Hi All

Considering traveling up from the South coast tomorrow to ride at Swinley but wonder what the conditions are like there at the moment. I know it was DEEP snow (by southern standards) earlier this week but whats it like at the moment.

Cheers

BigSi

Snow + warmer weather = thaw

Thaw + Swinley = swamp!

its a bit south of here, but there is plenty of lying snow still here

I predict it will be messy, some compacted snow/ice, a lot of slush and some swamp

it might be quick draining but i think it will be hell for another week yet.

Si, I am literally just in from a walk with bike around Swinley. Only single track I rode was the one between Upper and Lower Star Posts.

Total waste of time, slush is very deep in places and where it has completely melted, the puddles are getting rather deep.

Took some pics so will post up a bit later.

Just gulping hot coffee now!

Car park was shut yesterday apparently.

Ok cheers CG. Look forward to seeing the pic's 😉

Lower Star Post:

I have a new girl and it was only polite to introduce her to Swinley Forest and the snow. She was not impressed 😥

On a serious note, I do worry about how long the Forest trails will take to recover from this Winter.

I really would not recommend going there this weekend, particularly as we are due a downpour tomorrow.

Cheers for the pics CG, doesn't look too deep but if its melting its going to be bloody hard work.

Like the new bike btw 😛

Si – it IS deep in places and very hard work. I rode over there on Sunday for 4 hours but you could actually ride most of it. Today was just miserable!

The trails didn't really recover from last year either. BOB are going to need lots of pairs of hands but unfortunately they won't accept non-club volunteers to help out.

atlaz – yes, you're right. It will be interesting to see what state the armoured ones are in at the end of Winter. It does seem unfair that Forest users can't help, after all a club is not appropriate for everyone.

CG that does look 😥 lovely bike though, I am going ride Dalbeattie on Sunday will take some condition pictures.

Yep, nice new bike.

Apparently the BOB thing is down to insurance. They could do with something sorted out because I'd be happy to pitch in for the mess I make of the trails for the rest of the year.

thats exactly how woburn is. looks no worries but slidy as ****! i found it fun but the others didnt

Enter cynical mode – 'insurance' is always a convenient get-out clause.

Bike consists of new frame and forks only – the rest is from the Juliana that got split. So it's not really a "new" bike, is it? 😉

Woo hoo, that's a bling almost-completely-new-bike you've got there, C-G, but the snowman could use some work… 😉

Thanks for the update on the conditions – I might have to give taking some newbies over there a miss this weekend then 🙁

bananaworld – definitely wouldn't advise travelling from London for a slush-fest!

Keep in touch for the recce ride though please 😀

Jedi – I had a great afternoon, not ideal conditions but was fun!!

Well we went and rode Swinley on Saturday and i have to say that yes it was slushy and muddy and there were some VERY big puddles but my god it was fun 😛

si – glad you had a good time then and were not put off by my pessimistic remarks!

In fact, I have just come back from a little pootle over there and am feeling very angry. Every piece of singletrack I used had MXer tyre tracks on it and that obviously will not help at all. Even whilst I was there, I saw 2 MXers.

Must be so frustrating for the people who maintain the trails.

You sure it wasn't tracks from my 29er 😆

I noticed that the start of the Berm Trail was quite cut up and wondered if more than MTB's had been along there. Machine gun nests at the start of each trail is the answer 😯

Well on Sunday it was pretty busy but the sun was shining! What is the Berm Trail? Deer Stalker?

I'm thinking of riding at Swinley at the weekend. Is it as much of a quagmire as I'm imagining?

I'm quite a regular there so know the trails that suffer the most in the mud, I'm hoping that if we avoid them it'll be OK.

DrBike – I have been there once or twice this week, including today, and certainly some tracks are not holding up well.

For example, The Stickler is holding water in the obvious places and alternative lines have been created. This will not help the trail.

Tank Trap is closed off but it looks as though it's seeing some use. Obviously holding water there.

Deer Stalker and Labyrinth will be worse for wear too.

To be perfectly honest, I really wish people would give Swinley Forest a miss at the moment. The trails need time to recover and it is over-ridden.

Apologies for sounding negative but I am actually avoiding all the singletrack now.

I was thinking to head out towards the Crowthorne side and then come back in via Seagull Run.

I've stopped riding Babymaker since it's so cut up at the top and Deerstalker and the top of Labyrinth (going in from the Club House) are showing a little too much wear and tear. Interesting that Tank Traps is closed off too … What about the Rollercoaster/Toboggan Run and the back way up to the Club House?

Hmmmmmm, what to do … I've only got a few weekends of "freedom" left before #2 child gets born and I need to get as much riding in as possible before the door swings shut on my riding opportunities.

go to Tunnel Hill and seek stuff out there instead.

Some of the Crowthorne side is not too bad, didn't check out Corkscrew though.

Seagull Run is getting very rooty entering it from Crowthorne side, as it were. Better in opposite direction I reckon.

Rode the Toboggan Run today and it was a little disappointing 😳 Was looking for some serious speed (for me anyway) but there were a few puddles so made it slow-going. At the bottom where you have a left-hand turn, it is still iced over but there is an alternative to the right.

Managed a little "trail tidying" too 8)

To be honest, I often prefer riding the gravel track that goes around the perimeter of the RMA side. You can ride this in both directions, there are two ridges that can be utilised. It's a good workout on a singlespeed!

Best wishes for the new arrival 🙂

CG – Merci beaucoup

theotherjonv – I must explore Tunnel Hill one of these days, but I know my way round Swinley so don't have to think about it too much.

go to Tunnel Hill and seek stuff out there instead.

Shush!

There's noting to see at Tunnel Hill. Nothing at all. Move along now….

CG – a little late but only just "found" this thread. Lovely bike! They're fab.

mmmmmmmmmmm i have awesome memories of tunnel hill 🙂

To be perfectly honest, I really wish people would give Swinley Forest a miss at the moment. The trails need time to recover and it is over-ridden.

Elaine, they never will, sadly. That's the problem with Swinley, it's just getting trashed. When I started riding it 4-5 years ago there were some lovely trails wih some lovely features. Now it's been hammered to death through some wet winters (and summers) all the features are eroded to death, the trials get a foot wider every time I return, people cut corners and straighten them out (Why?) and it's been churned up so much a lot of the trials are just muddy, claggy motorways. And on top of that some of the new tralis are rubbish (No flow, poor construction, poor drainage) and the material they use to surface them simply isn't up to the job. You just end up riding on shiny cobblestones after the fines have been washed out. Tank Traps was one of my favourite trails there and it now ruined, shot to bits. When I first rode it, nobody knew it was there, it was almost overgrown in places!

TBH a lot of the trails simply need ploughing up….

Jedi, are you responsible for any of that huge old 'shore up on TH at all? 🙂
It's mostly all knackered now….

CG – The berm trail is what i call the new trail with the shore bridge on it. The exit is almost opposite to the start of the long armoured trail that leads to tank traps.

We started off with the corkscrew and that was fine, no real standing water to contend with, it seems the whole of that side of Swinley had drained very well indeed. 😀

thanks for the update

I tend to agree with you Peter on preferring some of the old trails before they were armoured; however as you say the usage is so high now that it's the only way to protect them.

As for the material used, that's a no choice option, it's actually dug out of the quarry in Swinley and as such is the same as the underlying material before it was covered over with 100s of years of leaf mulch and loam. In another few years it will be different again, you just have to tolerate it for now. Or ride somewhere else.

Not at TH though, obviously ;-), cos there's nothing there!

built by 2 different partys. jcl,zac and co built the best stuff. the fairground was built by another lot and was easier/lower

Si – it's known as The Stickler! Yes, I think the Corkscrew area is holding up not too badly.

Pete – I agree with what you are saying but I do believe Swinley has become more popular than anyone could have imagined. Nobody has a reliable crystal ball!

Certainly Tank Traps has changed and not for the better but work did have to be done on various trails. The BOB Club have done a sterling job and it's a shame that non-members are not allowed to get involved.

I never cease to be amazed at the distance people will travel from to ride at Swinley Forest!