Idle rolling/a bit of a thrash in Hertfordshire

Turbo306
Turbo306 Posts: 20
edited February 2013 in Routes
Hi!

I moved here 4 years ago, but have only had my bike here for a year - mostly for riding around town/campus at Uni. Id like to get back out on the bike in my free time, but I dont know of any local trails in the surrounding county countryside. Can anyone in Herts enlighten me?

Cheers :)
2006 Specialized P2
2009 Boardman XC Comp

Comments

  • stealf
    stealf Posts: 49
    yeah - you got Chicksands nr Shefford - bedfordshire not too far away up the A1
    and you also have Aston Hill nr Tring Aylesbury in the A41 ( i thnk) both quite small but good for 3 or 4 hours, esp if new. They are more of your trail centres dug into a side of hills etc rather than bast exapnse of natural trails. Both are good for honing down skills though. I'm at Chikky on Saturday to give my road legs a rest.
    A bicycle ride is a flight from sadness.
    James E. Starrs


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  • Cheers! Ive heard the name chicksands before, but from someone who wasnt quite sure what it was. I will investigate, thanks :)
    2006 Specialized P2
    2009 Boardman XC Comp
  • gregwari
    gregwari Posts: 230
    stealf wrote:
    .....you also have Aston Hill nr Tring Aylesbury in the A41 ( i thnk) both quite small but good for 3 or 4 hours, esp if new. They are more of your trail centres dug into a side of hills etc rather than bast exapnse of natural trails. Both are good for honing down skills though. I.

    Where in Hertfordshire do you live?? I live in Tring, Astons pretty cool but it is a downhill centre rather than a trail centre (all be it that it has a 6km xc route, which is basically a downhill run and a bit of a pig of a climb back up). That said, there's some good natural routes from the Wendover area around the Chilterns and out towards Risborough etc.
    Not a million miles away you've got Swinley (less than 1hr from Triing), although they're currently re-building (or building for the first time...) the trails. Other option is to look on the Londons Calling page in the rides section, there may be a few organised rides etc in your area

    cheers mate
  • Turbo306 wrote:
    Cheers! Ive heard the name chicksands before, but from someone who wasnt quite sure what it was. I will investigate, thanks :)


    Or not to far from there you have Woburn with plenty of single track, jumps a real mix.
    Pain hurts much less if its topped off with beating your mates to top of a climb.
  • gregwari
    gregwari Posts: 230
    Woburns a good call, especially at this time of the year. Trails drain extremely well, unlike the clay / limestone / rooty trails of the Chilterns.....
  • gregwari wrote:
    Where in Hertfordshire do you live??

    Im living in Hatfield at the moment. Its a bit concrete and grey - hence the desire to get out further afield!
    gregwari wrote:
    Woburns a good call, especially at this time of the year. Trails drain extremely well, unlike the clay / limestone / rooty trails of the Chilterns.....

    How far from Woburn are the trails?
    2006 Specialized P2
    2009 Boardman XC Comp
  • 2006 Specialized P2
    2009 Boardman XC Comp
  • Another vote for Chicksands, I go over there every now and then as most trails around my way are unbelievably flat and boring. You have to pay for to get in the bike park itself for all the 4X/Downhill etc stuff, but the cross country routes around the park are all free (they are quite sloppy in places, though). As a bonus, the Thai food van sells reasonably priced and rather tasty food :D

    If you do go, make sure you head for Rowney Warren Wood, confusingly the bike park isn't in the nearby Chicksands Wood, though there is a smattering of nice trails through there as well.

    http://www.chicksandsbikepark.co.uk/
  • Thai food!? sold :D

    I was considering this weekend, but fearing that the ground may be a bit boggy. I also have a ton of work to do :(
    2006 Specialized P2
    2009 Boardman XC Comp