Viewing 40 posts - 1 through 40 (of 50 total)
  • What's on your doorstep? You too could be missing out!
  • davewilson
    Free Member

    Hi,

    Went for a walk with the kids today in the neighbouring area to where I live – Woosehill, Wokingham, Berkshire. ( UK )The estate has about 2500 houses built in the 80’s in what was basically a forest (god knows how they got planning to build there!)

    Anyways I thought I knew my local area quite well but today we decided to follow the cut out of the forest where the pylons go and way out there in the what seemed like the middle of nowhere but is in reality dead close to our house was a bike track with some reasonably professional ramps, jumps and landings dug out painstakingly by I presume my fellow locals.

    So if anyone is local check it out! I normally take the car / bikes on up to round the back of the look out in Swinley Forest, Bracknell yes the one that was on the news recently because of large bush fires! (they also filmed lots of the latest Harry Potter films there too.

    Next weekend I shall not bother with the car and go and check it out right here on my doorstep I can’t believe it!

    If you google woosehill on the map feature look for the cut out where the pylons go through the forest, you’ll see that south of woosehill the cut out changes course significantly its just in the woods next to there, you can almost just see it where the trees thin out above.

    Anyone know this place?

    Also let this be an inspiration for you to check out what’s on your doorstep! I mean we’ve lived here 6 years and I thought I knew it all!

    Cheers! 😀

    pastcaring
    Free Member

    there goes some ones secret spot. 😐

    davewilson
    Free Member

    Ha! Next I’ll be telling you the ending to Titanic, the boat sinks in the end! :mrgreen:

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    robsoctane
    Free Member

    @pastcaring: That’s exactly what I thought… You’ve just potentially outed someones perfectly built spot – shame on you! 😯

    hexhamstu
    Free Member

    Moron.

    toys19
    Free Member

    why is he a moron? what a load of bollocks, you build on public land then you have to expect the public to turn up. Do you guys think that whoever built there owns the land? Owns what they have built? Is there some kind of secret spot code?

    robsoctane
    Free Member

    @toys19: yeah, the secret spot code – it’s not that secret actually. It’s just a case of being mindful of others’ hard work.

    The builders don’t own it any more than the guy who found it. Neither does the queen or the council.

    blooddonor
    Free Member

    Cheers Dave………. 👿

    takisawa2
    Full Member

    My, what a amazing lives some of you must lead, with your secret trails.
    Do you drag a bush behind you to hide your tracks…

    santacoops
    Free Member

    Oh great, more mindless name calling! Its all about riding isn’t it? You can’t claim ownership on a “spot”, balls to a secret code! 🙄

    neilsonwheels
    Free Member

    Has everybody got their grumpy pants on this morning.?

    _tom_
    Free Member

    Digging jumps takes loads of effort and if somewhere like that becomes popular then there’s a higher chance of kids finding it and trashing it. Or at least constantly hanging out there and littering.

    davidtaylforth
    Free Member

    Digging jumps takes loads of effort and if somewhere becomes popular then there’s a higher chance of kids finding it and trashing it.

    Yeh, exactly.

    But I imagine most of the goons on here have never bothered spending hours on cold, dark winters evenings building trails.

    They’re just used to turning upto their local trail centre and riding, without having to put any effort in to create something themselves.

    Euro
    Free Member

    santacoops – Member
    … balls to a secret code!

    Let me guess…never built/help build a trail?

    AndrewBF
    Free Member

    Secret spots? WTF?

    It is there, you find it, use it, keep it tidy and maybe even add to it. Not everyone is out to trash everything. The local ‘yoof’ will already know about it, it is not exactly miles from the nearest conurbation, so will not be secret by any stretch of the imagination.

    I’m sure all of STW forum readers will now be descending on that very spot for a bit of fun. I’m on my way right now, it’s only 200 miles south of here. A great day out.

    yesiamtom
    Free Member

    wow this sounds like a really secret spot, near to some electricity pylons that have access kept open in case they need to be repaired.

    Perhaps if people used their bikes instead of cars they would find lots more “secret trails” or even good local trails. I live in the middle of portsmouth and can do a 12 mile loop with 9 of it being offroad and no repeats. edit: thats without leaving the island.

    db
    Full Member

    And secondly, you must be a pirate for the code to apply and you’re not. And thirdly, the code is more what you’d call “guidelines” than actual rules.

    😉

    davewilson
    Free Member

    So nice to wake up on a Monday morning to be called a Moron! Must have accidentally rattled your cage!

    Look if there’s a code then don’t keep it secret because secret codes are always going to be broken because of their very nature of being secret!

    Anyway this forum is all about sharing isn’t it? I did anticipate the odd naysayer but in general I think most appreciate the heads up.

    toys19
    Free Member

    I appreciated the waggy tailedness of your post, as in, I’m happy having fun, isn’t mtb great.

    davewilson
    Free Member

    Waggy Tailedness! ha love it! Yes it is my friend too true.

    Turns out that I’m by no means the first to write about this place, there’s even a bunch of videos on youtube about it. (there are newer far bigger jumps there now too)

    Google Fox Hill Wokingham and you’ll see what I mean.

    *Cue the next round of abuse headed my way! 🙄 *

    binners
    Full Member

    You’re lucky. I’ve got a whole multitude of trails on my doorstep. However, if I want to ride them I have to submit a written request, in triplicate, to the landowner. The evil Lord Lowe of Rivington.

    Sometimes he lets me though. Which is nice

    Euro
    Free Member

    True story.

    A small group of keen builders create a great little trail. Obviously illegal (they all are in N.I. 🙁 ) so both trail head and end are hidden from general view. Made by a few to be ridden by a few. By that I mean not heavily armoured but able to sustain a little traffic.

    Relative newbie stumbles upon trail and has a blast riding it. His enthusiasm gets the better of him and soon videos and directions to trail appear on the net. The result is every dog and his **** turn up and within a weekend the trail is completely blown out.

    A bit of discretion and respect for others hard work is all that’s required really.

    davidtaylforth
    Free Member

    Based on a made up story.

    Weekend warrior turns up at a set of hidden trails.

    Armoured up and on his new bike, he’es filled with confidence and feels invincible.

    Decides to give the biggest jumps a go since hes seen people on youtube make it look easy.

    Nose dives into the back side of the first landing, goes over the bars and brakes his arms and knocks himself out.

    Man goes to hospital and lives.

    Land owner hears about this, gets worried about people suing him so takes the trails down. Trails die.

    terrahawk
    Free Member

    secret trails my arse. Are you lot still at school?

    There are loads of ‘secret trails’ near me, but they’re not secret really. Not any more anyway. Not since I organised Hit the North 😉

    davidtaylforth
    Free Member

    There are loads of ‘secret trails’ near me, but they’re not secret really. Not any more anyway. Not since I organised Hit the North

    😆

    deanfbm
    Free Member

    Yep, it’s just about respecting other peoples hard work. The lack of respect one human has for another, in life, is ridiculous.

    davewilson
    Free Member

    Like the film The Beach eh!

    If you choose to go here, respect it, that goes without saying surely! I mean I don’t want it trashed. Are there a bunch of bike toteing hoodlums browsing forums looking to go trash places? I doubt that very much. As AndrewBF said the local youths will know about it already.

    As far as discretion, I admit that’s never been my forte. 😳

    If you have a secret – don’t tell me!

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    Respecting peoples hard work? how about respecting the land. riding is fine, building jumps? Not without the landowners permission

    yunki
    Free Member

    true story..

    actual real life local fanatical trailbuilding crews post a gazillion photo’s and vid’s on facebook and youtube and moredirt and pinkbike every day of the week and flippin well love it..

    someone mentions a spot on a stuffy uptight middle aged forum and people get constipated..

    davewilson
    Free Member

    nice one Yunki – Twisted Knickers, there’s a name for a band 😆 oh you edited that, Can’t think of a witty reply to constipation!

    biggaz
    Free Member

    have i signed up to the teenage mtb forum here?

    deanfbm
    Free Member

    ^That’s the trail building crews choice whether they document and give out location details.

    As for respecting the land, does every MTBer appreciate the fact that every time they ride, they’re doing damage to any trails they ride? Leaving litter, eroding, avoiding puddle/mud/rocks, making tracks wider. Tyres shift leaf litter, kill roots and plants, the list goes on and on. By that mindset, no-one should MTB, we should all stick to the roads.

    Who says where the line is drawn between recreational use of the land and using the land in an inappropriate manner?

    Then the negative people will say the land owner, which is correct. So for every trail everyone uses, is there permission to use those trails in the manner the trails get used in reality? I doubt there is the permission.

    Also, without doing things like this, people building things to ride, the sport would be stuck in the early 90s in terms of riding levels.

    Anyone who disagrees with things like this, have never built anything in their lives and don’t know what it all means.

    These debates are always like hitting your head against a brick wall. The people that disagree with it, will not and don’t want to budge for some reason i really cannot fathom.

    robsoctane
    Free Member

    Doubtless, those who don’t care about secret trails don’t build.

    I once got the kind help from my 7 year old son in the woods to build berm after berm, jump after jump… it took a few months of constant work & he was well pleased.
    The little lad burst into tears when one day the whole place was trashed. I don’t know who did it & I doubt it was cyclists but the increase in human traffic because we built in the first place made it so.

    If only I could have kept them more secret! 👿

    soobalias
    Free Member

    free parking on dorset way by the look of it

    im down the coop for a multi pak of Monster, see you out there this arvo

    toys19
    Free Member

    davidtaylforth – Member
    Based on a made up story.

    Local teen turns up at a set of hidden trails, he built.

    Armoured up and on his new bike, he’es filled with confidence and feels invincible.

    Decides to give the biggest jumps a go since he’s done it millions of times before.

    He gets distracted thinking about the boring farts on STW, Nose dives into the back side of the first landing, goes over the bars and brakes his arms and knocks himself out.

    Teen goes to hospital and lives.

    Land owner hears about this, gets worried about people suing him so takes the trails down. Trails die.

    You could make up any number of scenarios that illustrate your opinion, but it doesn’t prove anything.

    Coyote
    Free Member

    Leaving litter

    Er… no. I’ve never left litter. I would suspect the vast majority on here would not litter. What sort of litter do you leave? Busted tubes? Plastic bottles?

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    deanfbm

    How can you justify building jumps and ramps on land you do not ownand without the landowners permission?

    I certainly have permission to use the trails I do – its called the land reform act!

    In England you have the right to ride on many paths.

    TandemJeremy
    Free Member

    Who says where the line is drawn between recreational use of the land and using the land in an inappropriate manner?

    Take nothing but photographs, leave nothing but footprints ( tyre tracks) is a reasonable maxim

    TheSouthernYeti
    Free Member

    Sweet. There’s nothing I like more than finding out about someones local well kept spot and going there to case all the jumps and skid through the corners.

    davidtaylforth
    Free Member

    How can you justify building jumps and ramps on land you do not ownand without the landowners permission?

    What if you do have the landowners permission?

    The trails I used to build at, we had permission. Thankfully we kept them quiet and only invited people who we knew.

    Occassionally people who we didnt know would find them and ride them, most were good riders. Some were not, I had to tell a mtber to stop doing phat skids with his knobbly tires, as he was damaging the features!

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