Help us fix Croft Trail! (Swindon)

tomstickland
tomstickland Posts: 402
edited March 2013 in Routes
After a harsh summer and winter we need to fix some potholes and get the trail back in shape ready for some summer events. All help appreciated. It's a good social!

More info on the MBSwindon website

2012_10_2728_Croft-Trail-Build-Weekend-012.jpg

Comments

  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,593
    Now i am a believe in maintaing trails and so on,

    but why in the piccie are people pretty much laying a smooth road in the woods?
  • scottfitz
    scottfitz Posts: 283
    but why in the piccie are people pretty much laying a smooth road in the woods?
    really? :roll:

    This is why: http://www.mbswindon.co.uk/trail-build- ... -jan-2013/

    The Croft trail is great allweather trail, right on the edge of swindon.
  • tomstickland
    tomstickland Posts: 402
    TheWayLander - Parts of the original trail became an unrideable boggy mess a few years ago. So bad that you couldn't pedal for more than 3 wheel revolutions before the bike clogged up completely.

    What you can see is type 1 limestone chippings being tipped onto gabion rocks. It will then be finished off with limestone dust. This is in an area that turned in a muddy mess with pot holes that were a foot deep in places.

    When new it will look a bit wide and maybe quite smooth. Within a few months then the edges grow over and you're left with a narrow trail. The important bit is that those volunteers sweating away provide a surface which is hard wearing and it's no smoother than any other surfaced trail in the UK.

    Someone reviewed that section a few months ago and were raving how "it felt like a natural path through the woods".
  • tomstickland
    tomstickland Posts: 402
    Here you go. This is what the dried out version looked like. You're free to go and build your own trail to this standard in your local woods.
    2012_09_08_09-Trail-Build-Weekend-011.jpg

    http://www.mbswindon.co.uk/build-report-8-sept-2012/
  • tomstickland
    tomstickland Posts: 402
    Complete lap video from last year.
    The bit in that photo at the top is show at about 10:28 in the video.
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2DLIJFgcgc
  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,593
    Tom,

    Cheers for a good clear answer. I can understand it for the reasons given. doesn't mean i particular love these types of trails but with reference to the conditions its sounds a feasable way to make a trail you can enjoy all year in your area.

    Scott your answer wasnt very informative at all..
  • welshkev
    welshkev Posts: 9,690
    tomstickland wrote:
    Here you go. This is what the dried out version looked like. You're free to go and build your own trail to this standard in your local woods.
    2012_09_08_09-Trail-Build-Weekend-011.jpg

    http://www.mbswindon.co.uk/build-report-8-sept-2012/

    the thing is, our local woods is cwmcarn :wink:

    i have been meaning to get down there actually. my mate lives right by the trail in the new houses they've built there.
  • Thewaylander
    Thewaylander Posts: 8,593
    hehe Kev knows he de man...

    Still let me know what you think if you get downt here kev.
  • tomstickland
    tomstickland Posts: 402
    doesn't mean i particular love these types of trails but with reference to the conditions its sounds a feasable way to make a trail you can enjoy all year in your area.
    Exactly. We want an all weather trail in an area that's muddy and boggy.
    Riders can choose this or go and find other things. The trail is tight and twisty and equivalent in surface to the national centres like Afan, Brechfa, Llandegla, 7 Stanes and so on.

    Singletrack Mag came down in Dec 2011 and Benji wrote

    "We set off on our full day’s ride by shooting straight
    into the red grade route. There’s no warm-up with this
    trail. There isn’t the luxury of space to afford one. You’re
    straight into the twists and turns, bumps and berms. It feels
    like joining the fast lane of a particularly curly autobahn
    immediately after pulling off the drive of your house."

    "The sun was setting as we returned to the perimeter of the Croft
    Trail. My legs were absolutely screaming with lethargy but once again
    the super-involving nature of the trails demanded - and received -
    some furious pedal ‘n’ pump action. The Croft Trail duly squeezed
    out the last dregs of my riding mojo and if anything, the latter half
    of the loop was the better half. Maybe it was just because the trees
    were even closer spaced. Maybe it was because it was even twistier."
  • scottfitz
    scottfitz Posts: 283
    Scott your answer wasnt very informative at all..
    Should of click on the link it shows just how muddy/wet it can get if work like Tom and the others do is not done.
  • tomstickland
    tomstickland Posts: 402
    The patching work is going really well. Two more build days and we'll have it sorted I reckon.

    20 tonnes of material shifted in 5 hours on our last build session!
    http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set= ... 405&type=1

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