What's on your doorstep? You too could be missing out!

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What's on your doorstep? You too could be missing out!

50 posts & 28 voices | Started 10 months ago by davewilson | Latest reply from buildingthewoods

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davewilson - 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!

Posted 10 months ago #
pastcaring - Member

there goes some ones secret spot.

Posted 10 months ago #
davewilson - Member

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

Posted 10 months ago #
robsoctane - Member

@pastcaring: That's exactly what I thought... You've just potentially outed someones perfectly built spot - shame on you!

Posted 10 months ago #
hexhamstu - Member

Moron.

Posted 10 months ago #
toys19 - 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?

Posted 10 months ago #
robsoctane - 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.

Posted 10 months ago #
blooddonor - Member

Cheers Dave..........

Posted 10 months ago #
takisawa2 - 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...

Posted 10 months ago #
santacoops - 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!

Posted 10 months ago #
neilsonwheels - Member

Has everybody got their grumpy pants on this morning.?

Posted 10 months ago #
_tom_ - 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.

Posted 10 months ago #
davidtaylforth - 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.

Posted 10 months ago #
Euro - Member

santacoops - Member
... balls to a secret code!

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

Posted 10 months ago #
AndrewBF - 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.

Posted 10 months ago #
yesiamtom - 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.

Posted 10 months ago #
db - 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.

Posted 10 months ago #
davewilson - 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.

Posted 10 months ago #
toys19 - Member

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

Posted 10 months ago #
davewilson - 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! *

Posted 10 months ago #
binners - 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

Posted 10 months ago #
Euro - 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.

Posted 10 months ago #
davidtaylforth - 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.

Posted 10 months ago #
terrahawk - 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

Posted 10 months ago #
davidtaylforth - 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

Posted 10 months ago #
deanfbm - Member

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

Posted 10 months ago #
davewilson - 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!

Posted 10 months ago #
TandemJeremy - Member

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

Posted 10 months ago #
yunki - 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..

Posted 10 months ago #
davewilson - 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!

Posted 10 months ago #
biggaz - Member

have i signed up to the teenage mtb forum here?

Posted 10 months ago #
deanfbm - 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.

Posted 10 months ago #
robsoctane - 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!

Posted 10 months ago #
soobalias - 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

Posted 10 months ago #
toys19 - 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.

Posted 10 months ago #