Queen Elizabeth Country Park
Discussion
Quick question for regular riders - what will conditions be like on Sunday?
Me and a buddy both live next to Swinley, so are used to a bit of mud after a couple of days of rain, but ive read various things about QECP being particularly treacherous because of the chalky ground.
We were planning on driving down on Sunday for a ride, and its rained a fair amount here today, and a bit more forecast for tomorrow morning... wondering whether to postpone to next w/e?
Also, is there much in the way of off-piste trails to find?
Me and a buddy both live next to Swinley, so are used to a bit of mud after a couple of days of rain, but ive read various things about QECP being particularly treacherous because of the chalky ground.
We were planning on driving down on Sunday for a ride, and its rained a fair amount here today, and a bit more forecast for tomorrow morning... wondering whether to postpone to next w/e?
Also, is there much in the way of off-piste trails to find?
Did you go in the end Mr C?
I spent my day up a ladder removing a curtain rail batten, then filling, sanding, and washing Mag-bloody-nolia emulsion off a wall where the cretin who painted it last failed to do any preparation at all and the paint hasn't adhered to the previous finished surface at all.
I suspect that it will now be some time before I ride a bike again, as I'm pretty sure this will be a "rinse and repeat" type scenario in every other room in the house...
I got a break in the afternoon though, as I was allowed out to buy curtains, a curtain pole, and (news to me before we left the house) a new dining table and chairs! Curse you, John Lewis!!! I damned-well deserve a bike ride now.
I spent my day up a ladder removing a curtain rail batten, then filling, sanding, and washing Mag-bloody-nolia emulsion off a wall where the cretin who painted it last failed to do any preparation at all and the paint hasn't adhered to the previous finished surface at all.
I suspect that it will now be some time before I ride a bike again, as I'm pretty sure this will be a "rinse and repeat" type scenario in every other room in the house...
I got a break in the afternoon though, as I was allowed out to buy curtains, a curtain pole, and (news to me before we left the house) a new dining table and chairs! Curse you, John Lewis!!! I damned-well deserve a bike ride now.
daddy cool said:
Oh right, don't feel so bad now then!
The Ride with no Name sounds good though.
Lots of very step long climbs that I reckon would be a struggle in the dry. Some great descents, better in the dry and not on a CX bike The Ride with no Name sounds good though.
. We rode for about 3 hours, got to the pub/campsite, got changed and then got drunk! Great weekend lol.As a regular at QECP I can confirm that in general, the Blue Trail is actually fine in all conditions, all year. It's almost entirely hard pack throughout and runs very fast and drains well. Puddles will form in the bottom of the berms, but it rides fine. The Red trail is a different matter entirely and only really rides pleasantly in the dry.
timnoyce said:
As a regular at QECP I can confirm that in general, the Blue Trail is actually fine in all conditions, all year. It's almost entirely hard pack throughout and runs very fast and drains well. Puddles will form in the bottom of the berms, but it rides fine. The Red trail is a different matter entirely and only really rides pleasantly in the dry.
Ah, good to know. We'll wait till its been dry weather for a week or two then.Much in the way of off-piste trails? We'd be wanting to spend a few hours there, and while we don't mind doing a couple of laps of Blue & Red it would be good to do some extra stuff.
daddy cool said:
Ah, good to know. We'll wait till its been dry weather for a week or two then.
Much in the way of off-piste trails? We'd be wanting to spend a few hours there, and while we don't mind doing a couple of laps of Blue & Red it would be good to do some extra stuff.
Yes, loads of off piste but it's not good to publicise it online due to the difficulties the builders have with the Park Wardens. Essentially though, all of the trails that have been used for the Southern Enduro events for the last few years can still be ridden and are relatively obvious if you know where to look. Go on Strava Heatmaps and look to the 'North Face' of the QECP hill, and also on the adjacent hill to the East called 'Head Down'. A lot of it is decent and genuinely technical riding, certainly a big step up in difficulty from your standard 'Red Trail'. Great fun though :-) Much in the way of off-piste trails? We'd be wanting to spend a few hours there, and while we don't mind doing a couple of laps of Blue & Red it would be good to do some extra stuff.
Jacobyte said:
Re: Swinley, is all the off-piste still off-limits? A couple of months ago some wardens were guarding some of the entry points. We had a chat with them and they said we are only permitted to ride the marked trails and fire roads from now on.
Yep, that's the official line, and on the SFMB facebook page people still report being pulled over and told off... cant say ive seen a single warden hanging around, and im up there a couple of times a week (albeit usually not at peak times).The new skills area will be open soon!
….but you have to pay to use it.
daddy cool said:
Yep, that's the official line, and on the SFMB facebook page people still report being pulled over and told off... cant say ive seen a single warden hanging around, and im up there a couple of times a week (albeit usually not at peak times).
The new skills area will be open soon!
….but you have to pay to use it.
The new skills area will be open soon!
….but you have to pay to use it.
Ta, great shame though.daddy cool said:
Yep, that's the official line, and on the SFMB facebook page people still report being pulled over and told off... cant say ive seen a single warden hanging around, and im up there a couple of times a week (albeit usually not at peak times).
The new skills area will be open soon!
….but you have to pay to use it.
New skills area? Not the bit on the hill up from the fire road after the first bit of Blue? I thought they'd torn that out. Or have they just tamed it significantly? It looked like it would be a riot when the chains were across the take-offs, but i never saw anyone ride it. Not for the likes of me, mind you. I'm far too keen on keeping my wheels on the floor, and far too old for any sort of "skills area" shenanigans...The new skills area will be open soon!
….but you have to pay to use it.
...Kevlar and Tank Traps, plus the Corkscrew up near Caesar's Camp/Crowthorne Woods are my favourites.
yellowjack said:
daddy cool said:
Yep, that's the official line, and on the SFMB facebook page people still report being pulled over and told off... cant say ive seen a single warden hanging around, and im up there a couple of times a week (albeit usually not at peak times).
The new skills area will be open soon!
….but you have to pay to use it.
New skills area? Not the bit on the hill up from the fire road after the first bit of Blue? I thought they'd torn that out. Or have they just tamed it significantly? It looked like it would be a riot when the chains were across the take-offs, but i never saw anyone ride it. Not for the likes of me, mind you. I'm far too keen on keeping my wheels on the floor, and far too old for any sort of "skills area" shenanigans...The new skills area will be open soon!
….but you have to pay to use it.
...Kevlar and Tank Traps, plus the Corkscrew up near Caesar's Camp/Crowthorne Woods are my favourites.
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