End of October was the date given as I recall.

Found this vid so someone’s been riding it..

Click Here

Looks a bit shit, but videos and photos can be very deceiving.

AFAIK the trails are finished, but need time to bed in (at least the last couple of sections to be finished do). People have been riding some of the sections that have been finished for a while. I’d assume that as they’ve had plenty of time to bed in, no lasting damage will be done.

There are still signs on the trails saying that they shouldn’t be used or there were on Monday night anyway. So they are finished but not yet open. The more they get used now the longer it will be until they are open too from what I’ve been told, they need to settle before they are used.

Nope, the new trails aren’t open and they are not yet finished.

Kingtut – might I suggest that you judge the trails when you’ve ridden them, rather than on the basis of a video of somebody riding a section in the wrong direction.

It’s not possible to lock down an entire wood. Riding on newly built trail, especially if the stone is wet, will mean that the trail builders have to go back and fix sections. There is a finite budget, money spent fixing bits is money not spent on berms and rollers.

I’m looking forward to the new trails being completed if only so we can re-establish the network of characterful, winding singletrack through the trees that existed before the work started. I’m all for progress but I fail to see how removing all tree roots, rocks and ruts from the trails under construction makes for a more interesting ride. For me, the problem with the Leigh Woods trail work is that it’s just a repetition of what’s gone on in Ashton Court. Yes, berms and humps can be fun but the new trails are just too smooth. Some of use like slippy roots, muddy ruts and boggy trails. Rant over.

^^this is true

Well the wood was harvested recently, lots of trees felled, lots of paths blocked. These will reappear. And here’s a thought – perhaps trails don’t appear prefabricated out of the box, perhaps you have to lay the basic trail, adjust it once you’ve seen how it all fits together, then add features.

The stuff in AShton Court is starting to roughen up, especially after oktoberfest. The trails should get more interesting as they bead in and get a bit more used.

For me, the problem with the Leigh Woods trail work is that it’s just a repetition of what’s gone on in Ashton Court.

Based on a quick wander around, I thought it looked like an easier trail than AC. Far fewer corners. Looking forward to riding it. I’m sure other stuff will appear/re-appear to complement it.

I agree with wordnumb there is no point judging the trails before they are formally open, you can’t shut down the woods and then only let people on it once its finished. I am sure that all the hard work that the trail builders are putting in will be well worth the wait.

KINGTUT – Member

End of October was the date given as I recall.

Get with the social media programme granddad. Me (Bristol Trails Group), Architrail and 1SW are all Facebooking and Twittering away about the latest Bristol trail developments. If you’ve not heard anything, it’s not because we’ve forgotten to mention it…

http://www.facebook.com/BristolTrails
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Architrail/
Tweets by 1SouthWest

Looks a bit shit

Well at least you won’t be mashing your face on it. 😉

The thing with Leigh Woods is that the trails on the flatter parts of the woods were horrible in winter and completely unsustainable! The best trails IMO are all the descents into the Gorge plus a few others that have remained untouched. Any other trails that existed have been completely destroyed by the harvesting operations carried out during the summer. So much so that i can’t see many, if any, ever being reclaimed. The same applies in Ashton Hill Plantation.

To be fair, LW probably hasn’t seen harvesting operations like that since the MTB first came to the area and trails started to be formed. So i guess it had to happen eventually!

I’ve walked around the trail and think it looks great. There is plenty of other stuff in LW so the mix of the new and old will be perfect.

I sent 1SW a message on facebook and was told that the trails have been delayed and will now be open in early December. The official launch won’t be until spring but we’ll be able to ride in a month or so. Apparently, they have added a new bit of trail which is part of the reason it has been delayed.

Kingtut – might I suggest that you judge the trails when you’ve ridden them, rather than on the basis of a video of somebody riding a section in the wrong direction.

You can suggest all you like, my opinion was quite clearly based on the video. If it beds in like AC then it’ll be great.

MR A I’m signed up to both facebook pages and I haven’t read anything about delays, though I could have missed it.

I don’t do Twitter though, that’s for **** **** ****. 😉

Fair enough, there have been a couple of “soft openings” of the newer trail projects (stops everyone running out and hammering the crap out of them on the first day). But not in this case.

Re Twitter, you don’t have to sign up and start telling 3 bored mates what you had for breakfast, that you’ve just done a proper U-bend stuffer, etc. Just bookmark the page. It’s a website like any other, and it’s very useful if you ignore the irrelevant content. A bit like this place. 😉

the wrong direction

I generally go riding in woods to get away from this sort of thing, tbh.

Looking forward to the LW opening. Wish people would respect the opening dates but no great surprise that they do not

There are still loads of natural rooty trails around in LW and all the steep Gorge stuff is still there to compliment the new groomed trail.

Reckon the natural trails will hold up better with fewer riders tanking it through the winter and sometimes I (and I think most others) fancy a fast, flowy ride with minimal bike cleaning afterwards.

I’ve said thsi beofre but we are seriously going to be spoiled in Bristol going forward 🙂

here’s a thought – perhaps trails don’t appear prefabricated out of the box

Indeed, as I’ve helped to establish many of them by riding them over the last 20 years! I’m sure that in the fullness of time, nature will reclaim what is hers, the trees will grow again and well have our beloved noodly, rooty singletrack back.

Can we just copy n paste the entire 57689-page long thread from last time into here and be done with it?

I’ve ridden most of it (with permission). Given the slimey bog fest we have to endure every winter, and the destruction of the stealth network as more people discover it, I think this will be a significant improvement.

Where would the fun in that be? I’m just grumpy cos someone stole my bike.

“Where would the fun in that be?”

It’ll be more fun – you’ll have fewer people on the stealth trails. Sorry about your bike.

Given time & Mother Nature, I’m not really bothered about it… I just wish the section that runs along the bluff (i.e. on the Rim Trail/Don’t Look Down) had been left alone – no need to build on that, imo. It was a lovely stretch of trail & riding just fine.

And I’m not sure it will be possible to enforce AC style directional trails in LW. It was never unusual to meet people riding ‘up’ the HCM, etc – just give way in sensible fashion, no drama needed.

a fast, flowy ride with minimal bike cleaning afterwards

Like on a road bike, you mean? 😉

It’ll be more fun – you’ll have fewer people on the stealth trails. Sorry about your bike.

That has crossed my mind! 😀 And thanks.

I just wish the section that runs along the bluff (i.e. on the Rim Trail/Don’t Look Down) had been left alone – no need to build on that, imo. It was a lovely stretch of trail & riding just fine.

And I’m not sure it will be possible to enforce AC style directional trails in LW. It was never unusual to meet people riding ‘up’ the HCM, etc – just give way in sensible fashion, no drama needed.

I have to say I don’t recognise this description at all. The rooty off camber bit was fun but most of the rest of it was trashed. And the entrance went over a badger sett. Not that the badgers seemed bothered but it’s not where I’d choose to build an MTB trail.

The trail makes a loop which covers a small fraction of the wood, and the start and finish are about a minute’s ride apart if that. “Enforcing” a direction is a non-starter (as it was in AC until the trail became as popular as it is now), but signing it a certain way makes sense (less signage needed, better safety as more people will be riding it a certain direction, directional features like jumps and drops).

Like on a road bike, you mean

Hopefully a little less boring 😀

I have to say I don’t recognise this description at all.

By ‘along the bluff’, I mean the section that skirts the cliff line (i.e. the last bit). I agree that the rest of it was pretty bombed out – though I will miss the roots.

I wouldn’t want to meet an angry badger, that’s for sure. 😯

I wouldn’t want to meet an angry badger, that’s for sure.

Who do you think puts the logs over the trails.

Who do you think puts the logs over the trails

A terrifying thought. No more night riding for me.

Anyone any news on the opening date yet?

Ah just got this on FB;

Hi all! In addition to the new photos from Leigh Woods, a couple of quick requests:
– The trail will be opening in the next few weeks. Construction is almost complete; but the trail needs to be checked, signage installed and any tidying up done before we can officially open it. Please bear with us during this period; we’re almost there!
– During the next few weeks it would really help if everyone can keep off the trails. Due to the recent wet weather, some of the newest sections of trail are taking a while to firm up and riding them in their current state could cause damage that will need to be fixed; which is bad for everyone.
– If you’ve been up in the woods you might have noticed that where the trail crosses paths it is heavily shaped and landscaped in order to slow everyone down. This is because there are lots of walkers and families in the woods and it’s important to reduce the chance of accidents. A young girl was recently hit by a bike emerging from the woods, so there is a good reason for these controls. Please please please bear this in mind; keep an eye out for other forest users and be friendly. Let’s do our best to give cyclists a good name.
That’s all for now!