I’ve ridden a couple of times, quite rooty and cambered. Starts from broadly the same place as Telegraph Road, must cross it at some point, and ends up near the Felday Glade hall place.

Remind me where it starts? I recall if I stood looking down the fireroad which Telegraph Rd branches left from, it’s the next fireroad left up to the top of the slope and then it starts off right from there?

What’s it called?

Are you talking about the trail that crosses the beginning (100m in) of TR from left to right, and ends forking left to rejoin TR or right to the hall?

If you come from Surfer Rosa where you cross Telegraph just carry straight down and take the LH turn, IMO it’s better if you then take the left fork and climb back up to the fireroad, where you can then join back onto Telegraph.

spacemonkey – must be. Although didn’t know about the left fork to rejoin TR

Hmm, does that mean the (oddly cambered and slightly rooty) trail that crosses and then runs parallel with TR is Surfer Rosa?

IIRC you do have the option of continuing back to TR.

Or are you talking about the trail that splits to the right about 3/4 of the way down TR?

You’re just as well turning right onto it from TR but if you must start at the top then at 5 ways with the bench behind you ride up the FR you’re looking at and turn right opposite the post.

Where on TR does it cross – any landmarks? Bear in mind will be dark by the time I get there tomorrow?

And what’s it called? It’s not surfer rosa (in my book at least), I think that is the ‘other line’ of Parklife – sort of. I did this trail first on a HFTH demo day led by the guys at All Biked Up.

Other than a trail each side no real landmarks, easier to go down the hill from the end of the Yog Pots turn first left ride up to the post and its on your right.

No idea what its called, we call it the rooty off camber one to the car park that’s treacherous when its wet.

I’ve heard various names given to it, e.g. Secret Squirell, but the one I’ve heard most readily is ‘Keep the Faith’, which was given by a chap on here called Brooes and seemed to become quite popular. The builder of said trai, a certain trail guru in these parts who ought to get more credit than he does, may well call it Surfa Rosa, but I could be wrong. I’ve spoken to him about it before and he’s given it a name.
In terms of land marks, when you turn onto TR from the main double track you end up going slightly up hill. Keep the Faith starts at about the point the trail levels off but before it starts going downhill.

I always thought that Surfer Rosa started from what was the end of Petits Filous/ Doc at the Radar which is the lefthand option about 10m after entering the Yoghurt Pots. This spits you out onto the firetrack and if you turn left for about 10m you will see a trail on the right which is the start of Surfer Rosa. This meanders crossing several fire roads and ultimately connects with TR. I’d tend to agree with geetee1972 that the section beyond Surfer Rosa after crossing TR has become to be known as Keep the Faith which you certainly need to when wet.

I remember it being a bit rooty and cambered and dabbing a bit, but didn’t think it was ‘dangerous’ (you know what i mean)

Are you suggesting that later, after it’s rained, and in the dark, it might not be a good option for the relatively novice rider I’m going out with?

If so; we’ll go down TR but still want to come out at Felday Glade. Normally I’d go down to near the end and then right to come out at the CP near Felbury Hse (‘Mutiny’ in my book). So which right turn would that be, again bearing in mind it’ll be dark.

Aside – if I could make my GPS work I’d program it – anyone got a cable for connecting a Garmin Etrex to a USB ported computer. Had one lent to me but had to give it back!

If it’s the one I think, in the wet I wouldn’t be taking a novice over it. There’s nothing terribly tough in the dry but when it’s wet it could be “fun”. Assuming you find falling off bikes fun.

I rode with a group who call it Blair Witch, but not heard anything else.

The other trail that shares the top of Parklife/Yoghurt Pots is Doc at the Radar Station/VPL, from the bottom of that if you turn right, then left at the fireroad crossroads (or if you come up from Parklife cross the fireroad) there’s a small entrance on the right, that’s Surfer Rosa, it’s a pretty flat twisty trail, a couple of narrow trees, but it sets you up perfectly to cross TR and join the off camber one.

Otherwise Joolsburger’s directions are spot on, do the first bit of TR from the 5-ways bench, then turn right, it’s right at the top, the trail coming in from the left may be more obvious to show you where to turn.

I’d avoid it in the wet and dark with novices, they’re likely to have much more fun on Telegraph!

we call it Shake & Vac as it comes out in the Glade

NB – comparative novice, but point taken and TR it is. If we do that which track crossing is best to take off TR in order to end up at Felday? Not the first diagonally crossing fireroad, then there’s a second (in dip I think which if I’m right puts you onto the track that runs above the hall, correct? Would know it in the day but at night……

The speed of that trail makes it not dangerous for a novice, but the difficulty might mean they don’t enjoy it. I’d suggest doing Telegraphs for the first two sections and turning right on the second fire road (before the section of TR with the dip). Turn right on to that FR, then right again at the T junction and immediately look for a singletrack in the “hedge” on the left – this is actually where oyou would emerge if you did Secret Squirrel and forked uphill (if you see what I mean).

A bit unimaginatively we call this Easy Secret Squirrel, and it is a very good way to get novice and intermediate riders back to the Glade in a fun way. There is a tricky hairpin left to negotiate near the end, plus enough twists and squeezes to satisfy, without the off-camber rootiness of SS proper, which takes more commitment than is typical from a beginner rider.

It’s OK in the wet really it’s OK in the dark too but in the dark and wet maybe a newbie would come off but having said that it’s not like the fall would be bad.

However.

On a day like today I’d say parking at Car Park 9 and then having a final blast down TR to the very bottom turning right and then taking the left hand fork to get back to the CP would be a better way to end a ride.

The way we look at it, it is better to judge the route slightly easier than they might be able to cope with, and then extra speed can be added to taste. Some challenges included, obviously, but if the technicality gets frustrating for some of the group you lose the enjoyment of unbroken flow – it’s that enjoyment which gives novice riders the enthusiasm to carry on and get better. Plus, to be honest, even to an experienced rider Telegraph Road and joining into the easy singletrack back to the Glade is a pretty good run.

I took the wife down it in the wet (but not at night).

That was the last time she ever came out with me 😕

Thanks GlenP, and indeed everyone. Secret Squirrel is what i remember now – ‘cos it was you that showed it to me.

Unfortunately, like all trails that have a degree of trickiness, it is starting to get a mass of “desire lines” now where people are taking easier options. Ironically these make it trickier still, because the trail becomes hard to read and indecision creeps in.

We often use it for teaching – because it rewards some key facets: commitment, appropriate speed control and looking way ahead.

I take it that you don’t count hit and hope, bouncing off trees, and being on first name terms with the A&E receptionist as key facets then? 😕

That was fun and worked very well. 2nd best section* of the whole night was the consensus from my 2 co-riders. Only problem I had was at the point where it hairpins back down to the glade, someone has built a shelter out of branches right on the line, and when my attention was drawn to that, I missed the turn that took us down and instead carried on back uphill on what I assume is the end of Secret Squirrel.

* Best bit was section 2 of Summer Lightning. Loved it.

Quite a few groups out tonight too. Clear skies almost to the end when it started to rain heavily, full moon, but no werewolves to report even on Werewolvens Lane