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Is there a recognised name for the trail that starts about 10m to the right of the Knicker Trail & finishes opposite the picnic bench exit?
And the new one that starts toward the end of "Don't look Down" where the old DH trails were? There's a toilet seat in the tree near it so, given how the Knicker trail got it's name, surely this will influence the decision?
And the one that starts about 10m down from the top of the Route 41 climb that has loads of bluebells and finishes at the rail bridge with 3 arches?
Trying to describe them to people is a PITA.
Not sure where you mean by "don't look down" or "route 41". We don't have a name for the one near Knicker apart from "the one near knicker that's not quite as gnarly" 😉
Most have them all have 3 or 4 names depending on the group ... e.g. 'don't look down' is also 'rim trail' to some.
Knicker trail is also known as Evo 1, the one back down the valley a bit is Evo 2. Though Evo created quite a few trails back in the day ...
The one that starts near the route 41 climb, just down from the mast, is Bluebells (to me at least) and comes out 2/3rds of the way down the Brick trail.
Don't know which you mean from DLD, could be 'Lean back'; the old DH trail, which has become much bifurcated at the top; or Hidden dell which starts not far south east of Picnic bench, but isn't actually one of the (now many) Picnic bench lines.
I don't think there is any consensus over section names as different people I ride give the same trail different names.
"Bluebells" sounds like what we call "2 Streams"
So by "Don't look down", you mean what's now part of Yer Tiz? You used to hook off to the right to do some DH?
So by "Don't look down", you mean what's now part of Yer Tiz? You used to hook off to the right to do some DH?
Yes. A new line has been built towards the end & hasn't been around long. Before where you'd hook off right to do DH/link up to the top of Picnic Bench.
the trail that starts about 10m to the right of the Knicker Trail & finishes opposite the picnic bench exit?
If it's the one with the really steep entrance, it's an Ivo trail, but I don't think it's actually called "Evo 2" - that comes from asking a mate about it and him replying "That's Ivo too" - meaning he built it.
"Son of Knicker" is fairly new and AFAIK doesn't have a name yet. Maybe it should be called "Monoknick" or "Unitard" 'cos it's a bit of a half-arsed effort.
I wouldn't be too eager to publicise the other trails you've mentioned as they're all in areas of the wood where we're not meant to be riding.
Ivo/Evo [img] 
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Is your mind drifting back to rallying again? 😉
If anyone has contact details for the bloke, I'd like to get in touch with him. The Council are doing an exhibition about the history of the mountain bike trails soon, and I'm sure he'd have some tales to tell.
"Unitard" 😉 Some young fella was working on it last year during the summer months IIRC
Like 'Son of Knicker' - certainly better than 'that one a few yards down from the knicker trail.
Hoping to check out that new (?) trail off to the right near the end of what was the rim trail.
What do you guys call the one to the left of the Picnic table? The less steep but rockier / faster one than comes out maybe 50 m further up the climb back up? Is it just one of the Picnic table runs. I always consider the Picnic Table to be the one that starts with the steepish rocky / rooty chute.
Really is a pain figuring out what people are referring to in LW or if you have to describe oit to someone else. I always wanted to find 'Jerry's trail' turns out that was another name people used for Knicker trail. Looked for it for a long time 😳
Anyone out and about tonight (6ish) to show a Bristol newbie the off piste stuff.
Yeah I am. Leaving work just after 5 & will be up there by 6pm. Ping me an email to sort details if you want? Address is in profile.
Been riding Leigh Woods trails for 20+ years. We never named trails, other than
"Leigh Woods,
"that bit by the barn",
"the switchbacks",
"the stream crossing",
"garlic valley"
"the one that goes up to the left by the car park and then turns right down the hill across the path and down through that other middle bit with the pond in that gets a bit sketchy when it's damp"
etc
^
Sounds like a good way of doing things. I'd feel a bit uneasy if every line in the woods had a daft name like "The Emasculator" and was talked up on t'internet by everyone who rode it. [/sensible hat]
Mr A, I you are looking for Ivo's contact details I can get them. Let me know.
Cheers dude, will drop you mail.
i'm with boxfish.
trails don't need ****ing names.
other than:
that nadgery off camber bastard.
long edge down from near the stables.
and so on.
Meanwhile I like the names - at least the names that have cropped up naturally - rocky horror, the drop of mild peril, the rice bowl for example. All part of the vibe to riding in Bristol.
rocky horror, the drop of mild peril, the rice bowl
Not heard of any of those. A bit like when people started mentioning the Knicker Trail. The what? Oh, you mean that bit of steep stuff over there...
Well done. Good for you.
Names are helpful.
Amazing out there at the moment. Just got down to The Cottage. Now Ashton Press. Are we allowed pub and drink names? 😉
It's interesting how some of the names are pretty much universally known/used - Picnic Bench, Knicker Trail, Rocky Horror - despite being ridden by different groups. Is it because these are more recognisable, rather than "you know, the bit near the holly bush next to the dog turd tree"?
It's interesting how some of the names are pretty much universally known/used - Picnic Bench, Knicker Trail, Rocky Horror
That's kind of my point: they are not universally known by these names.
Well done. Good for you.
Thanks.
I think Its the more 'testing' trails whose names are known universally as they get a reputation more so than the sections of trail like don't look down etc which are pretty tame.
Names are helpful.Amazing out there at the moment. Just got down to The Cottage
Sigh, another summer where The Cottage shall miss my post ride patronage. 🙁
Boxfish I hope one day I can be as cool as you. Love the devil may care attitude 🙄
I like knowing the names of trails as it helps me describe where things are to other riding buddies and for thenm to describe stuff to me. My job means I regaularly have to ride on my own so it's good to get an update form my riding buddies on what they have done and any 'new' stuff they have found. We all know Leigh Woods pretty well but if we find a new trail that is not close to a named route it can be a pain explaining where it is
Boxfish I hope one day I can be as cool as you
Well I suppose you have to have something to aim for. 😆
The trail by the dog, the one that goes between those trees.
It's always been customary for climbing routes (now some of them have really stupid names...."The Beard of Ffoeg Nosam" , "Baconconstrictor" etc)
Personally though I dont know many by particular names, but it would be useful for directions etc.
we call one of the trails in LW "Chris's crack" - no end of hilarity; "i rode Chris's crack really hard today", "Chris's crack was dry and lovely", "Stay away from Chris's crack as it's too wet" etc etc
🙂
I simply allocate a number, together with a letter (a-e) denoting the level of difficulty, written in a colour that best corresponds to the underlying geology. Then I write a detailed description of each trail and store the data in punch card format, for ease of access.
Nah...a particular delight of mountain biking is how [i]everybody[/i] has different names (or not at all) for the same trails - it's a whole anthropological dissertation in itself (the naming & classification of things...). There's a lush section of Lordswood that will always - to me - be called [i]'I feel it all'[/i], after the Feist song. It's a tune that perfectly evokes riding singletrack on a summer's evening, even if she doesn't know it. 😀
Seems to be some keen trail builders around the steeper bits of Leigh Woods at the moment. I always thought the narrow ridge between Multicoloured Bunker Quarry and Co Op Quarry would make a good line if someone cleared a few bushes off the top... just saying.
Awesome idea. Let's all go out and rip up the vegetation in an area that's regionally and nationally important for... rare plants. As in, plants and trees that are only found in the Avon Gorge, and in some cases only found in the quarries you mention. That can't possibly annoy anyone.
Where exactly are these rare plants and trees you speak of? I'm sure the National Trust are unaware of their existence or they'd have either chopped them down or fed them to their pet cows as a treat by now.
Plus it's an 8 inch wide ridge with near vertical "drops of certain death" on each side. Exactly the sort of thing 1SW should be including in their family friendly trails if they're serious about hurting small children rather than the half arsed switchback efforts at the top of Nightingale Valley and random placings of large rocks to catch your pedals on when you get excited about seeing Leigh Wood's last remaining squirrel.
Where exactly are these rare plants and trees you speak of?
All over the area you just described.
The NT and FC are well aware of where a lot of the more challenging trails in the woods are, and it's taken a lot of persuasion to stop them decommissioning anything unofficial over there. If on the other hand you want riding to end up being restricted to the new trails, please carry on building lines down the side of the gorge.
Mmm, rock cress sandwiches as a mid ride snack. Ace. Hugh Fearnly-Whittingstall must have some good recipes. I'm pretty sure the bushes in question are only lowly holly and hawthorn bushes. No one gives a stuff about them do they? But should my tree id skills be wrong and they do turn out to be precious Bristol Whitebeams I'll happily pop down to Cadbury Garden Centre for some replacements. I think they've got a special offer on at the mo... free windchime with every tree. No one will notice they're not the pucca sort.
Sarcasm and general silliness aside. I already restrict myself to riding the new trails and hard surfaced/Sustrans stuff because as a walker, runner and general nature lover as well as an MTBer I think it's too small a place for it's general ambience not be spoiled by being dissected by multiple threaded MTB tracks. I'd be more than happy if everyone else did too but I doubt the state of Leigh Woods is going to do anything other than deteriorate. Despite what you say, in reality have the FC ever done anything to discourage mountain biking down Paradise Bottom for example? And the National Trust are too busy vandalising their bit themselves to notice.
have the FC ever done anything to discourage mountain biking down Paradise Bottom for example?
There's a section that's blocked off which used to come out on to the path at a blind corner. If you wanted to ride it now, you'd have to lift your bike over two fences. Last time I looked at it, it was completely overgrown.
the National Trust are too busy vandalising their bit themselves to notice.
The bit with the cows on is grassland, therefore it needs to be grazed. Or am I missing something here?
The bit with the cows on is grassland, therefore it needs to be grazed. Or am I missing something here?
Have you not noticed the wholesale destruction of trees on both sides of the gorge lately? The bottom of Nightingale Valley has been left in a complete mess that's hard to fathom. Save the Bristol Whitebeam sure, but stuff everything else. The NT might be trying to turn it all into grassland but it's been happy enough as a wood for the last multiple decades.
I'm pretty sure that, unless the NT and Natural England are off their rockers, what you're describing as "wholesale destruction" is actually woodland management. And yes sometimes this aims to protect certain (rare) species at the expense of other (common) ones. Or even turn one type of environment (succession woodland) back into an original, rarer environment (calcareous grassland).
Saying "they cut down some trees, therefore I'll ride/build where I like" is oversimplifying things quite a bit.
Yes, I'd call it wholesale destruction. Some of it is because of the hillforts. I don't give a stuff about hillforts. I like trees. Any kind. Not fussy what kind I hug. But if they want to cut them down there's no excuse for leaving it looking like a tip.
Did you miss the bit where I said I didn't even ride where I shouldn't let alone bother building? Beats me why anyone would bother building new trails to be honest when there's already plenty.
Gating off the quarries is a bit mean too.
The gated-off quarries were never meant to be open, people just broke in so they could have parties, burn stuff and practice their graffiti.
We held an event there last year (with permission) for Bristol Cycle Festival, and there was a very limited amount of it we could use because of the risk that people would step on something endangered.
We also had a conservation day there afterwards, with a naturalist in attendance to tell us what to chop down and what to leave. There are a few species there that are literally only found in that quarry or a neighbouring one.
The quarries were only gated off.. what... 5 years ago? Maybe less. Before that there was always unrestricted access since I moved to Bristol in 1993. Gating them off obviously still hasn't stopped people painting them and living in them in Teepees since that.
Pretty sure that they were gated off when I was at uni - 94 to 98...