I’ve ridden round Chicksands for a few years on and off. Not in the bike park, but in the woods. There have been different coloured arrows sprayed on trees for a while, with seemingly more cropping up regularly. But… do they actually join up? Is there a circuit? Or are they just random markers to say “go down here it’s quite interesting”?

I usually just do my own thing anyway. But have at times tried to follow the arrows only to lose them, come across some another colour etc…

Used to ride up there lots – XC stuff going way back before the bike park was a twinkle in guy with a shovels eye.

There were a couple of badly way-marked routes Red & Blue but the signs rotted away / got mislaid and were replaced by the painted arrows. The XC routes were fairly pants – sending you up this fire road then down the next and so on. This was all back when Beds Fat Trax ran the site. The routes became redundant after the last big tree harvesting which took away much of the established singletrack.

Have been in communication with the Chicksands Bike Park regarding the XC routes and they keep on saying they want to get some marked out but resources / money all dictate what happens.

Like you I used to make up routes taking in all the best bits.

I’d not been down there much for the past year but have the last few weeks. The area in the bottom corner (near the bike park) has been blocked up for conservation so you have to skirt around the edge of the bike park. Someone has been busy though painting white arrows and adding in a twisty little trail.

Lots more of these white arrows and some green too. I tend to find myself following an arrow, losing one, then find myself riding against a load of other arrows! Tend not to see too many other around there anyway so it tends not to matter.

The ‘conservation area’ was created when the owners of the adjacent house complained about their dogs being disturbed every time some one went past.

The singletrack that runs from the Bike Park entrance then all the way down to ‘the bottom singletrack’ was a classic run that was challenging at speed.

Before the CA was created there was a spate of logs being laid across the singletrack every 6 feet or so. Move them out the way and they would be back the next day.

Happy days.

I tend not to bother with the arrows as they are all over the place. Not helped by lots of trails appearing. I have just worked out a route that ignores the arrows.

One of the things I like about Chicksands is that it is always changing. After the recent felling some new good stuff has appeared. Also, even if you follow some arrows or a promising looking trail and its a bit meh, you are quickly onto another trail with very little lost.

Colin – this very true, it is easy to just explore. I usually end up riding through human high bracken where a trail just peters out or hasn’t been ridden in weeks.

I added a ride to Strava the other day. Turns out there are loads of segments in there for various little chutes and trails. I seem to have ended up as 8th place on one from a ride in 2011 when I was definitely a roadie.