MTB Weekend Away/Trail Center - Road trip with friends
Hey all,
Me and a couple friends are planning on going away some time in July for a riding weekend. We all live in the south (Brighton area) and would like to know where some good riding can be had?
We are up for driving somewhere, and possibly camping. Ive heard that there are some good trail centers in Wales?
we have a mixture of skill levels, mostly intermediate, some beginner. All of us with hardtails.
Does anyone have any useful suggestions? and even better, some links?
any info would be much appreciated!
Me and a couple friends are planning on going away some time in July for a riding weekend. We all live in the south (Brighton area) and would like to know where some good riding can be had?
We are up for driving somewhere, and possibly camping. Ive heard that there are some good trail centers in Wales?
we have a mixture of skill levels, mostly intermediate, some beginner. All of us with hardtails.
Does anyone have any useful suggestions? and even better, some links?
any info would be much appreciated!
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Does anyone have any other suggestions other than in Wales?
Somewhere near ish to the south coast, but we are willing to travel...it is a road trip after all!
Beginner, to intermediate trail center riding for 5-6 27 year olds - with camping or b&b nearby....
However, nearer to you are the Surrey Hills and Swinley Forest. Not near the coast, but far closer than Wales.
The former is (in my opinion) the best you can get in this relatively flat area that is the south east. Basically a woodland area along the North Downs, some reasonable hills and a large amount of singletrack spread all over the place. It's no trail centre, it's all natural stuff with paths carved out by bikers and walkers, and some built trails by various volunteers (a small handful are approved funded trails). No costs, and parking is free in any of the car parks dotted around the hills. Some parts are owned by the National Trust (e.g. Leith Hill), others by various local woodland estates.
The latter is kind of like a trail centre. Swinley is up by Bracknell (it's aka Bracknell Forest), owned by the Crown Estate and is a self contained forest park with a mix of family woodland trails, doubletrack and a reasonable amount of single track scattered around (some are proper built trails), plus a bit of a DH area. You need a permit to ride there (£2 daily or £20 for the year), but no other costs (free parking). Swinley is frequented by a lot of families also, but get out into the depths and off the fire roads and you find the good stuff. Surrey Hills is miles better, but Swinley is a great place to get started or for a bit of fun.
They're neither a patch on the trail centres in Wales, but they're still very good.
There's a long thread going here with a bunch of us around the London area who frequent the two often (and are now doing the odd trip to Wales also):
London Calling
Also check out these threads:
Swinley Forest / The Lookout
Surrey Hills - where to start?
Oh, and Surrey Hills has a Youth Hostel at Holmbury St Mary. Not sure if you count as youths now
I have a Carrera Fury, about 3-4months old.
Do you think that it is suitable / capable of the trails in Afan?
I'll choose not put too much stake into someone's opinion who is admittingly terrible though
but there's more choice of trails at afan
oh yeah, the OP there's 2 visitors centres, afan and glyncorrwg, some of the rides start at different centres, but you can ride between each down the old railway line
Infact, heres my trip video from this week:
http://www.vimeo.com/21226496
Popped into the Afan Lodge Hotel for a fry up, very nice, the place looked very new and smart with a nice bar and chill area, not sure what the prices are like but worth a look..
http://www.mountain-bike-accommodation.com/
There is also a camp-site 5-6 miles away that lets you wild camp in the forest, can dig out the name if interested.
Whilst me and my mates have upgraded since, we all hit Afan a few years back on entry level hard tails & it was still a hoot.
You'll be driving pretty much past Cwmcarn to get to Afan so the day before/after one do the other.
Both excellent fun
Parktools :?:SheldonBrown