Right! Yesterday was tree felling day so no riding. Today has been a 4 mile run at 7 am rugby with the boy until 12 and the last hour spent cursing at the broken hard drive in my laptop. I think it’s time to head to QECP and try to hurt myself.

Brilliant late afternoon ride at QECP. Spent a good while sessioning snakes and ladders(I think that’s the name of the section) but still couldn’t get my landing right of the drop off into the berm, good fun though. Then did the second half of the trail and nearly came off a couple of times on final descent and that other section with a downhill bermed bit. Looks like the new end to the final descent will be good. I then went and did another loop around snakes and ladders before returning to the car which I stupidly parked in juniper as opposed to the lower car park.

The weather was amazing, so warm for this time of year, brilliant!

Sounds as though there’s been plenty of riding going on. 8)

This is looking towards King Somborne, a real rattley descent on an unclassified road from a dizzy height of 115 metres.

cg, there appears to be something wrong with your bike!!!!! Someone must have broken into your garage at night and whipped of a load of components such as forks, bars, tyres etc and replaced with funny rigid road stuff 😉

Sorry! 😳 Haven’t been off road for a while so let’s have some Hampshire bluebells. 😀

What are those strange things on the end of your bars? 😉

More giggles for you PJ. 😆

QECP tonight, can’t wait for those dry trails 😀

Gahhhh not fair Scott! By the time I arrive home from work it’s dark 🙁

another spin from Hamble

jambalaya – i’m quite interested in routes from hamble. I’ve moved to bursledon but haven’t found a lot of off road yet – any pointers…

johnj2000, we dont start riding until 18:45 at least. WellScott might get there earlier, but I cant.

More giggles for you PJ.

Thanks. 😆

ooooh 6.45. Doing it in the dark? I am a danger to my health in daylight let alone dusk/dark. Have fun you loons 🙂

Cheeky QECP and nearby ride after work, it’s so dry and fast it’s silly!

I was up there at around 1300. The trails are running perfect. Best they’ve been since just before Christmas.

What are these trails you talk of?

I’m having too much fun on the road. 😀

Never mind “what are these trails you speak off” more like what are these times you speak of? 13.00 do you not need to be tied to a desk at that time? 18.45 do you not have to be bathing the children or running them to cubs? 🙂

“Grabs tin hat and runs for cover……”

John – I know it’s tough with kids, been there, done that. Enjoy them whilst they’re young cos when they become teenagers your work will really start! Mine flew the nest many years ago but my son is now into road riding and he recently came down with his bike to enjoy the Hampshire roads.

I do look back on that time fondly but it was bloomin’ hard work especially with one that was in hospital regularly.

Keep smiling. 😀

Wow what a ride! 0% mud, 26.3km ,756m of climbing/decent & first non-stop lap of the red since last summer.

@tomthumb Burseldon nice ! I’ve just been riding up/down the river and coastal trail (solent way path – yes there are no biking signs but a few riders and I always and very courteous to the walkers) I tend to take warsash ferry one way (£1.75) as its quite fun and helps support it. The bridleway in the woods between Hamble and Burseldon has a couple of “roll ins” you can play on but you have to push/climb back out. Other stuff I read on here from @bikebouy and @john I will try out (Alver Valley Browndown looks to be about 45 min ride away with ferry or 75 mins without) it all seems to be a mix of small road, bridleway and paths but I have no bike friendly car at the moment, so just glad to be out and about. When I can I’ll get to Lordswood and QECP.

Living in Ryde I quite fancy a trip to QECP. Worth the ferry trip?

Yes if you catch it while its still dry Pimp, riding over or driving?

If riding:
http://documents.hants.gov.uk/ccbs/countryside/shipwrightsway-section12.pdf
http://documents.hants.gov.uk/ccbs/countryside/ShipwrightsWayLeaflet-Section11-HaylingIsland.pdf
http://documents.hants.gov.uk/ccbs/countryside/ShipwrightsWayLeaflet-Section10-Havant.pdf
http://documents.hants.gov.uk/ccbs/countryside/ShipwrightsWayLeaflet-Section9-FinchdeantoStauntonCountryPark.pdf
http://documents.hants.gov.uk/ccbs/countryside/shipwrightsway-section8.pdf

Thanks for those.

While riding would be a lot cheaper, I’m not sure how much energy I’d have left once getting to QECP… Google reckon it’s 17 miles each way, so doable. But I think I’d probably drive. 😉

other option is train from Portsmouth to Petersfield its about 2 miles to QECP from the station.

Or ask very nicely if one of us is going past…. 😉

Now we’re talking. 🙂

Ditto! If it coincides with one of my trips I’m happy to give you a lift

Jambalaya, I travel from Bedhampton to Lordswood for the Thurs eve rides, if you fancy it one eve & I’m going I’d be happy to pick you up on my way past, I tend to leave Bedhampton at 5:45/6ish and am back home for half 9/10.
Got a van so can easily fit another person and bike in.

QE was amazing today. Get up there whilst it’s still dry.

^^^ oooooh lovely 😀

Anybody know how the Hangars in NE Hants are riding at the moment? Guessing thick, ankle-deep mudpits in the shade but I’m hoping to be pleasantly surprised!

Well, the roads around the upper reaches of the Test are a mess. Seems the floods and frost has ruined them. Nice couple of hours earlier, though. Looking like the waters are subsiding as well.

Oh, and why do so many new roadies insist on wearing all black? Virtually invisible on some of the lanes around here! FWIW, I had a red top and a light on both my helmet and bike. With the low sun, it’s pretty hard to be seen!

Off to QE tomorrow afternoon 🙂

@mattbee thanks for kind offer, I’ll stay in touch.

@timthumb – if you want to mail me you’re welcome, I spent some time exploring tracks around Manor Farm country park on Thursday some quite nice scenic xc ridding mix of woods and open ground. With the hambke/warsash ferry link (note it doesn’t run all the time and last one in winter is 4pm I recall) you can do quite a nice loop around 2 hours. Or 1 hour spins in Manor Farm from Burseldon, a bit of portage over a few (cough) styles or similar down to Hamble and back via Netley side, it’s a mix of trail, track and road.

There are some great trails up this side of the Hamble, take the path right over the M27 past Bursledon Brickwprks and into the lower section of the River path then pop out at the top of the hill and roll down to the tennis courts, turn right into the woods that take you out at the Pub then turn right on to Botley road and turn left into Botley Woods then just play around in there. I’m around this weekend but road riding in the Downs.

Is it worth me making the effort to find botley woods bikebouy or is it similar to bere forest? Also is there anywhere to park the car close by in case I have a free hour suddenly appear one evening.

QE yesterday, couple of laps of the red loop one of which saw me get a little too close to a tree trunk with my face for my liking. Think I was about an inch from disaster, made me rather aware of my mortality for a while. Found myself slipping a lot on the first twisty downhill section and today decided to invest in a new front tyre, got myself a purgatory control to try.

Today has been searching for headset bearings without any luck and then a strip down, degrease, wash, polish, and helitape of the bike as I can’t ride it until the headset is sorted. Looks very shiny now 🙂

Well done for getting out! How were the conditions at QEP?

Have a giggle: was out this week on the cx (sorry!) and stopped beside a grassy bank to eat an energy bar. A 4×4 stopped, wound down the window and asked if I was OK. Replied that I’d just been eating and they said they thought that perhaps I’d taken a tumble!

How amazing was that?? 😀

Botley Woods is a good place to hack around, you have a large fire trail that runs through the middle of it which I use to link laps of the footpath/singletrack up and over the hill in the middle. You do have to explore the singletrack to get to know the place but there are trails that run up and over the hill and following down to the railway line then it cuts back through the ferns back up the hill. I use the Woods as part of a few loops ( including Manor Park Farm ) and then linking back down the old railway line running into Wickham then cross the brook and back up through Knowle Woods then back home via the myriad of footpath/bridle ways heading back to Warsash. If you want to park head over to the Wickham road that runs north out of Tichfield Mill past the Garden ctrs and follow the road up and over the hill and near Hampshire Clay Shoot, just there on the left is a small layby that gets used for dog walkers or you can park at the bottom of the hill at the entrance to the Electric Sub Station, failing that park over Whiteley near Tescos and enter the woods from there.
You can have a lot of fun hacking, once you get to know it well you will find all sorts of singletrack that we use, look for tell tail tyre tracks….
Have fun.