Next month I shall be moving away from Bristol (sniff) to Ely in Cambridgeshire.
I don’t expect the riding will be a patch on what we have in a 90 minute radius from here and I know the road bike will be getting more use than the MTB.
What can I expect at Thetford? how much stuff is there away from the waymarked trails? Is there anywhere else worth going within a 30-60 minute drive?

Answers:

Generally very flat with the odd short, sharp climb on the Brandon side down by FR6; lots of trees; lots of nice, twisty singletrack – those currently on-trend with super wide bars need not apply, unless you like being catapulted form your bike by bar-strike on tree.

Away from the waymarked trails, there’s loads of good singletrack, whilst not technical in the rocky kind of way, speed and wet roots make things interesting. Three options – hook up with some of the locals, eg. my old pals at TIMBER (hello Graham, John, etc 😀 ), or just go and explore yourself, or sign up for some of the Thetford MTB Racing Winter Series races, which use mostly off-piste. The best areas for the local stuff are either Santon Downham or Brandon forestry blocks, whilst the waymarked stuff is accessed largely from High Lodge, although there is quite a bit of off-piste stuff accessible from the waymarked routes as well.

Spent 2 happy years hooning around the forest when I was based down that way, not the same as what I’d previously been used to as somebody who grew up in the Peak, but an interesting diversion nonetheless. Oh and make sure to do lots of core strengthening exercises, in particular for your lower back, and/or invest in a 29er or short travel FS if you want to avoid the infamous Thetford Back…

Edit: dave beat me to it, but just to corroborate…

What can I expect at Thetford?

Lots and lots of flowy singletrack, mostly old motorbike enduro trails. Not much in the way of hills, so you’ll spend a lot of time pedalling – if you want to ride fast, you won’t get much help from gravity. Quite a lot of bombholes to play about in if you like that sort of thing. Hardly any rocks.

how much stuff is there away from the waymarked trails?

Loads! You’ll find some if you just follow your nose, but local knowledge is king – Timber (local trail pixies) have regular social rides and Thetford MTB racing (race organisers) have a forum on their site to hook up with rides too.

Is there anywhere else worth going within a 30-60 minute drive?

There’s the odd wood here and there with a bit of singletrack, but not really anything worth travelling for in that distance. A bit further afield is Tunstall forest near Ipswich (see TROG for info), and there’s also the Mud Sweat and Gears race series which uses various localish venues including Thetford.

PS there’s also Tunstall and Rendlesham Forest, close to Ipswich (TROG), or you could make it over to Chicksands in an hour from Ely.

Great minds think alike…! 😉

Loads of off-piste trails in Thetford (which are the bets bits).

Bit out of date now:

Thetford trails by brf, on Flickr

Another new addition to Norfolk here, so interested in any info. I’ve just joined Timber, but off the bike for another 2-3 weeks due to hand surgery.

I’d be interested in meeting up folks for a ride after that and learning the off piste trails at Thetford.

How is it holding up with the rain?

Where is best place to park to go exploring and avoid the extortionate FC parking charges?

scud – Member
…Where is best place to park to go exploring and avoid the extortionate FC parking charges?….

Alot of people park at Brandon Park

EDIT: Used to ride every weekend in Thetford, ended up buying an annual pas for about £40-50 at the time seemed alot but the amount I went made it worth it, especially if I went there for non-biking stuff with the family.

Where is best place to park to go exploring and avoid the extortionate FC parking charges?

Fire road 10 is another good option, on the B1106, can get straight onto waymarked and off piste trails from there.

The Elveden Arms on Elveden crossroads is a decent pub for a post ride pint too!

Thanks Mr Ben, will take a look at that and map above.

Sorry for hijacking your thread a bit OP!

Are Bacton Woods worth exploring and is that a case of just riding and sniffing out the trails or are they easy to find?

scud – Member
…..How is it holding up with the rain?

😆 😆 😆

In fairness the mud does hold up quite well against the elements.

It dries very quickly, being sandy. When it’s raining it will eat your drivetrain up in no time. A SS is really well suited to the trails there.

It actually drains pretty well, apart from a few permanent quagmire sections on the marked routes.

Re. parking, IIRC you can get a free parking pass if you do a certain number of hours trailbuilding with Timber. Otherwise, BCP is a bit cheaper and also has a café.

Harvesting has taken its toll on a lot of the off piste stuff. Haven’t been over for a while though.

Hi Dave, how’s it going?

Just park at the top of one of the Fire roads on the Brandon road, the car parks are extortionate esp the High Lodge one.

Within a 60in drive south you can get to Danbury (local knowledge needed) and at a push Epping Forest.

OK, sounds better than I was hoping. Have a couple of 29ers including a SS rigid which sounds ideal although I do like my wide bars which have got wider since half the Bristol trails were armoured. The sandy soil also sounds better than the clay here.
Hoping to get away to the Peak District and Wales every month or so.

Cheers

Bought a parking pass for BCP; £20 for an annual pass a while back. I think it has gone up but if you intend on going regularly it would still be worth it.

The trails on the Brandon side hold up quite well, although the first winter series race has battered some of them

Ignore that scud – I know your sort 😉

Scud – Bacton Woods has lots of hidden singletrack too and although a lot smaller than Thetford lots of fun to be had. Not so easy to find the off piste routes, so best to hook up with locals. Mail me if you’re in the area

60 min drive will get you down to my neck of the woods Colchester have a good few woods here that link up to make up the firday woods miltary training grounds open to the public so long as the red flags aren’t flying not bad riding a few hills nothing big the big plus is that because it’s MOD land if you spot a trail you can ride it 😉 if you want a guide e mail me.

[quoteWithin a 60in drive south you can get to Danbury (local knowledge needed) and at a push Epping Forest[/quote] Epping within 60 mins of Thetford! By helicopter maybe! 😉

footflaps – Member

Just park at the top of one of the Fire roads on the Brandon road, the car parks are extortionate esp the High Lodge one.

£10 for the whole day extortionate?
No friends, Northern or both? 😛

Avoid the sausage rolls. You’d be a fool not to heed these words.

Hi C.D. (Waves)

Expect a large area for mountain biking on a flat area.

It’s better than nothing and you will miss riding in Bristol – I did and can’t wait to get back!

Ely is tiny but has Waitrose and Sainsburys.

Expect flooding on the local roads and lorries…

Expect the car drivers to be worse but there are loads of back roads for road riding.

Wind will make up for the hills!