This is quite a general question – I’m just curious to know your approaches to exploring new trails.

Yesterday I decided to explore the Surrey Hills on my own (I normally go with a group) with the help of ViewRanger and a .gpx file I downloaded from MBR magazine. However, I quickly got fed up of stopping every 50m to check whether I was on the right track (there are so many intertwining footpaths and bridleways to throw you off course round there). What’s more, I ran out of battery on my phone mid-way through the ride. Surprisingly, it was actually quite fun just getting lost, although getting back to the train station proved a bit of a challenge.

I look at the route before hand ,usually on an old school paper map.
Bit of paper on stem with key villages/towns etc. Then I use view ranger for whenI get lost. Ha.
Done this for years,it took me five years to get a really good Surrey ride ~50mile,memorised.
Same for Epping & Chilterns….although BR off of here helped with the latter big time.

Get a general idea of where to go, then get lost and hope I find some fun while I’m at it.

General idea of the area, and a paper map in the back pocket…..

Friends

On those days I just make sure I have enough time and enough water/money in case of fatigue.

Garmin Edge Touring……….knowledge of local towns position on maps, pick a well worn single track tyre marked track or legal track from mapping…….ride as far as I can and make it all into a big loop. Normally works fine and don’t tend to get lost even when away from the Midlands.

Your method sounds good to me but bring a little eternal phone charger thingy….or an Apple watch with the Viewranger app works really well and saves your phone battery massively.

Keep eyes open and just explore.

I love finding new trails by trial and error

Look at a map, plan a route, sketch out some route cards and head off. Something takes your fancy, go look.

Study the OS Explorer map by looking at the contours, see if there’s any historical interest by researching using a book or the web, study any woods for RoW’s. Good to have a rough idea beforehand but often it’s the most unassuming areas that throw up surprises.

LBS rides, local clubs & I’m about to seek out more via the Strava heatmap (i’m not a Strava user) and compare their trace with a paper OS map.

Or hook up via STW with local riders.

Ive got a garmin and pick rides of mates from strava and keep an eye out for interesting places and take a photo on phone with gps tag for later following up 🙂

The garmin direction stuff is great …gives you direction and count downs till turn.

I carry a map if it’s anywhere more remote but tbh wouldn’t rely on a phone.

I start looking at guidebook maps and os maps then ride that ride. Along the way I may see another bit, remember it, then when I’m home look it up on a map. Next time try it out.

Over time this has allowed me to build up a range of routes all over the dales and lakes that I like (and my mates do too!).

I start looking at guidebook maps and os maps then ride that ride. Along the way I may see another bit, remember it, then when I’m home look it up on a map. Next time try it out.

This, although I’ve had some wasted days out using guidebooks. I’m sure some rides have been written by folks just looking at a map & thinking, ‘that looks good’

OS map on the kitchen table, highlighter pen, find tracks on map, go & see whats there. (if you don’t go, you’ll never know) & quite often you’ll find your own gem, very gratifying!
All I’ve got tech wise is a Garmin Etrex to give me a grid ref. & a compass.

Me & my mates have 23 years of fun & f***ups using this method!

Strava – explore segments.

OS map on the kitchen table, highlighter pen, find tracks on map, go & see whats there. (if you don’t go, you’ll never know) & quite often you’ll find your own gem, very gratifying!

This, although I use Streetmap.co.uk for the mapping. Or Wheresthepath which puts OS maps and satellite images side by side which is sometimes good. I’ve basically either walked or ridden all the footpaths / BWs within a 5 mile radius of my house.

This doesn’t get the sneaky trails which aren’t on OS maps though. There aren’t too many of those near me, but I imagine in some areas there are lots. For those I just follow people on Strava and watch Youtube videos.

With the dog and a folding saw, leave the bike at home.

For proper routes, my Garmin Edge & a justgoride GPX file cos I’ve got poor sense of direction.

I learnt a lot of Surrey Hills by riding with those that know it well and then just riding the place endlessly myself and groups. Did a lot of exploring. I find I’m fairly good at spotting traces of potential trails though and reasonably good at knowing roughly where I am.

And then there’s Strava stalking 😀

Strava…follow/know the right people

Get a dog…with the aid of a OS map, not much of my local area I haven’t explored

Find most new bits by sniffing them out myself, I think most of us who’ve been doing this a while have developed a good nose for a trail.

Also been shown some real gems by other riders, and I try to return the favour when I can.

Very occasionally I might check out Strava to locate a trail I’ve heard about.

Look at bing maps prints some maps off highlight route. On route take print outs and os map to keep in check.
Expect to loose a bridleway at least once.

You can set view ranger to give audio cues when following a route. Then you can leave it in your pack with screen off saving battery.

OS map, natural navigation and a perverse enjoyment of getting lost and pushing up/down innappreciate trails.. 😆

Lots of stuff isn’t on a map, especially very narrow tracks.

Stick a wheel down it and see where it goes is my usual method. The wheredafekkami technique.

Research area via Google area for gpx files, web sites etc string together a rough route and then explore using my garmin. Keep my eyes open and follow likely trails. Posting on forums can turn up a local who will show you the good stuff too. OS maps are fine but show zero single track

Doing a bit of research via the web is just my way of cutting down on fruitless trails that are dead ends or go nowhere. Also I often have a idea of a places I’d like to link up via good trails.

I rarely stop on the trail, as I said my planned route is a guide I take whatever trails I find but let that guide me in the general direction.

For me, in my local area, it tends to be a case of ooh, I wonder where that goes and follow it. Some gems have been found, as have some compost heaps over the years.
Its a bit of a lottery, but I always have the OS map with me, so I can see where it leads first.

Identify the start and general direction then just make it up as I go along until it’s time to go home.

load a gpx onto the satmap, zoom down to 1:3K and set to orientate the map to the direction I am riding.

Normally works pretty well although I might have to tart up the GPS before I go.

For example if they double over the same piece of track twice in different directions, etc, I may need to ensure that the tracks are separated enough to distinguish the direction I should be riding, without having to stop and peer at the map.

The satamp is good as I can move around the map, a 1:25K OS map, to look what is near me. Not sure how good the garmin edge range are for this.

The worst bit though is that I don’t learn the area very well as the map is rotating with direction – it is like a car satnav. I would be better having it not move to the trail direction and stay North up – would be better for my orientation.

when I first moved to the area I looked at OS maps for bridleways and off i went. Nowadays I have explored every single bridleway in all directions from my house but I’ll travel to one like 10 or 15 miles away perhaps as you never know, it might be a cracker. Sometimes I get there and it’s an overgrown hellhole and that hasn’t been traversed in any manner for years.
Most of the time I set aside a ride to simply explore an area, just head off and turn down off paths or tracks and see where they end up. This has been the most fruitful as most often good cycleable tracks aren’t on maps or aren’t bridleways but no-one cares if you ride down them.

My approach is similar to how I learn other things: research then thorough practice. I do some research online using forums and some satellite mapping, then a good study of the OS map. When I head out i’ll have an idea of the area I want to explore and surrounding waypoints. I then tend to go down as many trails as I find, and criss-cross the area as much as I desire, often repeating stuff. It’s not particularly efficient, but it builds up a permanent and effective mind-map of the area for me. As mentioned above, this kind of approach involves lots of trial and error, and you need to be prepared to go out for longer and use more energy, but i reckon it’s ultimately more rewarding.

I think GPS is of limited use for this kind of exploration; I only really use satellite imaging or GPS quite sparingly or to give a general overiview, as nothing really beats exploring somewhere and understanding it through my own senses. I still find it easier to use an OS map as a reference too…

My approach is:

“I wonder what’s over there…”

OP, The ferns made finding trails really tricky in places on Saturday at Surrey.

Yeah, they sure did make it tricky leegee. Not only that, but I also ended up with so many cuts on my arms that today one of my work colleagues asked me if I was self harming! No joke.

Anyhow, thanks for all your comments everyone.

From the sounds of things, a thorough study of an OS map before setting out and some form of navigation aid whilst out riding, be it a Garmin, ViewRanger, an OS Map or a compass, seems to be the general consensus on this thread. That and a bit of trail and error of course!

…right, where’s my nearest trail centre?

One thing I have been considering for exploration is one of those little quad copters.

In the heather we have around here you can be a few metres away from an overgrown track an not see it. A bit of elevation and they can be spotted.

matt_outandabout – Member
OS map, natural navigation and a perverse enjoyment of getting lost and pushing up/down innappreciate trails..

This….. 30 odd yrs of practice. Map reading learnt from rally days both road rallying and servicing for various drivers 😀

all the above and of course ‘the Force’ 😆
no strava tho, cos it aint really accurate.

One thing I have been considering for exploration is one of those little quad copters.

In the heather we have around here you can be a few metres away from an overgrown track an not see it. A bit of elevation and they can be spotted.

That’s some next level shit.

Proper maps first. Get a map of the area, look at it, get a feel for it. Look at bridleways and RUPPs etc. Then, with map and compass, go explore. Being reliant on electronics will lead to failure and a lack of appreciation of what’s nearby.