Down here with work for the next 6 weeks from Newcastle… Thinking of chucking hardtail in the car and leaving at hotel for the duration.

Anyone do any riding in the area or know if it’s worth it?

Cheers
Nick

Believe it or not, its illegal. Against the bye laws (not that it stops anyone)

No bridleways in the NF you see.

Expect deep puddles as well.

http://www.newforce.org.uk/ is the club.

we’ve stayed off since well before christmas, due to the (literal) bogginess (don’t have much respect for those “in charge” but do have plenty for the forest itself)
you’ll need good local knowledge if you’re planning to ride singletrack without sinking, so a guide or gps route would be good (I don’t have enough knowledge but someone may crop up with advice)

there are gravelly tracks (still not all allowed on bikes – 🙄 as per dave above) that will ride just fine but limited interest unless you just want to spin your legs

there’s the thursday rides in lordswood that you might look into as addition/alternative (I don’t know the people involved, other than WCA who’s “probably” not back on his bike yet) and there’s riding elsewhere relatively nearby, so do bring a bike

I do a Monday and Friday night ride from Wimborne about 15 mins drive down the A31.

http://www.dorsetroughriders.co.uk/calendar.php

Hi,

We ride in the forest and around the forest at night, this week we are doing Moors Valley at 7pm on Thursday if you’d like to join, nothing difficult just singletrack winding through the woods but fun at night!

Thanks

Yup, i’m another naughty New Forest mountain biker…. Newforce is the local ‘official’ group (see their website) plus I ride with a group from Fordingbridge every Wednesday night 🙂

Yup, i’m another naughty New Forest mountain biker…. Newforce is the local ‘official’ group (see their website) plus I ride with a group from Fordingbridge every Wednesday night 🙂

As mentioned above, it’s not legal to ride on anything other than the official cycle paths which are somewhat limiting (and not joined up!) but there is actually lots of brilliant singetrack and excellent rooty, twisty climbs etc to keep you amused. It is all really flooded at the moment, so stay high and fit a mud tyre would be my top tips 😉

No bridleways in the NF you see.

That’s not strictly true, there are both bridleways and byways in the NF.

I ride Lordswood most Thursdays and you are welcome to tag along. Look out for the Lordwood thread on Thursdays on here.

Regular Thursday group from the Southampton side too 🙂

We also stop in a pub half way through the night

Wow – thanks for all the information everyone!

Thursday this week is going to be good for me, but I think Lordswood might be a stretch to get to after work on time. Thanks for all of the offers and contacts – really appreciate this!

timbo678 – I’d defo be up for heading out to Moors Valley this Thursday.

Cheers!

That’s not strictly true, there are both bridleways and byways in the NF.

Looking at the OS map even public footpaths are thin on the ground. Every time we visit, we ride up a bridleway which ends abruptly at the NF boundary. Its bikes over fences time.

ciderinsport – Member
Regular Thursday group from the Southampton side too

We also stop in a pub for half way through the night

FTFY

Looking at the OS map even public footpaths are thin on the ground. Every time we visit, we ride up a bridleway which ends abruptly at the NF boundary.

I agree, for the size of the place there are very few marked ROWs. But there are a few more bridelways these days after the boundary was moved when the National Park was formed.

Have not come across any bridleways that just stop at a fence, but there are a few near me that both start and stop in the middle of nowhere. Very odd.

As well as Dorset Rough Riders and Newforce, there used to be a Thursday night ride organised by The Forge Cycleworks in Ringwood. They may have stopped for the winter, but worth a check

PS @ missnotax, I was surprised there is a regular ride out from Fordingbridge every Wednesday. Is it open to all? There are up to 5 of us from ‘just up the road’ who pedal round Ringwood Forest or the west side of the New Forest etc most Wednesdays and never seem to see anyone out

Hi bentandbroken – yep, a regular ride every Wednesday night (unless it’s absolutely grim and then everyone tends to find an excuse)! It’s open to all but not something we make a huge song and dance about, purely because you’re not actually meant to ride there…. 😉

We ride from the AJ pub in Fordingbridge at 7pm until about 9.30pm, as off road and techy as you can make it in the New Forest!! In the winter there’s sometimes only 4 of us, in the summer sometimes 15 or so 🙂

Let me know if you fancy coming along – you’re very welcome 🙂

Funnily enough we have also seen other folk out on a Weds night (seen the lights in the distance) – I had always thought it was Newforce but it might have been you guys then!!

Newforce seem to concentrate on the ‘other side’ of the forest for evening rides, but we have been discussing joining them on their Godshill ride in march (that said, I’m broken again at the moment so am taking it easy for a week or two)

Thinking about it, we did see a group of about 8 Near Plumley Farm in Ringwood forest on a night ride last year. They said they were from Fordingbridge and one was on a CX, would that have been ‘your mob’?

I did a ride with Newforce from Godshill yesterday – very nice it was too 🙂

Don’t think that could have been us as I can’t think of anyone with a cx bike… Having said that, if one of them was a girl on a little blue 5 then it was us and I am having a(nother) senior moment 😉

We ride all year, rain or shine (mostly), so just let me know if you or any of your buddies want to come along later in the year.

Us Newforce people go all over the place!

There is 4 regular Thursday night gangs of varying speeds / abilities / alcohol consumptions, with 2 of the groups changing the start location every week.

Those of us who do the naughty stuff keep it off the radar 😉

Nick – I’ll e-mail you

Thanks

@ Miss no tax and bentandbroken – I ride in NF and ringwood forest, is the weds group from the AJ the same road group that go out in summer?

Nice one – thanks Tim.