Swinley Forest / The Lookout

benpinnick

Cool, maybe see you there.

mtb crazy

is anyone up for an evening ride on tues or weds? im unable to ride this weekend as im busy, but really miss it. cant do next weekend as at a festival. if anyones up for it ket me know and can arrange a time to meet.

P1Fanatic

Another Swinley noob here just joining these forums. I live in Arborfield and visited the Lookout once for a leisurely ride with the mrs a couple of years ago. Didnt realise there was so much more to it until I went with a mates work colleague 2 months or so ago. Never done singletrack before so was a bit of a learning curve and showed me how unfit I am.

Me and my mate have been 5-6 times over the past month and I even did a Trailrider course with Sarah @ Purple Bike Shed. However everytime we go we get lost and end up on a different route lol. I think we managed to find Labyrinth which seems to have about 5-6 seperate runs coming out into a clearing If Im right.

Is there a name for this drop 2m25s in?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HrVK70hlUc

And which is the easiest way to head up to the Expert Mountain Bike area from the car park?Normally we head through the gate by Go Ape and the Segway track?

Cheers
Simon

ThePriory1978

P1Fanatic wrote:

And which is the easiest way to head up to the Expert Mountain Bike area from the car park?Normally we head through the gate by Go Ape and the Segway track?

Cheers
Simon

The easiest, quickest and best (fun) way to get there are completely different things.

The easiest/quickest route from the lookout is as you are doing. Through the gate at Go Ape down to the main junction. Do a right onto the very wide fire road. Follow that all the way down to Surrey Hill (or starpost 3). Go up Surrey Hill to get to the 'expert mountain bike area' or turn right at the starpost to get to Jump Gulley.

P1Fanatic

Cheers and good point. Just would like a better idea of where Im headed. Think I need to pay a bit more attention to the posts as didnt even realise there was a star numbering system.

As for the steep hill I was asking about I think its called the ski jump although Ive seen youtube clips showing 2 different places both called skijump lol.

Simon

Anonymous

The posts and star things just get you around the fire roads. The trails are all unmarked.

Been posted all over, recent one from apreading in the London Calling thread...

http://www.calcot.plus.com/SwinleySmall.jpg

Not everything, but much of the major ones covered.

A common route is Whole Nine Yards to jump gully and then over towards Club House (where the clearing with trails leading down from that you mentioned).

cooldad

Welcome to join us for a ride there, probably end up one of the days most weekends. As Thepriory said, the quickest and best routes aren't the same thing. A lot of the fun stuff isn't in that area anyway.
Keep an eye on the London Calling thread, normally arrange things in there.

rsmtri

Been traveling and last time went to Swinley they had A322 closed from M3 to Coral Reef Roundabout. Anyone know if this is still the case?

cooldad

It's closed again this weekend. I think from Coral Reef to M3 this time though. Not 100% sure.
We are riding Swinley 1pm Saturday. Welcome to join if you like.

anjs

yes closed in opersite direction to last week

Anonymous

Traffic on Google Maps is showing standstill northbound, though nothing at all southbound on A322 (guess because that's closed). Diversion round A30 way also jammed.

P1Fanatic

Did it dry out over the weekend as was pretty soggy last tues when I was out and then even heavier rain on weds?

Anonymous

Surprisingly it was mostly dry. Just not dusty dry. A few damp patches and puddles on fire roads in places. Trails running really well.

P1Fanatic

Cool good to know. Last time I actually managed to find the Labyrinth, the gulley, tank traps and what I think was seagull but I could be wrong on that one. Is tank traps the only one with the big concrete blocks at the start? I ask I started it from that end but looking at the map I had couldnt work out how it was showing where it was.

Another noob question here but what category of MTB would you say Swinley comes under if your rding these trails named above? I thought it was called Cross Country (XC) but is it All Mountain or something else? Sorry if it sounds a bit of a blond question but seems to be so many categories that share some similarities.

Cheers
Simon

anjs

Tank traps has a load of concrete up along a gully. Se gull had a number of concrete blocks at the start near lower star post. 90% is easily XC with the odd small downhill run in the expert area.

Anonymous

There are two trails with big concrete blocks. Tank Traps ends with them, but not everyone does it that direction, but most think it flows best in that direction. It's a gully ending.

Seagull starts with them, or ends with them as it can be done either way. Just a straight flowy trail from the concrete blocks.

Labels in MTB are tricky as people have their own definitions. I try to avoid them, but then it can be useful to know what style of trail people are talking about.

Swinley I'd say is generally an XC kind of place, but depends what you call XC. It's mostly maintained singletrack.

However some parts are Downhill style or perhaps you could call it All Mountain. I wouldn't say Labyrinth area is true DH as most people can ride it. There are a couple of bits the DHers session a lot which are just fast, down, with lots of bumps and jumps. It's nothing compared to a place like Aston or Cwmcarn though.

I just call it "trail" riding with some gnarly bits.

I like to differentiate from what some people call XC as I can join people on an XC ride only to find it's a massive tour around the country half of which is on fireroads, bridleways, or even roads!... and I end up exhausted as it's not my thing (not at speed anyway ).

Though others count a trail centre like Afan as XC. Up, down, rocky twisting singletrack trails to me that's more my kind of thing.

mtb crazy

anyone p for an evening ride this weds? if you can, let me know as im wanting to go up there.