Swinlely Forest Parking

Lotus Paul

Hi Guys,
Over 3000 posts on the SELOC.ORG Lotus cars forum, but first post here. Feels odd, being the Newb.

I was so angry that Swinley Forest introduced parking charges, I stopped going for a while. First visit back and I bought a ticket, but was late back and I've got a penalty charge. Fair and square you might say. First parking ticket for the last 27 years!

I think I pay enough tax, without a stealth tax like this. I've stopped paying for the cycle permit, as I'm not paying the money grabbing gits twice. I've done a recce of the local area and the best place to park is less than 2 minutes gentle ride away from The Lookout. Easy to remember, it's Hornby Ave, Bracknell. A decent housing estate, where you can park for free.
If in doubt, Google Maps is your friend.

https://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en&tab=wl.

Apathy will probably let them take away a free facility and get away with it. However, I urge you to do your bit and don't pay. If you can bike for 2 extra minutes and cross a (busy) road, job's a carrot.

Thanks,

Paul

fyldesmurf

Now i'm not from the area so I could be wrong, but where I ride car parking fees etc go towards trail maintainence so with that in mind, I have no problem paying them, especially as you are getting a "free facility".

benpinnick

If you don't want to pay, and don't want to park on someone's road, just park in the forestry commission side. There's a car park on devils highway. 5 mins on the bridleway to seagull.

gregwari

Beats paying £8 (like most Lake District car parking). Personally, I'm happy paying the £2 if it means they look favourabily on cyclists and keep access open.

cooldad

And subsidises my council tax - very kind of you.

ralph1471

you are aware that they refund the parking when you buy a day bike pass in the visitor centre? haha

Its £2 to park and the day pass is £2, or FREE if you take the parking ticket in with you before displaying it in your car. You do also realise that a lot of money has been put into the trails? I doubt the few cyclist who bother to pay for the day pass will be covering those costs any time soon.

Anonymous

Not a lot of money from the permit has gone into trails. Vast majority went on liability insurance. What little remained from that and other things would be donated to trail building, but it wasn't much as I understand.

Permit is scrapped from April however. Just car parking charges then and thus no refund available. £2 for a couple of hours, £4 a day, £80 a year for Bracknell residents, £100 a year for the rest of us (compare this with FC 'discovery pass' stuff in a number of FC sites which are about £30 to £40 a year and gives other benefits besides all year parking).

P.S. The parking charges in the majority go to Bracknell council and have no benefit to the estate as The Lookout area is leased by the council. A portion has however been allocated to go back to the estate.

The new graded trail stuff is being funded separately I think (Crown Estate directly? not sure). Ongoing I'm not sure were the money will come from to continue development or maintain it.

benpinnick

The permit system raised quite a bit of money for Gorrick, so for them its a big loss, but the reality is that CE will pay for new trails from herein, so thats not so bad. £2 gets you 4 hours by the way, £4 all day. I'm hoping that once the new trail maintenance team is in place, that helping out on that will earn you parking passes.

miss notax

I used to be a fellow SELOC person so thought I would say Hello

(Got a Mini Cooper S as a bit tricky to fit a mountain bike in an Elise )

othello

In the summer months, and before the parking fees, I used to park in the Coral Reef car park of an evening. I never wanted to get locked in and it felt safer when out for an evening ride.

During the day I still park in the main car park and pay. I personally don't mind paying. It is certainly cheaper than trail centres on Forestry Commission land! But I'm often there with my family riding, and even when it is just me, £4 for a days activity is cheap.

Lotus Paul

miss notax wrote:

I used to be a fellow SELOC person so thought I would say Hello

(Got a Mini Cooper S as a bit tricky to fit a mountain bike in an Elise )

Hi there! Thought that was a familiar user name. Lotus owners unite!

On the parking, I have no special knowledge, but I thought the council took the cash and the FC or Crown Estates were maintaining the trail, so no connection?

Charges are double that of the QE Country Park. Just gets my goat that I'm rinsed for tax, right down to the fuel to drive for nearly an hour each way and I don't think the council had the trail in mind when they took away something free and introduced a charge? Principle at stake:They'll never see another penny off me!

benpinnick

Just park in Crowthorne instead. Simples.