AM riding in the South East

mxh
mxh Posts: 51
edited March 2016 in Routes
I left Hertfordshire a few years ago to live in Sydney (Aus). I used to do a bit of mountain biking, but since being in Aus I've got into it much more, especially the techy All Mountain type trails over here (Sydney is very hilly, lots of rocks, plenty of bushland and a healthy trailbuilding community). Not really into XC - cycling up is just a means to an end.

However, it looks like I'll be coming back to the UK sometime soon, but with a bit of flexibility on where to live. I'd prefer the south-east as there's friends / family still there, but it's not essential. So a couple of questions :-
1. Are there any places in the SE that have the sort of riding that I've been doing? We used to go to Chicksands and Woburn Sands from time to time - there didn't seem to be much else around, but at the time I probably didn't look too hard as I wasn't that into it. Is there much more of this sort of stuff hiding in the SE?
2. Bearing in mind that I'm a soft southerner who's been living in a semi-tropical climate for a few years and hates the cold, where in the UK is going to give me the best compromise of riding and weather (so realistically somewhere in the south - sorry northerners, no offence)

Cheers

Comments

  • Steve-XcT
    Steve-XcT Posts: 267
    In general I think (real)mountains and warmer/drier are mutually exclusive back here.
    On the other hand nothing is far away! (By Ozzie distances)

    Perhaps ... I'd think of living somewhere good for work/after work biking and driving further at weekends for a AM experience ??
  • mxh
    mxh Posts: 51
    Hmm, doesn't sound like there are any little AM gold mines hiding out in the SE then!

    Last time I was back I went over to the Forest of Dean with a few mates - I take it that the South Wales area is still the 'go to' place?
  • FishFish
    FishFish Posts: 2,152
    Not being funny but Hers is pretty close to Stansted which will take you to any number of AM sites, Alps, Canary Islands and so on.
    ...take your pickelf on your holibobs.... :D

    jeez :roll:
  • mxh
    mxh Posts: 51
    FishFish wrote:
    Not being funny but Hers is pretty close to Stansted which will take you to any number of AM sites, Alps, Canary Islands and so on.

    That's very true - have been over to the Alps a few times when I was living there. Still takes pretty much all day to get there though - ok for a long weekend, but not great for a quick spin after work.
  • Steve-XcT
    Steve-XcT Posts: 267
    mxh wrote:
    Hmm, doesn't sound like there are any little AM gold mines hiding out in the SE then!

    Last time I was back I went over to the Forest of Dean with a few mates - I take it that the South Wales area is still the 'go to' place?

    There are a few decent (or is that descent :mrgreen: ) places on the South Downs/Cotswold's etc. but for a real AM experience I'd say you need to make a weekend of it or live somewhere wetter.

    All that said ... I find adjusting the type of after work riding to where you live is easier/happier all round.

    Remember that in Winter it's dark when you go to work and leave.

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