I was up on Leith hill this afternoon, riding the trail (sorry I don’t really know any trail names) that leads down from the cricket pitch and eventually takes you onto a track that will get to summer lightening. Essentially with the trail I’m talking about, there are a few flat/uphill bits, then there’s (IMO) an amazing downhill with lots of roots and a few natural small drops, which takes you down towards Coldharbour. Turn left to get to summer lightening, turn right to get to the Plough pub. Hopefully you know where I mean.

To my horror I found a guy up there laying down a load of earth/sand and flattening it with a machine. Loads of the uphill/flat bits have been sanitised with a smooth yellow surface and unfortunately it looked like he was heading in the direction of the aforementioned decent downhill. He’d not got that far when I was there so I really hope I’m wrong. As Leith Hill is not Wales or the Alps, there aren’t that many steep/rooty sections around, they don’t grow on trees, but it looks like this one is doomed.

On the way back, we noticed that they’re doing the same thing on a downhill trail near the tower. I’m perplexed as to why you’d want to do this! Leith hill has some great, natural riding – but someone seems hell bent on turning it into some crappy trail centre that’s about as challenging as riding on a pavement!

Does anyone know who’s behind it and why they’re doing it?

You must remember that its not a crappy trail centre, its an area of land managed by a charity (called the Hurtwood Control) which gives access to all. The important word is ALL – walkers, runners, horse riders, cyclists, dog walkers, families, elderly people etc.
They have obviously taken the decision to carry out some maintenance to some of the paths, which are used by lots of those other people. That’s their prerogative seeing as they maintain and open the land for all of us to use. Hurtwood are pretty cyclist friendly, they won’t be doing this for any other reason than to provide the access that they are mandated to.

It’s not my land is the point you’re making so I guess they can do what they want.

However the changes don’t seem to be for the benefit of families/walkers. They seem to be mtb specific changes as I saw berms etc. If they wanted to create trails for bikes, what they had was already better than what they’re putting in. All they had to do was put a sign up saying “Bikes only” on these trails I’m talking about, rather than ruining them.

It’s all got chewed up quite a bit in the last few years. Loamy sand isn’t going to stay put in the wet… Summer lightning had the same sort of treatment a few years ago.

Linky
is the picture on the link what it looks like?

Big extension of Summer Lightening so it pretty much runs from the Tower….check out the Head For The Hills Facebook page for more pics

https://www.facebook.com/headhillsbikeshop

Looks good to me 😀

…although it should be mentioned, stay off it until its finished!

Plenty of other trails with roots/small drops to be found if thats your thing

Riddoch yep that’s the stuff they were putting down

You must remember that its not a crappy trail centre, its an area of land managed by a charity (called the Hurtwood Control)

This is not Hurtwood Land. Hurtwood Covers Holmbury and Pitch hills, parts of Winterfold, and blackheath.

Leith hill is owned by a number of land owners.

I’ll put the kettle on, Digestive caramel anyone, think this could be a five pager!

OP, the descent you talk about is actualy a climb (Waggledance) ..

Any trailbuilding is good in my book, and the bit from the tower through Personal Hygene looks pretty rad IMHO..
the old bit of trail has been hammered anyhow with everyone skidding down it.

I agree with Nuke and say well done Richard for all your hard work..

Ooo, digestive caramel – biscuit of the kings that is. Mine’s white no suger to go with as well please…

So, there’s a better way to summer lightning from the tower then? I usually go past the cricket pitch and then left at the bottom in coldharbour

From what I’ve seen Richard is doing sterling work and I can’t wait till it’s ready, looks like it will be a cracking trail.

so esp. the bit down from the tower was always, well just nothing, and full of walkers and they are adding a little bermy something. and you are moaning about it? 🙄

“Waggledance” started life as a downhill thanks (built by me and Si)…

Stop moaning about the trail improvements, they are much needed and this is the start of bigger and better things. For those that do not know, it has taken years to get support from the various land owners/ keepers who in the past have hated mtb’s on Leith. What is “sanitised” now was unsustainable and causing very bad erosion.. If you want to moan, try putting some effort it first instead of taking the trails for granted (which are obviously built by little pixies paid in pixie dust)..

Most of Leith is run by the National Trust and as said owned by various land owners.

This is the first official trail in the hills in years and fully approved by the land owners and the NT. Yes, I believe part of the reason for it is to separate walkers from bikes, but it gives us some nice trail to get from the tower towards SL compared to boggy bridleway most the way.

Given it needs to cater for everyone it’s not going to be to some people’s liking, but from photos so far it looks a lot better than the tame efforts at Swinley 😉

I don’t know the route but I guess it takes in some old classics and if so yes there will be changes and that will cause contention, but we get over it and ride on. There’s bucket loads of other stuff about and a lot of what’s on that route is quite a mess anyway.

p.s. DON’T RIDE THE NEW STUFF YET PLEASE! – needs to bed in and people are riding it causing extra work and delays.

Anyway…

I never understand the people who see an unfinished trail with tape and a sign and think it doesn’t apply them.
Looking forward to trying the new stuff, big kudos to everybody who is building and nasty downstairs fungal disease to people cheekily riding it.

I think it is Waggledance that I’m talking about. Didn’t realise that people would ride up it – everyone I’ve ever met around there rides down it. Anyway, up or down, it’s a great trail.

Regarding the changes, when people say that it “looks good” have you actually seen it or are you just judging from a photo? I’ve seen it first hand (not ridden it) and what was already there is better than what’s been put in.

What’s happened is that the natural features of the trail, e.g. bumps/rocks/roots have all been smoothed out to the point that you could pretty much ride a road bike down there. Surely no-one wants that?

Yes I agree with trail maintenance and segregation of MTBs etc, but I struggle to see how anyone on this forum would be happy with existing, challenging decent trails being turned into a yawn fest.

Just to confirm I didn’t ride any of the trails under development.

Yes I do think it looks good…different maybe but still good. In all honesty, I think you’re rose-tinting what was there before! I’m very grateful for sustainable trails like this and the large amount of work people put into them. I’ve been very impressed with trails like BKB this winter…even after huge amounts of rain, they are still perfectly rideable and not far off summer speeds.

As has already been said, there are plenty of other trails to ride…no really, there are, there’s seriously loads…if the new extension isn’t your bag, find others and stop moaning 🙂

I think this is good news too – waggle dance and trails around it are not that special and the last time I ride the area a few weeks ago, it was really suffering from damage and saturation.

An added benefit will be the separation of walkers / bikers.

Looking forward to spring time – great work folks.

what nuke said.

if your looking for tech then your in the wrong place for a start.

Like swinley, it’s a victim of its own success. I’d love it if the trails didn’t have to be sanitised but the reality is that they are ridden so much nowadays that without this kind of work in this weather particularly they become a boggy mess, which people then ride round the edges of, so it becomes a 3 metre wide motorway of mud. They’re not private trails, they’re for all and this keeps them acceptably good for all.

I’m not up there much nowadays (in the winter) so is there a way to throw a few quid in to the fund online?

Jk1980 has it correct, the trails look boring.

They are so smooth that I’m pretty confident I could ride my road bike down there, what’s the point?!

Seems people just want to ride their 160mm FS bikes on glorified BMX tracks, I don’t get it, I’d rather go off piste and find some other stuff to be honest.

blimey i had no idea i needed a 160mm FS to ride waggledance 🙄

blimey i had no idea i needed a 160mm FS to ride waggledance

you’re a nobody without a 160mm FS nowadays…

It’s been a while since I was on leith. Looking downhill, does the new trail take the easier RH or the more committing IMO LH route thru personal hygiene?

Assuming PH goes thru the two bowls just below the tower and to the LHS of the main path (looking down)

There are 2 lines.
a pro line (down the old chute) and a family line!
It was all totally knackered in there. great looking berms have been built – what’s not to like

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=640574616003145

If you don’t like it, don’t ride it.
If you want something more technical and “gnar” sneak off somewhere quiet and build it.
This will be much more effective than slagging off someone else’s hard work on the internet.

There are plenty of people (myself included) who acutually pick up a shovel a few times a year and help keep the trails in the Surrey hills worth riding, it’s easy to criticise other peoples work whilst adding nothing to the equation yourself. Yes it’s pretty smooth but it’s got a load of jumps, berms and all sorts and I’m sure will be a right laugh to ride fast whilst staying rideable by anyone all year round. There are loads of other rooty, steppy, trails up there (like keep the faith) that offer riders a technical challenge (whatever that means) but this is a brilliant addition to the area that should be applauded. It’s going to be a long, fast, fun downhill – really, what’s not to like?

Smooth doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. Look at what Brendog & Olly make of Swinley 😉

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/United-Kingdom-Of-Dirt-Swinley-Forest-with-Brendog-and-Olly-Wilkins.html

roots … they don’t grow on trees

😀