Is everything reopened yet ?

Hopefully they’re ploughing the whole lot up and starting again. Most of the place is ruined, and has been for a long time now 🙁

Dont be such a drama queen its always goes back to being fine in the summer

all the info you need is on the Swinley website

The Sticker is still closed, until I think the 13th.

As they said, everything ruined, nothing to see here, move along, locals only please :p

Stickler closed, Tank Traps and Seagull had notices sayign please avoid if its wet unitll its bedded in, apperently ducks ride mountainbikes as no one noticed the rain, either that or they’re just stupid.

Tank Traps really needs to be closed off for a bit.

all the info you need is on the Swinley website

Where?

http://www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/leis-mountain-biking-and-leisure-cycling.htm
or
http://www.gorrick.com/swinley/
or
http://www.bracknell-forest.gov.uk/lookout/
or
http://www.wellingtontrek.co.uk/
or
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=hp#!/group.php?gid=2589417804

Dont be such a drama queen its always goes back to being fine in the summer

No it doesn’t. I’ve been riding there on and off for, ohh, 20 years now. As recently as 5-6 years ago there was some nice singletrack, which has slowly been ruined by the sheer number of riders wearing it out in all weathers, and by muppets that can’t go round a corner or through a puddle and make the singletrack wider and wider and straighter and straighter. Then, on to of that trails have been very poorly resurfaced (in all good faith, for sure) by someone that hasn’t got the first clue what they are doing, and made them even worse. Anything technical is slowly being eroded away into smoothness too.
And that Stickler trail is, by some margin, the worst bit of new trail building I’ve ever had the misfortune to come across.

As a result, I’ve gone from being a regualar with a permit to avoiding the place at all costs. I only go there for group rides to meet people now, and I live within riding distance of the place.

I quite like the stickler, uber flowy and when the berms are flooded gives an added incentive to hit them flat out and pump as hard as possible to avoid an early bath 🙂

It has been a victim of its own success. Has been featured in a few mtb mags too. Unless there is some dedicated trail building carried out by professional trail builders, it will not change. I take my hat off to the Bob club/Gorrick for what they have done but I’m sure they didn’t anticipate the current numbers of riders.

Of course I hold my hand up to organising one or two group rides there. 😳

Sadly, PP is right. I too have been riding there regularly for around 17 years, and used to go 3 or 4 times a week. Back then a lot of the singletrack was narrow with a springy, loamy surface and a layer of pine needles on top: it drained well all year round. Now, the un-resurfaced sections are so compacted and have so many water-collecting deep depressions that it’s a soggy mess through most of the winter and the wetter parts of the summer too. The re-surfacing is a valliant effort, and the material used is dictated by the Crown Estate (IIRC) but it’s not a pleasant riding experience: too bumpy to be truly fast and flowy, too smooth to be a fun challenge. Sorry to be so grumpy: I used to truly love the place, but I only go once or twice a month now and the old magic has gone.

Can’t see a solution to it really, it’s just got too popular. Perhaps if there were other, similar riding spots in the vicinity the pressure on it might reduce.

the trails arent wider, they’ve just developed multiple lines, how else are us singlespeeders supposed to overtake the plethora or orange 5’s?

Perhaps if there were other, similar riding spots in the vicinity the pressure on it might reduce.

IMO the problem is Swinley and places like the surrey hills/peaslake area are busy and relatively un-maintained which makes gives a bad impression to any would be trail center developers in the area. Can you imagine the logistics of maintaining GT if it were in Oxfordshire/Berkshire/Hampshire/Surrey? You’d have 1000’s of riders every day, and there just wouldnt mbe the funding as the area doesnt need a tourism boost for the economy like places Scotland do.

Sorry, if this is a moan-thread, but do the Bob/gorrick trail building team know what they’re doing? Let me re-phrase that, do they have any specific trail building qualifications?

I only ask because after having looked over some of the sections they’ve ‘rebuilt’, does (apparently) mixing sand and clay to spread over the top of the trail really do any good? I can’t see how this is helping maintain anything, other than look pretty… Sorry but where’s the actual hardcore dumping thats needed (all be IMHO)… To be honest, I can’t really understand the no riding in the wet either.. This is Swinley ffs… It rains, sometimes alot! and now you’re telling me not to use certain trails when its been raining?

I pay my yearly fee, but yer having a laugh aren’t you? And where’s the evidence of all the recent harry potter trail closures with the alledged added income coming in to help with the trail upkeep?

Oh and I guess for my credentials of being a ‘local’I’ve been riding there for about 7 years and lived in wokingham for about 6. I rarely go out there during the w/e as its so crowded… It really has picked up… and thus (IMHO) the need for ‘better’ trial upkeep, if you’re going to do it at all…

Just my twopenneth I guess….

Would be interested to know what sort of numbers use Swinley and then compare it to a trail centre. Part of the problem is that people travel miles and assume it is a trail centre.

I would also be curious to know how much of the permit cost actually goes to the Crown Estate for liability insurance.

As regards Harry Potter, you’re right in that we have not seen any benefits, just bloomin’ inconvenience. 👿 However I did hear that Bracknell Forest Borough Council received £20K for letting the film company have their own car park.

However I did hear that Bracknell Forest Borough Council received £20K for letting the film company have their own car park.

Seems unlikely given they don’t own the land!

Hmm I think they do at the lookout

Well, according to the BFBC Look Out webpage, they have made improvements to the car park.

Edit: I meant the film company had exclusive use of part of the public car park.

I would also be curious to know how much of the permit cost actually goes to the Crown Estate for liability insurance.

Pretty much all of it IIRC, bear in mind everyone over 16 needs one, not just people using the singletrack so the money probable goes towards other stuff as well.

Edit: I meant the film company had exclusive use of part of the public car park

Ah, thought you meant in the forest… 😉

Ah, thought you meant in the forest

Well, I’m the first to admit to being a bimbo but really 😯

Of course if the HP income means my Council Tax is reduced, then that’s another matter …

When it came to the trail maintenance we are very limited, the problem is that the Crown Estate insist that the material used must come from the forest itself, the orange sand/ gravel mix actually comes from the quarry in crowthorne. We cannot bring in material from elsewhere.
We are also not allowed to build new features at all, we’d love to berm some of the corners and make it more exciting but the Crown Estate insist the trails are only relaid so that overtime they should bed down and be more weather resistant, you’ll see that drainage channels have been cut in as well.
We are also very limited by budget and the fact that it would be lovely to allow the trail surface to settle and as we cannot afford to get machinery in completely “thwack” it down we rely on trying to ask people not ride certain trails, but often this ignored.

I think the problem is I can hear everyone griping, how many of you actually do anything proactive to actually help? Maybe pick up a spade instead of tapping away at a keyboard

You have to remember that many of the trails you are talking about are on parts on swinley that are shared with walkers and horse riders, who we all have no doubt had run ins with. The only place that trails with real features
can have jumps, big berms etc is in the actual mountain bike area, even they we are not allowed to build anything new, just maintain what is there, fill braking bumps etc

scud – I appreciate what you are saying and the subject has come up before on here about trail maintenance. The ruling is that you have to be a member of the Bob club and many STW’ers wanted to help but couldn’t!! You can not expect people to fork out and join a club, if they want you that is.

If a working party was organised so that STW’ers could help, there would be a terrific response.

I rode Swinley on Sunday and enjoyed it a lot… Yes a shame the stickler trail wasnt open. I have had fun riding it fast in the past, and like the tight berms which are a challenge at speed. The Labrynth was great fun though. Top marks there. I only ride Swinley occasionally as I live in Herts but I do appreciate the efforts of the trail builders there..Im certainly not complaining and it was well worth the fee..IMO

It is purely insurance reasons, only BOB are covered by insurance do so, it is the reason I joined the club to get more involved and give something back to somewhere I enjoy riding, you don’t have to fork out, it cost £40 for the year and includes the £20 yearly pass, the other £20 I have more than made back in discounts at local shops.

It does get tiring though, Swinley is not a custom trail centre, it would be lovely to build big berms, rock gardens etc but it simply can’t be done there. Swinley is shared communal land and I am not sure where people think the money would come from for pro trail builders, and if the money was there the crown estate at swinley and the FC for crowthorne would not allow it.

What we were trying to do is protect those trails that are there, having had a very wet and icy winter and with the large increase in rider numbers (many of who do not appreciate what causes braking bumps and that each time you ride around the wettest areas the trail is widened) something has to give, I for one feel that the trails are worth protecting.

What was interesting was in closing a trail like stickler, was that many riders were stuck, they simply ride the same five trails, maybe explore a bit, try some of the smaller trails, head to crowthorne or onto the MOD land beyond?

I think in all fairness nobody could have anticipated the popularity of Swinley. I’ve been using the place for dog walking, running and now mtb’ing for around 20 years so I’ve certainly seen some changes!

Surely the time has come to ask the question ‘what is the future of Swinley’?

I don’t do clubs, and I shouldn’t think they would want me either! This business of insurance surely could be challenged? Is this not something that could be brought up at the Swinley Forest Users Meeting? I’m not convinced that this issue is insurmountable.

must come from the forest itself

I’ve seen lumps of sandstone around the forest. There some bits near the back of the reservoir. Theres no way of sourcing local sandstone is there ? Mind I suppose that wouldnt last but longer either tends to crumble to ermm sand.

I’m with CG on the club thing, but that doesn’t stop me from doing the odd unofficial bit of trail maintenance – for instance when new ‘short cut’ lines start to pop up to avoid a muddy puddle on a corner or other such life threatening feature I tend to try to find stuff to block that off. Of course it’s a bit disheartening to come back & find a new-new line round the muddy puddle and the attempted block, but some people will go to any lengths not to get mud inside their BMAudi.

Have to say, I agree on the unofficial maintenance side of things.. I’ve also done things like put back broken dropped branches that other folk have moved to shorten things, such as the latter parts of the labrynth (why is another thread all together?!).. Also a mate of mine, who posts on here too, has ‘looked after’ the corkscrew for years, by adding drainage channels etc, to try to stop people riding around puddles, but trying to remove the puddles!

I also understand about the need to source ‘local materials’ but surely there must be bigger stones (or hardcore) from the quarry, rather than the sand/gravel? Like I said before, to me, just resurfacing with fine materials and tamping it down doesn’t seem to work and almost ‘blocks’ natural drainage rather than encourages it…

Please don’t get me wrong, I admire and appreciate what the trail maintenance groups are trying to do, I just wonder if there is actually a more effective, better way… Looking at all the tyre marks on the freshly tamped stuff around tanktraps, the signs and requests not to ride in wet conditions isn’t working. To be fair, I’m not too sure it should be asked anyhow… Its Swinley, in winter, we will get wet covered in mud and boggy… We all need to make sure we ride thru’ the middle of it and not the sides! Roll on a few more months when it actually dries and drains and we can get back to some dust again…

😀

Also what is the definition of “local”, the gorrick race on Sunday went through an area of heath warren wood that was very very stoney.

Reminded me of the material they have used to lay the original (follow the dog) track at cannock. Is a bit slippy in the wet but seems to protect the ground well.

There was a quarry there but I think its closed but havent they opened a new one in yately heath ? Surely this is local.

To be honest some of ground at swinely looks like your standard builders gravel.

I’m feeling rather cross. 🙁

Just back from a wee pootle and noticed that the tape and tree branch blocking the southerly entrance/exit of The Stickler have been removed. I’ve moved the branch across again.

Some people are annoying.

Cheers CG, appreciated.

I was going to launch into a discussion about the material and trail-building techniques used, but I really can’t be bothered – someone, somwhere will find a way to object to it.

Please just bear in mind that many sections of trail can only be re-visited for maintenance around every 3 years currently, and when they are, we need to make them last another 3. I know it’s not the most imaginitive work you’ve ever seen, but the sheer volume of riders make it necessary.

If you’re local, you know where the good, more interesting stuff is anyway.

OK, this business about not importing materials from outside the area … I thought this applied to AONB’s? So do Crown Estate and/or Forestry Commission insist on this too?

Are there any places where any old soil etc. can be brought in?

Genuinely interested.

Yeah, it’s one of the conditions of working on the trails there. It’s also an economic issue – the stuff in the Swinley quarry is free!

just to say one thing about BOBS I joined a few couple of years back and they have trails beyond swinley which IMO is awesome if not better which can be ridden in the winter given swinley a chance ! so joining a club can be a good thing 🙂

must come from the forest itself, the orange sand/ gravel mix actually comes from the quarry in crowthorne. We cannot bring in
material from elsewhere.

So that is what that big hole just beyond lower star post is then?

Does anyone know any reason why the Old Dean Common/Barossa Common area had not developed into XC loops etc?

I am just grateful that anyone goes to any effort that I benefit from.

[deleted] long ramble about having to pay to join yet another club or intrest group.

Does anyone know any reason why the Old Dean Common/Barossa Common area had not developed into XC loops etc?

It’s Army land although with public rights of way. Also, some is owned by Frimley Fuel Allotments. I believe some is designated SSSI hence the absence of MX’ers on that little track.

Ah cheers CG. Have often come across Gurkhas on exercise, the yellow caps on their guns are some comfort!

PSA folks – signs up again on the Stickler saying ‘closed for repairs’ from Tues until Sun, and plenty of dumper tricks whizzing past Lower Star Post to & fro so they’re obviously busy.