[Closed] Conditions at Swinley?

anyone??

blistering heat

cheers, should I apply lotion?

`Mainly interested in depth of snow and amount of ice. Although it is welcome news to have some heat.

cheers

Rode round that way today - at least 20cm of snow everywhere, in places up to the hubs, fire roads pretty much unridable, singletrack a slog but ridable.

Did 2 1/2 hrs riding and managed 12.5 miles....

GB

cheers gee. That's great.

We've had an awful lot of snow in the area and I certainly can't be bothered even trying to ride there ... but you probably don't want to hear that!

Is the car park actually open?

Have heard the car park was closed yesterday due to branches snapping due to snow... heading over there in the morning for a blast 😉

sure will find somewhere to park if car park shut still

Don't mind hearing that - all comments welcome CG.

Thanks All.

You can park at Hut Hill as well and ride up Dog Sh!t Alley 😐

Great fun today at Swinley forest... car park still closed but parked across the way... very deep snow in places and only just rideable.... 4x4 track in the snow help as packed down 😉

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Just back from a snowy amble. Saw two mtb'ers near Lower Star Post, xcstu wonder if it was you?

Definitely hard work walking, can't imagine being on a bike though! Some tracks had seen no human footprints, just animal ones.

Here's a few pics:

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The Stickler with gay handrail for emergency use only.

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Jump gully.

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Jump gully where a rider had dropped in from right hand bank.

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Toboggan Run with no tyre tracks.

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Deer Stalker with no tyre tracks.

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Baby Maker.

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Winter picnic opposite the double drop-off. Coffee was wonderful!

Great pics! I definitely won't be taking the bike over there at the moment then....

Yeah, I agree but Deer Stalker and Toboggan Run are crying out to be ridden!

Does the Toboggan Run start at the same place as the Baby Maker and Deer Stalker? If you are at the top it's Baby Maker on the right Deer Stalker in the middle and a third on the left - is that the Toboggan Run?

Just curious if I've got the names right!

Actually another question for Swinley peeps; in which direction do people reckon is best to do the Seagull?

timmys - no, different area. Slightly away from top of Surrey Hill.

Seagull works well in both directions. However I would say that from the Devil's Highway end, the roots have become more exposed.

great photo's. Looks quite ridable to me 🙂

Well, what I forget to mention was the feeling of walking through snow then suddenly hearing a "crack" followed by another "crack" 😯

Funny thing was that this was happening on tracks where there isn't necessarily much standing water in normal conditions. So certainly on The Stickler you had to be a little careful!

I really really want to ride Deer Stalker and Toboggan Run but just can not be bothered with walking/riding/slipping repeat again and again.

So ... what would Sir Ranulph do? So I did MTFU 😉

CG - It could have been us... there was 3 of us but 2 were always at the front 😉 lots of fun in the think snow 😉

yellow brick road today too

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xcstu - no, there was definitely only 2 bikes. Is the pic Tank Traps?

Dare I ask what tyres you were running? Kept seeing a particular tread, had no idea what it could have been, certainly very wide but not knobbly ❓

Presumably you had gears? Don't really want to trash my MLC so may consider singlespeeding, what do you reckon?

First pic I think is not far from the upper star post??... still learning the area 😉

Tyres... still using my racing ralphs and ya riding with gears... not that I changed gear that much....

I've got this really stupid idea of heading over there tomorrow 😳

Can someone talk me out of it please?

c_g, it hasn't changed much from yesterday, although the Deer Stalker now has tyre tracks, there are a few fallen trees & branches on the way down so doesn't flow as well as normal. Overall hard work on the single speed, but do able, although expect to be pushing when the gradient points upwards.

Hello Jason! I knew I should have kept quiet about the Deer Stalker 😥

If I take gears will I trash them? I know I will have to do a lot of walking anyway, just don't want to ruin the nice bike!

Well as of 10am this morning they were only my tyre tracks, maybe others have ridden it later in the day? You will be fine with gears, the snow is still very dry so I wouldn't imagine it would cause gears to freeze up, not that I would know as I was struggling around on the SS.

OK thanks, gears it is!

Think I 'll be giving Swinley a miss tommorrow, after reading the other Swinley post. Not too concerned about the actual trail conditions, rather the travelling and parking situation.

I can ride from home oh yeah ... but it's a really long uphill slog 8)

Enjoy CG, Hopefully I'll be there next weekend 🙂

I'll give it a shot tomorrow bright and early. I need to get some sort of riding in and the roads around here are way too icy for it given the stupidity of drivers today.

It's fine today. There's some untouched snow on some trails 4-6 inches deep but for the most part there's a ridable line everywhere. In fact in places, it's had enough traffic to totally rip up the snow and churn the mud underneath. Crappest part is parking over the road. I only fell a few times and one of those was in the slush over at Coral Reef.

Would be a great time to learn how to cross country ski there. That would be great fun!!I would love to try the trails there on XC skis(Not the Labrynth!!)

atlaz - glad you enjoyed it and it was worth the drive.

Some tracks had seen a lot of use, namely the Deer Stalker, but the Toboggan Run hadn't 8)

Managed a high speed dismount, riding a 22lb bike that loves to be pointed downhill makes for interesting times!

Radiodman - there have definitely been some skis/snowboards over there.

Any tips for keeping ice away from flat pedals? Had a bit of foot slippage, actually a lot.

CG - I'm intrigued - what do you call the Toboggan Run? I'd assumed you meant the DH that's to the RHS of Babymaker as well, but you've dissed that one above. I'm guessing it could be the one that goes SWish from behind the reservoir down towards wishmoor cross? A bit rooty & steppy but a fast blast in the dry?

thepurist - yes, it follows the perimeter of fence by reservoir then leads nicely for the ascent to the ridge eventually leading to Deer Stalker 8)

Speed was definitely curtailed, not least by a "fallen" bit of tree. Managed eventually to move it off the trail. I love the Toboggan Run, no matter which bike I ride it's always such fun!

OK - suppose Toboggan Run is as good a name as any! As you say, always a fun bit to ride.

So that's the name of that bit. Is there a proper way "out" of it because usually I end up climbing over or under a fence to get out and then ride back up the hill to the jump gulley.

Anyway, as maligned as crank bros pedals are, I had no problem with snow or ice buildup yesterday at all.

atlaz - if you stay on the trail, following the main left bend as it were, that's another way of climbing to the ridge. When you get to the t junction, turn right and shortly bear left. At crossroads turn left heading towards the fence. This brings you to the ridge where Deer Stalker etc is.

That description is probably as clear as mud!

Agree about Crank Brothers, my Egg Beaters were certainly brilliant in the mud but now use flats.

I went out there Saturday morning and had a great time. Very slow going but a wonderful way to start the weekend!

Found it easier riding through the power on the fireroads as the 4x4 tracks were very hard packed and my Trailrakers just wouldn't bite in.

Couple of pics:
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Seagull Trail

Atlaz - I'm guessing you clamber out between the posts at the bottom of the Toboggan Run bit (as it's apparently now known) just as it bends to the LHS. If you carry on it then climbs up through a gate in the new fence to end up at the same fire road that the big antenna's on. You can do a left there, back down through the fence and back up to the start of the Toboggan Run or turn right then take the trail on the LHS of the fireroad and you can work back through a gap in the fence (used to be a stile but it seems jump bikes are too heavy for 12 year olds to lift) to the top of the Deerstalker/Babymaker/Labyrinth area.

D'oh - or do as CG said!

Dunno really. Might even be at a different place. There's the pump track style bit along the back of the reservoir which rolls into a fairly rooty down bit before a short sharp climb (right hand bend) then another rooty down bit before a bit of rolling through the woods to the fence I climb over/through.

That the same bit?

Yes ... probably.

Where you climb through - is it broken railings, ie 3 of them, with a large wannabe sarsen stone?

Either... depends where I stop I think. I've done both.

Any chance of an update on conditions at Swinely? Slim chance I might be able to go tomorrow. Thanks!

We had more snow overnight. Some flurries today too. Think there is a slight thaw at the moment.

Hmm, i'll probably leave it then. I won't get the chance to visit often on time grounds, so I may as well wait until the snow has left us.