Just rode the stickler first time since the rework to it.

It was good fun 🙂 but my question is that it’s got a lot of surface on it. Did that come from the forest or was it brought in?

dug out of a quarry about half a mile from the stickler. It’s a condition of being able to do the work that they use local material so it doesn’t change the soil.

If you dig down through the 1000’s of years of mulch, that’s what you’d find.

ok cool cheers, so from crown estate land then.

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?rlz=1T4AURU_enUS498US498&q=crowthorne&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=X&ei=-OJ3ULf8HsbprQeSiIGoBA&ved=0CAsQ_AUoBQ

if it works this is centred on the quarry.

Scroll out and to the NE is Lower Star post, and from there Seagull is off the road that’s at about half ten on a clock face, Stickler’s in the block between half one and half two.

Find that surface quite harsh and tiring. Doesn’t really seem to be bedding in that quickly either.

Love that trail though although it does need a bit more variety

It didn’t 🙂

The first time I rode the extension I thought it was dull dull dull.

Following my shoulder op, I used it to work on my cornering. Result. 8)

edit – doesn’t work. Find LSP on a map and the quarry’s no more than 100yds to the WSW of it.

Surface is a necessary evil really. the areas not a trail centre but it practically is, and the amount of traffic the main trails see means they had to be reinforced. Personally i don’t like it either – Seagull used to be much more fun with roots on all the corners, Corkscrew was a challenge, and so on, but I accept that without they’d all end up like the main route from the Lookout to Pip’s seat, 20 feet wide and boggy as hell. Was great when the trails were less used and more secret, but then there’s criticism about local trails for local riders, etc.

[*]

LSP

????

Edit: lower star point

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=51.367869,-0.746083&hl=en&num=1&t=h&z=15 here then 😉

Yep

Ooo, spotted this just East of Swinley

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=51.367869,-0.746083&hl=en&ll=51.369584,-0.689768

🙂

Edit: Switch to “Satellite” mode.

Can’t see anything, will put my specs on!

I think Swinley is a victim of its own success really, at the end of the day when you have that many riders using it, the trails have to be armoured in some way and drainage placed in.

Having just moved away i do miss the place though, some great riding in a compact area where even with large numbers of users you can still find some quiet trails to yourself.

like any ‘known’ cycling spot, i avoid weekends and school holidays as far as possible. We had a great day (friday) at swinley last month, rode the stickler and extension – thought it was pretty good.

allthepies – Member
Ooo, spotted this just East of Swinley

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=51.367869,-0.746083&hl=en&ll=51.369584,-0.689768

Edit: Switch to “Satellite” mode.
Yep, and if you look carefully in places you can see bits of the scenery/scafolding they had at the time for the Harry Potter filming 😉 (e.g. http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=51.367869,-0.746083&hl=en&ll=51.368406,-0.721458&spn=0.001025,0.00235&t=h&z=19 )

As for the sourcing of materials on from the estate – that’s why *the* Swinley “rock garden” is all of a couple of rocks 😀

Frankly Stickler is not a favourite of mine though. It’s longer now yes and it does now encourage people to do it in the logicaly correct direction (still loads don’t though), but it’s pedally as hell. Just can’t get any decent speed or momentum on it to enjoy the switchback berms. The ‘surface’ is rough too and yet it’s basically a flat non-rocky or rooty trail so really shouldn’t be.