Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)
  • Off road near Colchester
  • lloydpres
    Free Member

    Hi all,
    New (ish) to the Colchester area and looking for off road routes. Can anyone help with suggestions or even Gpx files for my garmin ? Even better, if anyone is local to west bergholt and knows any good routes (day or night rides) I would be happy to be patiently guided.
    All advice appreciated.
    Thanks

    PJM1974
    Free Member

    There’s not a lot of climbing or descending to be had, but there are some reasonable trails around. If you ride towards Stanway, you’ll find Grimes Dyke towards the Lexden end of the village. Although the Dyke itself is Dog Egg Central, it does lead to some bridleways and trails towards Birch and Tiptree. The area surrounding the zoo has some twisty bits too. You should be able to built a 90 minute loop out of it, with time to explore Halstead Woods which lie off Halstead Road, just a few hundred yards off the main road back to Bergholt.

    Halstead Wood is pretty small, but the dirt jumpers with shovels are an industrious bunch and some jumpy fun is there for the taking.

    teadrinker
    Free Member

    The woods round the back of the old church, off hall road have a nice bit of singletrack although stay clear during bluebell season otherwise its generally quiet. Highwoods country park is ok for a mid ride coffee break. Its more about linking up all the off road bits into a nice loop.

    What sort of riding are you into? Where about’s in Bergholt are you?

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middling Edition

    Fresh Goods Friday 696: The Middlin...
    Latest Singletrack Videos
    dekadanse
    Free Member

    Not far to Alton Water, just south of Ipswich.
    Approx 8 mile loop round the reservoir, not very technical but has 3 or 4 short but very sharp climbs. Better again is the 3 mile ‘cheeky section’ (marked as footpath only) round the north bit of the lake – some great singletrack and more technical.

    Further into Suffolk are of course Rendlesham, Tunstall, and Thetford forests.

    timmys
    Full Member

    Further afield in the other direction you will have the Olympic XC course when it opens to the public. I think you mitt be able to ride it through the bike club there at the moment.

    switchbacktrog
    Free Member

    Just north of Woodbridge…

    Tunstall

    acsevens
    Full Member

    There is a (fairly) regular Wednesday night ride round Alton water and some of the surrounding countryside, through Trog which Switchback has linked above. Also I believe Thomas’s Cycles do a Wednesday night ride starting from outside their Colchester store.

    fatsimonmk2
    Free Member

    Llyodpres lived in Colchester most of my life best place to ride is Friday woods military training ground usually ride Sunday am welcome to join us email in profile not fast pace in fact quite slow old duffer pace loads of different routes based around there local knowledge is good to have

    smurfly13
    Free Member

    South is Danbury – there is a little downhill jump section (Copt Hill) and plenty of singletrack that link all the woods up from the Common, Lingwood Common, Woodham Walter Woods and Blakes Wood.

    ontor
    Free Member

    friday woods.

    ollie51
    Free Member

    Boundstead road, you’ll find a car park on the left if you’re heading south. Park up, ride around, you’ll find some alright stuff!

    lloydpres
    Free Member

    Thanks for all the replies – gives me some good ideas.

    I did work a route from Bergholt access the A12 and down grymes dyke and past the zoo, it eventually came back on road up past Copford, but unfortunately it was then road all the way back to Fordham Heath.

    I have ridden Danbury in the past but last time I rode it found that a lot of the woods had been specifically closed to bikes – it messed up the 2.5 hr route I had there. I have also made quite a few trips to Thetford but got fed up with the waterlogged trails and severe rutting so was looking for some trails from my door.

    @ teadrinker: I know about the trails through the bluebell woods, but to be honest its a small village and I figure that I am bound to upset someone in there who knows my(wife’s)family. I generally enjoy cross country with the occasional trip to the peaks or lake district when I can justify getting away from family commitments for a weekend. Either that or South Wales trail centres as well as the occasional jaunt to the Alps. I have been known to drive to Afan for a run in the afternoon, camp overnight and a run in the morning before driving back but is all kid dependant now. Am living on hall road at the moment while we renovate a place in the village. Are you in the village itself?

    I quite fancy trying the olympic course but have not been on the bike so often in the last 6 months that I fear I would not do it justice at the moment. From what has been said here I will try to make some of the Wednesday night rides either from Thomas’ or at Alton. Also some exploring at Friday Woods sounds like a plan – @fatsimon mk2 – I will send you a mail on this.

    I do occasionally see a couple of guys on the farm track heading down the hill at the bottom of hall road – maybe it was one of you guys ?

    Thanks for all the replies – hope to meet some of you out on the bikes sometime.

    Cheers

Viewing 12 posts - 1 through 12 (of 12 total)

The topic ‘Off road near Colchester’ is closed to new replies.