Swinley Forest - anyone have a map / directions to best bits

jadamson

anyone going to swinley this saturday?

othello

Has anyone been doing evening rides at Swinley with the light evenings? Any tips of where to park as the car park closes at 6 or something I think?

anjs

Car park shuts at dusk but you can get out any anytime. You can always park over the road at Coral Reef if its shut.

tuxpoo

apreading wrote:

Brilliant Tux - I ave been desparate for something like this.

I hope you dont mind but I have added the star posts, where I think the reservoir is and the missing section from the top of the map.

http://www.calcot.plus.com/swinleysingletrack2.jpg

if anyone wants it.

WOW!
Brilliant! Lazy as I am , Ive never got round to finish it.

There are a couple of trails sprung up after the gorrick 100. I need to get out with the GPS and log the new trails.
Also stuff has move due to rerouting round mud, felling and warner brother's mess.
Also need to log the trails from the top of surrey hill (expert area) near the roman road now they are less muddy.

thebig25, Like the goggle KMZ Thats cool!

I do night-riding up swinley and the carpark closes much later now (8:30 i think) altho ive never seen this closed yet.
I would advise leaving NOTHING visible in your car and park your car very visible if you go late. Keep it away from the trees around the edge. The area is notorious thieving scum chav magnet! had a friend have his window smashed for a can of drpeppers and an apple.

You might not see them, but they are there. Throw a can of stella in the bushes and you can hear them rip it apart. (think Jurassic park scene where they lowered the cow in the velociraptor cage) :P

Kerr

othello

Had a great ride tonight (first time riding after work), and was surprised by how many people were on the trails! Only our second time there so we are still finding the best routes but had a great time. Good to see it drying out after the last time too

othello

Just in case they are following this forum, I wanted to say a BIG thank you to the two guys on the full-sus Specialized rigs at Swinley tonight. They directed us to the Labyrinth, which was great.

It goes to show that asking regular riders can really help. We've been about 5-6 times now and are still scratching the surface. Until now we have stayed around Seagull/Tank Traps/New England Switchbacks, but decided to venture up by the reservoir. We got lost and would have never found the route if it wasn't for those two guys. Thanks chaps!

anjs

Swinley is very dry and dusty at the mo so it rides very fast but be careful as it can be very loose. My friend came off on a corner on Tank Traps last night due to the extra speed. Looks like he has damaged most of his ankle ligamnets / tendons

othello

anjs wrote:

Swinley is very dry and dusty at the mo so it rides very fast but be careful as it can be very loose. My friend came off on a corner on Tank Traps last night due to the extra speed. Looks like he has damaged most of his ankle ligamnets / tendons

Ouch! My mate and I both nearly lost it on Seagull, which is not that technical but the extra speed meant we were clipping along far faster than normal.

One thing I noticed was how sandy some of the fireroad was.

Anonymous

It is very sandy and loose at the moment. Makes a change from being very soggy as it has been for some time.

Darren O\'D\'

Apologies for an elderly thread resurection, I'm a new forum member and a returnee to cycling after a long lay off. Last night, using the guidance of the maps posted, I rode the seagull, the tank traps, the corkscrew and the bombholes for the first time, really enjoying them all. Thanks to the three guys for the guidance for the corkscrew location. Swinley is only 1.5 miles from my house so I am very lucky. Hopeing my lungs and legs can keep up with my enthusiasm.

WisePranker

Just been reading through this thread to try and figure out where some of the better trails are in Swinley....My god I'm going to end up lost when I'm there on Friday

othello

WisePranker wrote:

Just been reading through this thread to try and figure out where some of the better trails are in Swinley....My god I'm going to end up lost when I'm there on Friday

You are bound to get lost! Its obligatory

But then that is how you find the trails.

My advice for a first timer would be to go to the lower star post as that is the start point for a few trails. Its quite simple to get there and you'll see signs around for it too.

Walk through the picnic area by the kids playground and to the gate the other side. Turn immediately left onto the fireroad and follow it as it rises and drops. You'll go over a crossroad and the trail ahead will look really muddy. Keep going and the fireroad curves to the right. Follow it right and don't head up the slope on the narrow trail (that does take you to the full nine yards but come back to that later). Stay on the fireroad and don't turn off until you come to a large concrete square with trails going off it. That is lower star post.

With your back to the trail you just came from:

* Take the next trail to the right. About 40yds on the left is a trail entrance into the trees by some big concrete blocks. That is seagull. It is in three parts, split each time by fireroad. Do them all together. When you get to the end by the green gate have a breather then do it in reverse.

* Take the trail to the left. When you look down there is a low hanging branch ahead (so you recognise it). Go about 200yds. There is a trail that heads off to the left. About 20yds on is a trail to the right, which is tank traps. Do that one. At the end of the trail when you come out onto the fireroad turn right. That takes you back to lower star post.

That should get you started!

frogstomp

Any idea what conditions are like up there at the moment? With all the rain we've had I'm guessing it's pretty sticky..?

WisePranker

othello wrote:

WisePranker wrote:

Just been reading through this thread to try and figure out where some of the better trails are in Swinley....My god I'm going to end up lost when I'm there on Friday

You are bound to get lost! Its obligatory

But then that is how you find the trails.

My advice for a first timer would be to go to the lower star post as that is the start point for a few trails. Its quite simple to get there and you'll see signs around for it too.

Walk through the picnic area by the kids playground and to the gate the other side. Turn immediately left onto the fireroad and follow it as it rises and drops. You'll go over a crossroad and the trail ahead will look really muddy. Keep going and the fireroad curves to the right. Follow it right and don't head up the slope on the narrow trail (that does take you to the full nine yards but come back to that later). Stay on the fireroad and don't turn off until you come to a large concrete square with trails going off it. That is lower star post.

With your back to the trail you just came from:

* Take the next trail to the right. About 40yds on the left is a trail entrance into the trees by some big concrete blocks. That is seagull. It is in three parts, split each time by fireroad. Do them all together. When you get to the end by the green gate have a breather then do it in reverse.

* Take the trail to the left. When you look down there is a low hanging branch ahead (so you recognise it). Go about 200yds. There is a trail that heads off to the left. About 20yds on is a trail to the right, which is tank traps. Do that one. At the end of the trail when you come out onto the fireroad turn right. That takes you back to lower star post.

That should get you started!

Thanks for the pointers.

I've already found seagull but didn't know which route it was, I was there last week and followed it one way then got to the end and there was someone going back the way I'd just came so I followed him back through again. It turns out that I was only using one part of the trail as I didn't realise that it continued over the other side of the fire trail

There's one trail I've rode a couple of times but I've no idea if it's part of a bigger trail or not. Hopefully someone can tell me if there's more to it.
Basically it starts by Star Post 1 then follows the Windsor ride up to the junction just below Star post 10. When I get to that point I head across the fire trail and then bear right where there's a nice, really twisty trail through the trees which I just then seem to keep following. I somehow end up at the bench near the end of the Seagull run.
Does that make any sense?
Is that a particular route or is it just a few joined together?