New Forest MTBing

paul.skibum

The New Forest - possibly the most pointless place to take a mountain bike in the world - discuss.

XxxBFGxxX

sounds like your riding in th wrong places chap.


its good for fittnes and miles. there is also a place called the wire that is a gd bit of single track

bomberesque

I lived in the NF for the first 20 years of my life. Sadly these were the 20 years before mountainbiking took off. I'd say there's plenty of potential but it's a bit tough with the IoW and South Downs on your doorstep....

scotto

some bits are very heavily hoof rutted, but as said there are some good bits if you can find them, not that I ever have

Good thing about it is the traffic is slow so if you want to do some tarmac work it's pretty safe and it's beautiful to boot.

Stoneboy

XXXBFGXXX - Where is "The Wire" ?

Other wise tend to agree with Skibum.

Anonymous

It would be a bit better if the authorities let bikes venture off the official paths. It's very restrictive.

What you're allowed to ride is mostly just flat clean gravel, and tarmac if you end up on a road.

Still, for a workout it's okay. I suppose in a true mountain environment you may be doing stretches like this to get to the hills, so a bit of practice.

Nice scenery though and you do have to contend with horses, ponies and cattle grids

Raymondavalon

It's hardtail country and great if you want to cover distance with the addition of a few ascents and descents
It's also a great place to introduce women to mountain biking as it has ponies and connects to picturesque little villages with great pubs and quaint resturaunts
Nothing puts a girl off mountain biking more than takeng her to the Black Route at Swinley on a budget mountain bike and saying "follow me, it's easy"

bomberesque

Raymondavalon wrote:

It's also a great place to introduce women to mountain biking as it has ponies and connects to picturesque little villages with great pubs and quaint returaunts

hahahaha. made my morning that did

100% true aswell!

lexiekay

what black route at Swinley? I didnt realise there was one...

Mrs Toast

bomberesque wrote:

Raymondavalon wrote:

It's also a great place to introduce women to mountain biking as it has ponies and connects to picturesque little villages with great pubs and quaint returaunts

hahahaha. made my morning that did

100% true aswell!

I'd object to the sexist generalisation in the above quote, but ponies rock.

billysan

lexiekay wrote:

what black route at Swinley? I didnt realise there was one...

I was about to ask the same!!

Raymondavalon

lexiekay wrote:

what black route at Swinley? I didnt realise there was one...

Ah, make that the red route.. it was an error on by behalf, either way Swinley would scare the bejeezus out of most novices

lexiekay

erm - whats the red route at swinley? i thought it was all ungraded...

Raymondavalon

lexiekay wrote:

erm - whats the red route at swinley? i thought it was all ungraded...

Right, you're ruinign a good Thread by being a pedantic c*ck
The Thread is focussed on the New Forest. Sure Swinley is ungraded but I was using the term black route/redroutes as examples. Perhaps I should have used the loosely termed names like Corkscrew, Babymaker or Labyrinth as an example, then you'd be "happy" with the Thread..
Yes I have ridden Swinley a lot before you nitpick that point too...

paul.skibum

I rode in the new forest this week and found it to be pretty much the ideal place for a rigid singlespeed. Hills are hardly noticeable, trails are all graded flat and at worst have a loose pebble that might make your tyre skitter an inch to the left.

The worst problem with it as an area is the signposting and the official maps are aweful. Far to hard to find your way around on and as a result I found myself accidentally on unwaymarked animal tracks and trails which made matters worse because these were actually worth riding but were illigal and open to 500 quid fines if caught on them by the wrong person.

So I enjoyed maybe 5% of my riding and all that on trails I shouldn't have been on.

I wished I'd taken my slick tyred rigid commuter and just laid down soem road miles in the beautiful woodlands (or hired a racer).

PS - Swinley doesn't have a red route - duh

XxxBFGxxX

Stoneboy wrote:

XXXBFGXXX - Where is "The Wire" ?

Other wise tend to agree with Skibum.

its a bit of single track that runs from dear leap car park to the happy cheese. not exalant but can be fun,

tjwood

The New Forest is strange, and IMHO a very poor example of a National Park. For a start it's not new and it's mostly not a forest. It's described as "beautiful" by many but it doesn't even get close to most of the other National Parks. Most of the land is owned by the Crown and there are very few actual rights of way over it, again a complete contrast to most National Parks. On a permissive basis you can walk or ride a horse absolutely anywhere, but for some reason they won't let you ride a bike anywhere. There are a bunch of forestry tracks about so they sort of label some of these randomly as part of a "network" of cycle tracks but without any consideration for where they actually go and how they join together. For some even stranger reason there are even forestry tracks that you're not allowed to ride!

I'm sure it would be a bit better if they'd let you ride anywhere and/or developed some better tracks.

Raymondavalon

When I partook in the Pedalon Test Valley Challenge 50KM route in early June this year there was a section through the New Forest. No idea where, but it was a good bit of riding with singletrack. jumps and I do recall a fantastic berm, it then led us back into the fields and into a valley. I assume it's the edge of the Forest close to Wiltshire.

fatwomble

I have to agree that I find the forest very dull, I don't agree that it is flat though, there are a far few hills in various locations.

I generally avoid it though choosing the South Downs for local riding.

tjwood

Raymondavalon wrote:

When I partook in the Pedalon Test Valley Challenge 50KM route in early June this year there was a section through the New Forest. No idea where, but it was a good bit of riding with singletrack. jumps and I do recall a fantastic berm, it then led us back into the fields and into a valley. I assume it's the edge of the Forest close to Wiltshire.

I don't think that was the New Forest? I can't find the route for that on the net though apparently it started near Andover? Which is a good 30km or more from the New Forest...

fatwomble

tjwood wrote:

Raymondavalon wrote:

When I partook in the Pedalon Test Valley Challenge 50KM route in early June this year there was a section through the New Forest. No idea where, but it was a good bit of riding with singletrack. jumps and I do recall a fantastic berm, it then led us back into the fields and into a valley. I assume it's the edge of the Forest close to Wiltshire.

I don't think that was the New Forest? I can't find the route for that on the net though apparently it started near Andover? Which is a good 30km or more from the New Forest...

It wasn't Collingborne woods was it, some good singletrack there, there was a route through there on the Test Valley Tour I took part in a few years ago.

Raymondavalon

I could be mistaken, perhaps it was Collingbore. I assumed as it was in Hampshire
\ell, at least there's some good riding int he woods of Hampshire

a17vts

I'm no expert. But I went camping there for a long weekend 5 nights and when all over the new forrest. I was disapointed with the area to be honest although as sid it was good for covering miles and getting fit which was the main aim for the trip (was in training for the L2B ride).

Also good for beginners, I took my GF with me and she didn't have any trouble what so ever and she had onlt ridden a bike for about 30 mins before we went!

Griselda

...however, for a few maps and some information see:

http://www.new-forest-national-park.com ... cling.html

Greetings

miss notax

I've just seen this - there's loads of great riding in the New Forest. If you think it's boring then you're riding in the wrong bit

Lots of singletrack, technical bits blah blah. Definitely not just for girls who like looking at the ponies.... If anyone's interested we ride there about once a week and would be happy to show other people the more interesting bits!

fatwomble

miss notax wrote:

I've just seen this - there's loads of great riding in the New Forest. If you think it's boring then you're riding in the wrong bit

Lots of singletrack, technical bits blah blah. Definitely not just for girls who like looking at the ponies.... If anyone's interested we ride there about once a week and would be happy to show other people the more interesting bits!

I must take you up on that offer one day, trouble is it's normally a Wednesday and that's the only day Mrs FW goes out :roll:

RichR2

Over the course of the summer I've cycled all the desgnated forestry commission cycle paths hoping to find one that had 'singletrack, technical bits blah blah' but sadly no joy. They are all gravel tracks, pretty enough and ok for keeping fit but not really very exciting. Sure there are areas that have caught my eye as looking interesting but as another poster noted these are illigal and open to 500 quid fines if caught on them by the wrong person. So anyone who knows otherwise please post some routes.

miss notax

fatwomble wrote:

miss notax wrote:

I've just seen this - there's loads of great riding in the New Forest. If you think it's boring then you're riding in the wrong bit

Lots of singletrack, technical bits blah blah. Definitely not just for girls who like looking at the ponies.... If anyone's interested we ride there about once a week and would be happy to show other people the more interesting bits!

I must take you up on that offer one day, trouble is it's normally a Wednesday and that's the only day Mrs FW goes out :roll:

We ride there other times too, sometimes at the weekends etc. We'll let you know about our next non-Wednesday outing!

paul.skibum

miss notax wrote:

fatwomble wrote:

miss notax wrote:

I've just seen this - there's loads of great riding in the New Forest. If you think it's boring then you're riding in the wrong bit

Lots of singletrack, technical bits blah blah. Definitely not just for girls who like looking at the ponies.... If anyone's interested we ride there about once a week and would be happy to show other people the more interesting bits!

I must take you up on that offer one day, trouble is it's normally a Wednesday and that's the only day Mrs FW goes out :roll:

We ride there other times too, sometimes at the weekends etc. We'll let you know about our next non-Wednesday outing!

BUT - are you riding legit paths or just following horse/rambling tracks and seeing where they lead? I followed a few of those and they are nice little singletrack trails but they are technically illegal access and you could be done for being on them. Where as somewhere like Swinley or the welsh centres access is granted to the trails you ride.

My point being about the NF - if you obey the rules its dull

miss notax

I would be rather daft to say, on a public forum, that we are doing anything other than riding the legit paths, wouldn't I :?

fatwomble

miss notax wrote:

fatwomble wrote:

miss notax wrote:

I've just seen this - there's loads of great riding in the New Forest. If you think it's boring then you're riding in the wrong bit

Lots of singletrack, technical bits blah blah. Definitely not just for girls who like looking at the ponies.... If anyone's interested we ride there about once a week and would be happy to show other people the more interesting bits!

I must take you up on that offer one day, trouble is it's normally a Wednesday and that's the only day Mrs FW goes out :roll:

We ride there other times too, sometimes at the weekends etc. We'll let you know about our next non-Wednesday outing!

Thanks