Has anyone on here been to the above center parcs? Just booked to go for a Monday to Friday session in September and immediately wondering about taking a mountain bike with me. Going with wife and baby so I’d probably only get in a couple of hours biking but understand there are some local trails.

We’re in the hotel rather than a lodge – any idea where you could keep a bike safely? It’s a ground floor room so could I sneak in in there or would I have to lock it outside.

Thinking perhaps taking the cheapie hard tail might be a safer option than the Aeris as a less attractive bike to steal etc.

What are the trails like near Woburn?

There’s a 3.5 Mike bridle path that runs around the camp with some stupidly steep bits, and in places it’s very sandy (built on a sandstone ridge). There are a few other bridleways around but you’ll be doing a fair amount of road miles to get to them. What they are like I’m not sure as I haven’t ridden them yet.

There is also a place in Woburn bike area, again I’m not familiar with it, having only ridden there once, but others here have.

Personally I’d leave the bike st home and have a family holiday.

Personally I’d leave the bike st home and have a family holiday.

Say whaaaaaaaaat?

I didn’t hear that point, say again?!!

I ve been there a few times…never took my bike as I can get a good rack for my car.
Ended up hiring the CP mtb…what a pile of shit ,,,the brakes don’t work, it’s rides shit ..and that’s the good points…lol..I wouldn’t even bother getting a lock as no mug will nick it.
Having said that I still did a 2 hour session riding around the grounds and even set up a few strava segments…single track stuff tho, I never had enough to time to try
If only I took my fat bike with me!!!!

Never been to Woburn (actually in Flitwick) Center Parcs but I only live a few miles away. There is a circular trail around the site, it’s alright but I probably wouldn’t bother with taking a decent bike just for that. My OH has ridden around that on her hybrid.

Heading just off from there you can find bits and pieces on the Greensands Ridge but technically it’s a walkers path.

The main local riding areas are Woburn (Aspley Woods) which is a 10 min drive or a 30-ish min ride away
Map to Woburn trails

Or Chicksands which is a similar distance but in the other direction…

Map to Chicksands

Both are pretty good. Chicksands doesn’t really have any trails (technically there are but they aren’t marked and are very over grown at the moment) but it does have a great bike park.

Woburn has loads of trails one of which is marked

Longslade Trail map

by following the red topped posts. There’s also a bike park with some huge jumps and a few downhills, IMO the bike park there isn’t as good as Chicksands – but it all depends what you like doing.

I worked as an IT guy at a centerparcs 2005ish, and was told that there were a lot of bike thefts.
being thetford it didnt surprise me

woburn sands trails re about 10km from centerparcs. best to get a .gpx track if you’re heading there, or someone with local knowledge.
It’s much easier to head over to chicksands for a few hours

and if you need an ATM, there’s none in Ampthill

alric – there are a few ATMs in Flitwick though which is just as close… Train station, Tesco, Co-op, Barclays Bank.

Actually I think there is an ATM at the Waitrose in Ampthill.

Link to Chicksands website http://www.chicksandsbikepark.co.uk/

I think my car’s sat nav is good at finding cashpoints – used it a few times before!

I’ll look up chick sands as that sounds fun. If it’s going to be more than a few hours to get there, have an hour / hour and a half play and get back then it’s probably out.

I’m not into big dirt jumps, I’d need some skill and some bottle for that

Joe – I was at Chicksands tonight. Quite easy to have a good 90 min thrash around the bike park and only be away from CP for about 2 hours. You could do the same at Woburn too.

Took my bike and trailer, other than being handy for the trek to and from the carpark, I didn’t get around to using it!

Where the hotel is has a big bike park outside. Nothing super secure to lock to though (you could probably cut the loops easier than a decent lock) but it’s hard to tell how risky it is. I can well believe that plenty of stuff gets nicked, carefree people on holiday being careless and most locks you see are skinny cable ones that could be cut with a decent pair of pliers.

If it’s just for a trip out to Chicksands I’d be inclined to stick it in the back of the car under a cover.

I realise theres a couple of atms in ampthill- it’s just that they dont work
unless you’re into big jumps, I’d head for chicksands, you wont have to waste time finding everything

We do a loop that goes via Centre Parks, you can get from there to woburn in about 5 miles, 75% off road.

Used to live in Flitwick. Shame Centre Parcs had to ruin a perfectly good wood for biking in and around. It used to be a lovely oasis of calm in the clearing in the middle of the wood. As others have said Centre Parcs diverted the bridleway around the outside of there fence for a non challenging ride. Yep still a tad bitter about it! 🙁

Apologies for supporting the destroyer of your woodland paradise! Like the idea of the loop mentioned by Jase – do you have any map details?

Will definitely be taking the cheapie hardtail if I take a bike so likely to want fairly non challenging terrain. Much prefer my FS but don’t want to risk getting it stolen.

We do it on cx bikes so that shows the technical level:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/22639199

and if you need an ATM, there’s none in Ampthill

The one at Waitrose has always paid out for me.