylesford, but that means some road riding and how we'd get back up to BBH is beyond me... :P0 -
pittpony wrote:
Where is Bluebell Hill? Would like to come along but might have transport problems this weekendPAPA SMURF wrote:Me & Thorpy82 are going for a ride around Blue Bell Hill this Saturday, around 9am.
Nothing to fancy or overly long but if anyone fancies coming along then be my guest...
Meeting at the BBH View point 9am sharp.
You can grab a lift with me if you want, ive got 2 in the back of mine before. Ill be just up the road from you.
This sounds like it could be good, would like to try a different area out aswell. How long of a ride are you guys thinking? ill bring my gps along so we have no worries of being able to find are way back.
Where abouts are the main routes? Does anybody have any gpx files i could steal
?
(scroll along to see whole map)
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You're a star, thanks Russalf! I was just about to go and check the train times and nearest station...RussAlf wrote:You can grab a lift with me if you want, ive got 2 in the back of mine before.
This sounds like it could be good, would like to try a different area out aswell. How long of a ride are you guys thinking? ill bring my gps along so we have no worries of being able to find are way back.
I'm looking forward to trying out somewhere new, not that i've really scratched the surface of Blean judging by the Kent Trails ride a couple of weeks ago!0 -
I'm looking forward to trying somewhere different too. I agree that we've only scratched the surface of Blean, but I'd hate to start getting bored of riding there.PITTPONY wrote:I'm looking forward to trying out somewhere new, not that i've really scratched the surface of Blean judging by the Kent Trails ride a couple of weeks ago!
Looking forward to some long 'n' fast decents :shock: , but dreading the long 'n' slow climbs
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No idea on how long the ride will go on for, guess that's kinda dependant on the weather..
For those who have not been.. BBH is abit weird, I find it can be quite easy to loose your sense of direction and there are several downhill runs to one side, some are terrible and some are absolutely mindblowing! The other side of the road is some dodgy trails through dense woodland in some places with a few derelect buildings to look around, including the brand spanking new leisure centre, which has NEVER been used... Tis quite impressive...
But I guess we shall have to wait and see...0 -
Hi all,
Hope everyone is still on for Saturday I'm quite intrugued by what's been said about this place and have no idea what to expect!
Russalf - i take it you'll be at your gf's house on Saturday morning? If you PM me the address I can meet you there if you like? I remember you saying its only round the corner from me.
Just to get ahead of myself, is anyone up for a Sunday ride at Blean?0 -
PITTPONY wrote:Hope everyone is still on for Saturday I'm quite intrugued by what's been said about this place and have no idea what to expect!
Yeah, I'm still on for Saturday too. Looking forward to it :twisted:0 -
I'm definately still up for this Saturday and so is Thorpy, so all is well...
I warn you though, I've been to a fairly limited amount of other places, but by my reckoning I rate BBH the best, not only because it has everything I want in one place (DH & XC), but it also has many types of terrain. It has a disused cave which you can get into, a few smashed up huts, a disused leisure centre, a few jumps here and there.. And LOTS of mud!! There is a very long and stoney trail along the main road leading onto a nice open track, but it's so damn stoney your arms WILL go completely numb if you go down it over 10mph.. Trust me, I've done it many times... Tis not nice on a hardtail :twisted:
Hopefully it will be up to a good standard for you guys though..
Oh and for the record, there is only one place I rate as much as BBH but that's absolute miles away (Surrey), and I haven't fully explored it, mostly because last time I was there I came off with such a thud I nearly broke the arm that I DIDN'T land on, aswell as nearly losing the left side to my face while going full pelt into a large log.
Oh and as for Sunday, would love to ride blean, have wanted to for over a year... But I simply can't get there, and I'm not riding there :P0 -
pittpony wrote:Hi all,
Hope everyone is still on for Saturday I'm quite intrugued by what's been said about this place and have no idea what to expect!
Russalf - i take it you'll be at your gf's house on Saturday morning? If you PM me the address I can meet you there if you like? I remember you saying its only round the corner from me.
Just to get ahead of myself, is anyone up for a Sunday ride at Blean?
Yup still up for it, i just want to go there to see what its like. Fingers crossed theres some big downhills with rock sections, root sections and nice drop offs, or am i dreaming here?
Ill send you a pm, i am only just up the road from you. But if you remember were be eating only a short distance away tonight.
Could be up for Blean on Sunday, not sure what the plans are yet for the rest of the weekend.
Russ0 -
I am still up for this, will be riding along the North Downs Way from Detling to get there. Just hope I am fit enough to keep up with everyone.
Steve0 -
RussAlf wrote:Yup still up for it, i just want to go there to see what its like. Fingers crossed theres some big downhills with rock sections, root sections and nice drop offs, or am i dreaming here?
There is some big downhill there, the fastest being the 180ft drop which can be done in just over 34 seconds.. It's got a few rocks to start off with here and there and as you go into the bend near the bottom you enter into a ravine. Screw it up and you'll know about it though!
Another of the good tracks is the one with big banked sides, which you kinda have to use as there is a step every 2 metres.
The other good one is a cross ways track, which crosses another path. Both of them are very rarely walked, but we may have to be carefull as it'll be the weekend. After the cross-ever it gets abit crap anyway... You have to go uphill briefly, only to do one silly little jump. and then have to hike all the way back up. There is 2 more tracks going down, but I don't rate either of them.0 -
180ft drop, sounds perfect! My usual riding area is the surrey hills area so if some parts match up to this then its going to be good.
Is the plan still to meet at the View Point at 9am?
Is this the view point?
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I am off to Surrey on Sunday for the next Gorrick race.
I was up on the South Downs doing a night ride last night. Lots of suicidal rabits. Why cant they make their mind up and just run one way instead of going back and forth across the path! lol0 -
Yep that's the view point! Saturday, 9am sharp!
If coming from ASDA way, and NOT up the actual BBH, you want to get onto that road which has Barling Close turning off it, apparently called Maidstone Road( one of many)which will take you up to mill lane, giving you access to the view point just across the bridge.
Oh and RussAlf, if you look on that picture you posted, the big track just below the actual veiw point is the 180ft drop one...
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en ... 2&t=h&z=150 -
RussAlf wrote:180ft drop, sounds perfect! My usual riding area is the surrey hills area so if some parts match up to this then its going to be good.
Is the plan still to meet at the View Point at 9am?
Is this the view point?
Is the Robin Hood pub along that road where the viewpoint is? When i used to deliver there i remember passing a viewpoint.
I cant make this weekend but BBH sounds like a lot of fun. I was talking to one of the customers in The Man Of Kent in Rochester today and he was raving about the whole area and he offered to show me round some time. Hopefully i can make the next BBH ride.
Andy.0 -
RussAlf wrote:180ft drop, sounds perfect! My usual riding area is the surrey hills area so if some parts match up to this then its going to be good.
Is the plan still to meet at the View Point at 9am?
Is this the view point?
How do you manage to get snap shots from google maps??
Cheershttp://www.sketchymtb.co.uk/Blah.pl the new XC in Kent
http://deadpool2e.pinkbike.com/channel/Afan-Vids/
MOUNTAIN BIKING- The pastime of spending large sums of money you don't really have on something you don't really need.0 -
I'd usually just take a screen dump and edit in an imaging package, but there's probably a better way of doing it...deadpool2e wrote:How do you manage to get snap shots from google maps??
Cheers0 -
Yup I did what pitpony said, i print screened then cropped in paint and then hosted on my photo site. There proberly is an easier way.0
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Andy - Yes the Robin Hood is just along the viewpoint road..
As for google maps... Find your place, then click the 'satellite' button, one the map area.
To copy the image somewhere like this you want to then click 'Link To This Page' just above the 'Map, Satellite, Terrain' buttons.
Copy the top link, paste it here:
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?f=q&hl=en ... iwloc=addr - Rochester Castle.
Or you could do the other method to get it to show up (mentioned above - as I can't remember the coding to get it to show up as an image)0 -
Well, shall see you bright and early @ the view point chaps!
Going by the terrain at BBH, and without a specifically difficult trail planned (least I think it's not difficult!) there wouldn't really be any need for anything other than a helmet, unless your prone to crashing...
Rock on! :twisted:0 -
Oh, I was thinking of bringing a bike tooPAPA SMURF wrote:wouldn't really be any need for anything other than a helmet
See ya tomorrow guys 8)0 -
Cool, see everyone tomorrow! We will be in the Grey Seat Ibiza at hopefully bang on 9am.0
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Just tuned up the bikes and am ready to go See you all at 9 (except Russalf - i'll be round yours at 8 )! 0
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See you all at 9am, I have a Giant Yukon, blue and silver.0
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I apologise that I wasn't there at 9, I took a wrong turn on a bridleway, and didn't manage to get there until 9:45. Sorry if you waited around, I hope you carried on as normal.
I would have tried finding you, but I wouldn't have known where to start, hope everyone had a good day anyhow.
Steve0 -
We hung around till about 10 past, then shot off. Maybe next time, eh?
Good ride today guys, cheers. Some nice fast trails, and some evil climbs
Looking forward to the next time we attack those trail :twisted:0
