Have they drained since the torrential rain last week and the week before?

Dunno but I may possibly be able to sneak in a Swinley ride tomorrow. Will report back on here if I do.

Actually wasn't there a couple of guys from here that went out yesterday?

Swinley still a mess according to the other half, who rode there tonight.

I rode the N Downs during the daytime today, and was surprised how well a lot of stuff had dried out, although there were still muddy patches. I didn't do any of the Surrey Hills honeypot areas though, stuck to Fetcham/Reigate/Headley to the north of the escarpment.

Not been to Swinley since just after the snow melted. It was cutting up bad and it seemed a bad idea. Course the popular spots on the downs weren't much better after a couple of weeks of rain.

The Crowthorne Woods side of Swinley tends to drain better than the rest – no more rain forecast ahead of Sunday's Gorrick race so should be running well by then.

Great. 500 racers trashing the trails.

Only 5 miles of them on the Crowthorne side, it's not exactly the whole area!

I imagine it'll be a bike-eating mess! I'm planning to try the Surrey Hills tomorrow, see what that's like!

Going was firm in the woods this morning (Abinger Common/Holmbury) but there was a good frost holding it together. On the whole though a week of dry has made a big difference – I'll be avoiding some of the more narrow woodsy ones (like the T trails for example) but Barry's and Park Life will not be too bad. Mix in some fire-road to get from A to B and enjoy the views – glorious weather to be "at large" in the sticks.

Can't speak for the clay and chalk of the Downs – I stay south of the A25 during the winter!

I rode Surrey on Tuesday and Wednesday. There were some sloppy bits but most of it was pretty good by Wednesday so should be even better for this weekend! I may try and get down there on Sunday!

Just back in from a couple of hours in Swinley – the Crowthorne side is drying quite well and even some of the boggier tracks (like the one past Pip's bench) are getting firmer. Over on the flat bits towards the Potter compound it gets a bit sloppy, but then the Labyrinth area is doing fine too – well, the big puddles are getting smaller anyway!

gonna be toppers in and around the surrey hills this W/E due to the Evans trail ride thingy starting from Cranleigh???

Quickly nipped up to Newlands Corner yesterday from Guildford after work. Was expecting a mud-fest but, other than a few claggy bits in the usual places, I was suprised at how dry it was. However, parts of the old drove road were pretty impassable due to fallen trees and vegetation brought down by the weight of the snow.

Just back from a little pootle around Swinley and what can I say? It's dreadful. The Stickler, normally such a nice little trail, is a mess with big puddles on the berms. The new lines that have been made are also a mess.

I then headed towards The Corkscrew area. The Corkscrew itself is running well but some of the surrounding trails have become a puddle-fest.

Even '5 miles' will do plenty of damage by 500 riders riding laps. The rainfall has been exceptional and the ground needs a chance to recover. I still stand by my original comment:

Great. 500 racers trashing the trails.

I went to Swinley on Wednesday and the Surrey hills today.

Swinley is not worth going to right now in my opinion. Shockingly wet and you're just causing damage riding it (slowly as it's gloop). There is a pond where the landing for a tabletop should be on the left hand trail near the labyrinth. There are large areas cordoned off for filming and even many of the fireroads are flooded.

Surrey hills was great, fast, nice and mostly dry and the weather today was glorious it was almost like summer up top..Lovely riding.

I'm not disagreeing with you CG, but at least that'll make Gorrick/BOB a load of money to re-invest in trail maintenance in the area, they're among the most pro-active! The racing is beneficial to Swinley IMO.

but at least that'll make Gorrick/BOB a load of money to re-invest in trail maintenance in the area, they're among the most pro-active

To try and repair some of the damage caused by this Sunday's race?

I am not anti-racing (used to occasionally race years ago in my running days) but feel that too many riders are racing. It effectively means that it's out of bounds to mere locals like myself who religiously purchase a permit every year to ride in the Forest.

The racing is beneficial to Swinley IMO.

How? In what way?

A very small area is out of bounds for one day.

Now untwist your Knickers.

From what I'd read on these forums, most race organisers don't make a load of money. I think Swinley in general is over-ridden at times, particularly when it's sodden and given the volume of traffic, I don't know how BOB would keep up with it. The armoured trails are, in places, the worst offenders.