This from the Hurtwood Ranger

Pitch Hill

Think it was about time as there were too many jumps popping up.

cant access, what does he say?

Ditto

Linky fixy

Essentially, some jumps have been removed because someone was taking the piss

Seems to be the Captain Clunk line reading elsewhere.

Guess they don’t like the gaps & ghetto step down at the end.

I agree – they scared me!!! 😉

Lets hope people respond responsibly – some of the comments suggest otherwise 😯 – still I am not one of the big balls club who re affected by this!!

Mountain Bikers, a couple of trails near the top of Pitch Hill have had to be toned down a bit, The jumps are too dangerous for all the levels of rider we get on the Hurtwood, and just too many injuries are occurring. So if you see the notice below at the start of a trail, please be aware that the jump stuff has been

Think it is the likes of Captain Clunk not sure though

Thanks no fan, sorry trying to do this not the cell phone on the train

Think it was the responsible thing to do, given the recent media attention on BKB could be the landowner just taking precautions

Thanks no fan

Brexshit stuff aside, he’s not that bad, surely? 😉

Hahaha sorry autocorrect… sorry ninfan

Shame but understandable and only a matter of time with the drop at the end. Hopefully they’ll re-build that clunk line in a way that keeps the ranger/landowner happy as it was good fun with the jumps but could also be good built in a similar manner to the top section. Plenty of bigger jumps in the quieter areas anyway.

As an aside since we’re on Surrey Hills does anyone know where the loam slalom is that fairclough, Wilkins etc have been sticking all over Instagram is? Don’t intend to strava it but would like to ride it. Email me if preferred.

thanks.

The line is on a Pitch, it’s just one of the many fresh cut trails there.

Gotama – Member 
As an aside since we’re on Surrey Hills does anyone know where the loam slalom is that fairclough, Wilkins etc have been sticking all over Instagram is? Don’t intend to strava it but would like to ride it. Email me if preferred.

Last one was apparently from last year, hence the loam vs the current slop. Bits off top of Pitch I think, round Thick and Creamy sort of bits, plus the big jumps of Milestone Hips which was flattened a while back.

https://instagram.com/p/BN2KbIhBKPX/

That’s the thing. Trails change, some go, new ones appear. The industrial scale digging of Milestone, Area 51 etc moved on instead to likes of Captain Clunk and now Northern Monkey (which Jim now owns I think? so will see how long that lasts!).

It’s great to see people having fun and it’s a great playground, but some times it gets a bit OTT, especially concentrating it in one area and putting gap jumps on every trail. We’re very lucky to have the Hurtwood to play in and have open access to it, and the land owners have been pretty tolerant really.

Anyway, sounds like a few ambulance incidents recently have brought this to a head. We’ll see where it goes, but I don’t think there’s a desire to turn the place into a sanitised trail centre. Just depends how long the land owners can tolerate accidents for which they are technically liable.

There have been big jumps in the Surrey Hills for years, most of them well hidden in out of the way places. More recent stuff seems to have been built in far too conspicuous places.

We are lucky to have access to the land. Lets not FIU

Not the ones in that vid deadkenny, this one….

View this post on Instagram

The dream! #deathgrip #surreyhills

A post shared by Brendan Fairclough (@brendog1) on Nov 26, 2016 at 7:00am PST

If it’s on pitch then I can’t find it! Assumed it was over winterfold way.

Apart from CC and N Monkey have they been that obvious – ok I guess there is the one down beyond Evian that has the gap and then quite a big jump at the end, but both easily ( 😉 ) avoided

But yes, I hope that no one does FIU – having said that I was a bit nervous going back and riding the newly re-created T3As in case I bumped into Jim, so I am as bad as any mega jump builder 😳

Gotama isn’t that Kung Fu special just off the trig point.

I agree DK there were gaps appearing on far too many trails.

Gotama – Member 
If it’s on pitch then I can’t find it! Assumed it was over winterfold way.

Pitch or Winterfold as bumped into them couple of times yesterday. They were heading off top of Pitch and other heading towards Fly Tipper. From yesterday I assume (given the mist)…

This is what it's all about!! Watch out for that tree Bernard Kerr! Brendan Fairclough

Posted by Sam Reynolds on Sunday, December 18, 2016

Looks more like Pitch, though oddly loamy when everything else is sloppy at the moment. Though I didn’t go down there. Went to check out the “devastation” at Clunk 😀 . It’s not so bad. Some flattened gaps yes and lips taken off the drops but the drops are still plenty droppable, just they’re now rollable also.

Oh, and we now have gaps on first section of Secret Santa. One right in the main line 🙄

They are on Pitch, it peels off the original ‘Eric’ trail.

Lot of new stuff popping up everywhere.

Extension of the original start of Secret Santa, a whole new trail off the side of Evian which is fairly straight, but flows well, small gap near the end.

The new jumps on SS are total pony. The first needs moving onto the other side of the trail to make it work properly.

Never had to pedal so hard & pull up to clear a jump that’s maybe 10ft long. The sloppy flat corners on the way in don’t exactly help.

Still, glad to see people are actively building still. New trail off the side of T&C too which is steep, loose & fun 🙂

More to come. Xmas holidays and kids with shovels 😉

Though I see Dave’s been busy. Can’t quite place where but got a suspicion.

Do think shits going to hit the fan soon but hope I’m wrong.

They are on Pitch, it peels off the original ‘Eric’ trail.

Ta. Interesting as I rode Eric on Saturday but must have been oblivious to it 🙂

Fun ladder drop appeared in winterfold on one of the older trails which has been linked to a higher start. Bit sludgy in places at the moment but should run well in the summer.

New trail off the side of T&C too which is steep, loose & fun

That’s been there a while if you mean the one with the bombhole style berm to jump at the bottom. If not then i’ll be having a look at that as well 😀

That’s been there a while if you mean the one with the bombhole style berm to jump at the bottom. If not then i’ll be having a look at that as well

No – different to that, further off to the left.

Think it might be a good idea to stop broadcasting the location of the brand new trails and who it is building them or they’ll be flattened too. And the builders will take their spades elsewhere (again).

Its easy to find the trails out without hunting them down on a public discussion forum.

The new jumps on SS are total pony.

Designed for the type of bike the builder rides! 8)

More to come. Xmas holidays and kids with shovels

I always ride with caution after bank holidays and 1/2 term breaks.

Think it might be a good idea to stop broadcasting the location of the brand new trails and who it is building them or they’ll be flattened too.

Agree but frankly the amount of people who use Strava these days, it’s easy enough for new trails to get old very fast..

Think it might be a good idea to stop broadcasting the location of the brand new trails and who it is building them or they’ll be flattened too. And the builders will take their spades elsewhere (again).

If they have issues with people discussing it publically, maybe they shouldn’t broadcast it themselves on social media in the first place?

These trails are not remotely hidden. It takes the landowner or ranger aboit 5 mins to walk to them. Also ranger commented on injuries, I imagine when you call the ambulance he gets to know where it has to get to.

As I said “back in the day” all the bigger jump stuff was hidden away not built in high traffic areas or modifications of well known trails.

Hob Nob – I think you’ll find the stuff on PH was what the announcement as about where the FOtH are very tolerant of riders.

The stuff around winterfold draws the attention and wrath of a certain land owner. Some of the stuff that opens onto and actually is built on private land gets blocked every now and then.

We are lucky to have access to the land

This makes me sad…

Yes I am aware of that.

I was making reference to the stuff on Winterfold. I know some trails cross said land owners property.

The best place to build jumps is on the Wildlife trust land, they’re more tolerant and less likely to remove/flatten stuff.

deadkenny – Member

Anyway, sounds like a few ambulance incidents recently have brought this to a head. We’ll see where it goes, but I don’t think there’s a desire to turn the place into a sanitised trail centre. Just depends how long the land owners can tolerate accidents for which they are technically liable.

Bumped into the Hurtwood Ranger today whilst out riding with Weeksy. I thanked him for his work on Captain clunk as it’s more enjoyable to me with the lairy drops removed.

He did say that the landowners don’t want to have trail centre grading for trails, they want it to remain open access for all to enjoy responsibly but with all the digging going on the landowners’ patience will eventually break.

He was out today specifically checking for re-opened trails. We bumped into him at the end of Curly Wurly and he was walking back up the left hand fork.

deadkenny – Member

Oh, and we now have gaps on first section of Secret Santa. One right in the main line

Not very subtle either, easily spotted from the public footpath. Think this is on Jim’s land isn’t it?

There was a fellah out today digging the trail.

jambalaya – Member

We are lucky to have access to the land. Lets not FIU

Given the above, looks like we (or at least some people) are FIU. 🙁

Wildlife trust land

That doesn’t strike me as the best plan, what about the wildlife ?

I have some friends who know the landowner. He is naturally concerned about for example the lawsuit from the wife of an mtb-er who is paralysed or killed. We had the same problem in organising sailing races, even if the sailor doesn’t sue accepting the risks involved a relative can.

Looking forward to the new C Clunk, might be more accessible to me now!!

I get mixed up wit secret Santa. Wasn’t that/isn’t it the relative flat trail that had the v shaped tree that led into carpet land…both of which seem to have got amalgamated into the main run – at least bottom part – with the big gap half way down an then the drop near the bottom, that finishes just to the side of the step on the BW?

The v tree bit was part of Christmas Pudding that led into Endor / Carpet Land. Secret Santa popped up later as a “secret” trail beside it (that was never going to last 😉 )

First part of Secret Santa got flattened due to logging but then resurrected and was getting quite fast and flowy to run into the second half (with the gap etc). Can only flow it now if you’re up for the jumps.

Alternate is the Christmas Pud line is now revived and cuts left to join in with Secret Santa by the big gap. Not as fast and flowy as the first part of SS was and risk of hitting someone coming along the second part as you join it, so not keen on going that way.

Am wondering what it would take to revive Carpet Land. It was mainly just tree debris from logging that wiped it out. I’m no trail builder, but to get it back to what it was I’d guess it just needs clearance. Ideally without digging anything as it wasn’t a dug trail before, just beautiful lines you could take over pine needles through the trees.

As for Jim’s land, not sure about SS. It comes off his “driveway” but not sure that’s his.

Cheers DK, that makes sense. Enjoy SS but only recently found Christmas Pud when looking to see if Carpet Land had been resurrected. Agree that the join with SS is a bit dodgy!!

As Jambas told me, we should meet up but I imagine you are a much better rider than me.

I just pootle about and chicken out of anything gnarly 😀

@jambalaya I know, that’s what I would have thought. But you’ll just have to trust me on this one as can’t go into details on a public forum!

DK – SS is part of his land… some of the Nirvana boys had the pleasure of bumping into him sometime back. Though he was his usual self it seems they did have a pleasant chat and his concern was to do with liability etc

(He’s also bought some more pockets that were up for sale recently)

As I mentioned earlier, way too many gaps appearing on some of the more benign or just plain flowy trails.

Carpet Land – we used to ride that and connect it to ‘Waterfall’ heading back into Farley Green/Blackheath. Happy to join you on a ride and see if we can clear the logs.