Swinley Forest
Discussion
Has anyone been to Swinley forest recently? Someone mentioned it to me yesterday in passing and I had a look on the Bracknell Council website and looked through a few video's of the trails and it looks like quite a good local(ish) place for me to go and have a blat around. 
If you've been, what particular trails would you recommend for xc?
I'd park in the lookout discovery centre so any good trails from there would be the ones i'd go down initially.
Cheers.
If you've been, what particular trails would you recommend for xc?
I'd park in the lookout discovery centre so any good trails from there would be the ones i'd go down initially.
Cheers.
I go there regularly.... btu I don't know any trail names within the site.... all I can say is, set off and deviate from the wide gravely paths asap... very rooty/slippy/narrow stuff, which opens out a little to tight/steep gravel paths...and a few nice drops amongst the trees....
You'll love it.
You'll love it.
Agoogy said:
I go there regularly.... btu I don't know any trail names within the site.... all I can say is, set off and deviate from the wide gravely paths asap... very rooty/slippy/narrow stuff, which opens out a little to tight/steep gravel paths...and a few nice drops amongst the trees....
You'll love it.
Cheers Agoogy, once you've reached the end of a narrow trail, do you immediately get put pack on a main path or can you hit trail after trail? My only concern would be hitting a decent xc/light set of drops and then finding yourself amoungst some serious AM/FR stuff which might overwhelm my bike a tad You'll love it.
Jimboka said:
Remember to buy a pass! You will get pulled up occasionally for a check.
Very good venue, you can ride around for hours & not pass the same spot twice.
Cheers for the heads up, I saw that you had to by a day pass for £2 I think or an annual membership for something like £25. I like the idea of getting lost inside for a day. Very good venue, you can ride around for hours & not pass the same spot twice.
I ride there all the time (although I have to admit I have not been there for a few weeks), and have been going there for 10+ years. It really is a great place, and has become much better over the past couple of years thanks to much improved trails.
The forest offers lots of trails for all abilities, from a small gully with a set of jumps, to a downhill skills area, and lots of XC type trails. Obviously it is not as hardcore as the Welsh trail centers, but there is plenty to keep you busy for an entire day! It is easily possible to ride for 3-4 hours without riding the same trail twice!
A lot of the trails are not obvious, but the locals are a friendly bunch so if you ask someone will point you in the right direction. openstreetmap.org is a good place to start, and if you google you will find there are plenty of gps traces of the trails out there.
If you do ride make sure you do; ‘The whole nine yards’, ‘Seagull trail’, ‘Deerstalker to labyrinth’, ‘Stickler’, ‘Tank Traps’ and the ‘Corkscrew’ – those should give you a good idea of what’s on offer, and keep you busy for a good few hours!
Enjoy! (oh, and don’t forget to buy your pass, it helps with the upkeep and gives you public liability insurance)…..
The forest offers lots of trails for all abilities, from a small gully with a set of jumps, to a downhill skills area, and lots of XC type trails. Obviously it is not as hardcore as the Welsh trail centers, but there is plenty to keep you busy for an entire day! It is easily possible to ride for 3-4 hours without riding the same trail twice!
A lot of the trails are not obvious, but the locals are a friendly bunch so if you ask someone will point you in the right direction. openstreetmap.org is a good place to start, and if you google you will find there are plenty of gps traces of the trails out there.
If you do ride make sure you do; ‘The whole nine yards’, ‘Seagull trail’, ‘Deerstalker to labyrinth’, ‘Stickler’, ‘Tank Traps’ and the ‘Corkscrew’ – those should give you a good idea of what’s on offer, and keep you busy for a good few hours!
Enjoy! (oh, and don’t forget to buy your pass, it helps with the upkeep and gives you public liability insurance)…..
MadDad said:
I ride there all the time (although I have to admit I have not been there for a few weeks), and have been going there for 10+ years. It really is a great place, and has become much better over the past couple of years thanks to much improved trails.
The forest offers lots of trails for all abilities, from a small gully with a set of jumps, to a downhill skills area, and lots of XC type trails. Obviously it is not as hardcore as the Welsh trail centers, but there is plenty to keep you busy for an entire day! It is easily possible to ride for 3-4 hours without riding the same trail twice!
A lot of the trails are not obvious, but the locals are a friendly bunch so if you ask someone will point you in the right direction. openstreetmap.org is a good place to start, and if you google you will find there are plenty of gps traces of the trails out there.
If you do ride make sure you do; ‘The whole nine yards’, ‘Seagull trail’, ‘Deerstalker to labyrinth’, ‘Stickler’, ‘Tank Traps’ and the ‘Corkscrew’ – those should give you a good idea of what’s on offer, and keep you busy for a good few hours!
Enjoy! (oh, and don’t forget to buy your pass, it helps with the upkeep and gives you public liability insurance)…..
Thanks for the info MadDad. Silly question, but do you get a map at the discovery centre when you buy a pass which has the names of the trails you mention above or do you need to ask a local and they'll point you in the right direction?The forest offers lots of trails for all abilities, from a small gully with a set of jumps, to a downhill skills area, and lots of XC type trails. Obviously it is not as hardcore as the Welsh trail centers, but there is plenty to keep you busy for an entire day! It is easily possible to ride for 3-4 hours without riding the same trail twice!
A lot of the trails are not obvious, but the locals are a friendly bunch so if you ask someone will point you in the right direction. openstreetmap.org is a good place to start, and if you google you will find there are plenty of gps traces of the trails out there.
If you do ride make sure you do; ‘The whole nine yards’, ‘Seagull trail’, ‘Deerstalker to labyrinth’, ‘Stickler’, ‘Tank Traps’ and the ‘Corkscrew’ – those should give you a good idea of what’s on offer, and keep you busy for a good few hours!
Enjoy! (oh, and don’t forget to buy your pass, it helps with the upkeep and gives you public liability insurance)…..
This'll be my first proper forray into a wooded trail since I was about 15; when I used to go into the New forest weekly as it was local to me.
Thanks for the link too, that site looks really handy.
There are maps available but they don't really cover the trails, just the firetracks, they are still useful as a point of reference though. You are probably better off printing off the openstreetmap maps and just heading for the blue lines.
An alternative is to join a forum ride, MTB Britain usually have a few rides there each week and cover for those who want to pootle around as well as those who want to blat around with their hair on fire;
http://www.mtbbritain.co.uk/forum/index.php?showto...
An alternative is to join a forum ride, MTB Britain usually have a few rides there each week and cover for those who want to pootle around as well as those who want to blat around with their hair on fire;
http://www.mtbbritain.co.uk/forum/index.php?showto...
I went two weeks back. A great place and plenty to do. I asked a local when I arrived and he allowed me to tag along with him. I think without having someone with local knowledge I might have missed a few trails as they are not very obvious at first. My advice would be to deviate away from the gravel path as soon as possible and you will soon find a trail. Also you will be less likely to come across anyone out for a walk. The car park was quite busy when I went yet I hardly saw anyone whilst riding. I actually preferred it to the Forrest Of Dean and will be back very soon!
I went recently and had a great time. There are trails everywhere. If you are looking for something, just follow someone who looks like they know where they are going. It helped me find loads of good routes when I went! Follow the regulars!
This is my data log for the day.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/129863060
If you look at the map, the area in the bottom right had some great downhill switch-back routes, and there is a section above and to the left of that with some really fun jumps that if you zoom in on the map you can see I repeated quite a few times!
This is my data log for the day.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/129863060
If you look at the map, the area in the bottom right had some great downhill switch-back routes, and there is a section above and to the left of that with some really fun jumps that if you zoom in on the map you can see I repeated quite a few times!
Mr Gear said:
I went recently and had a great time. There are trails everywhere. If you are looking for something, just follow someone who looks like they know where they are going. It helped me find loads of good routes when I went! Follow the regulars!
This is my data log for the day.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/129863060
If you look at the map, the area in the bottom right had some great downhill switch-back routes, and there is a section above and to the left of that with some really fun jumps that if you zoom in on the map you can see I repeated quite a few times!
The Downhill bit with the switchbacks is known as the labyrinth (for obvious reasons!), there are 4 ways into it, each presenting their own challenges, the Deerstalker, the Deerstalker 2, the Babymaker and the Axle Run – all great fun, the Deerstalkers tend to be fast flowing with a couple of switchbacks and high sided berms, Axle run and Babymaker with some nice big jumps!This is my data log for the day.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/129863060
If you look at the map, the area in the bottom right had some great downhill switch-back routes, and there is a section above and to the left of that with some really fun jumps that if you zoom in on the map you can see I repeated quite a few times!
The bit that you covered a few times was the gully jumps. Great fun but because they are quite innocuous looking they catch a lot of people out, me included! I was stretchered out of them in May last year following a big otb moment after the tabletop, you can pretty much guarantee paramedics will visit them a couple of times a month, and the air ambulance visits them every few months!
I have been riding Swinley for over 10 years and every now and again I discover a new trail, or re-discover one I forgot about years ago!
Thanks for the replies everyone - good to see we have a decent amount of people from here who ride there. We should organise a meet-up at some point.
Cheers, for the link Mr Gear - i'll give as much of that ride a go as I can and just get lost in the forest for a day and see what I discover.
Cheers, for the link Mr Gear - i'll give as much of that ride a go as I can and just get lost in the forest for a day and see what I discover.
http://www.rideswinley.com/ , mentioned by someone earlier, has some links to ' google earth' image of where the best trails are. Good find that..
Not as good ad ot used to be, all singletrack is so heabily used its more like a dual carriageway lol. Been riding there for nearly 12 years and still love it. Dont foget mate your near to ceasers camp and yately heath. Pm me your number and ill spin you around ceasrs when i get back. Sorry if spelling is rubbish im drunk, just got in from $2 a pitcher night.
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