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Thanks guys for agreat ride in the
surrey hills, respect to the single
speeders especially the guy on the
ind fab with rigids!
Now back in devon, my hummer needs
a faster rider!
geetee - drop me an email, i'm up for exploring leith, been twice but don't know the area very well.
I actually was on for this but managed to double book a days riding, ended up going to aston hill on my intense instead. Defo up for the next one though!
'Twas a great ride, and a good opportunity to meet up with folk from here!
Need to have another one soon...
Sorry to have missed it, sounded like a good one. I went up there a little earlier to miss the traffic and the heat.
Yes, a spiffing day out in the sun was had by all I believe. 🙂 Thanks to Njee for showing us round and to the purchaser of said cheesy chips! (I forget now...)
😀
Geetee, email address in profile if you're organising anything... I know the area pretty well but always up for going out with new riding pardners, plus I think there's more stuff on Leith Hill and Redlands than I've found...
Cheers for a cracking ride, I'll have to make a re-appearance and make a more brakes-off attempt at BKB after flat landing one of the first bombholes and botteling out of the bigger one just after it started to drop down the hill!
It was a good ride, nice to meet everyone, and enjoy the perfect conditions! I'll upload the GPS course to Garmin Connect when I get a chance for anyone that wants it.
Sorry to miss the pub and cheesy chips!
Also sorry not to really catch up with the other group, you did too good a job of organising yourselves from the car park!
njee20 - Member
It was a good ride, nice to meet everyone, and enjoy the perfect conditions! I'll upload the GPS course to Garmin Connect when I get a chance for anyone that wants it.Sorry to miss the pub and cheesy chips!
Also sorry not to really catch up with the other group, you did too good a job of organising yourselves from the car park!
Yeah, sorry about that. Time was getting on and I was concerned about petesgaff getting some riding time in what with his tight schedule and all... 8)
Didn't matter, we were gonna need to split anyway realistically!
Nest time I'll bring everything I need 🙄
Yeah that was a real shame aP, did you get out around Richmond Park?
We looked at the road warriors out there and beat a hasty retreat - did have ice creams though.
Oh well, SDW this weekend should sort us out.
[url= http://connect.garmin.com/activity/34379719 ]Here[/url] is the route for the 'quick' group, just ignore the bits to/from my house!
As STM said: down BKB, up to the Windmill, down to Jelly's Hollow, through some of twisty stuff on Winterfold, down Christmas Puddings and Ewok Village, through Bentley Copse, down into Peaslake, back up onto Pitch, T1, T2, stop in Peaslake, up Radnor Road, Yoghurt Pots, Surfer Rosa and down Telegraph. Think it was just under 20 miles.
i was ridiculously late but fast group still in carpark, thanks for waiting around a bit more. Was my first time there and was a cracking little route, better stuff than i expected, thanks to Njee for guiding us around at comfortable pace for all. SS was fine but my choice of last night bbq sausages was rubbish for energy 🙂
lol yea that bomb hole was a close your eyes moment but worked out ok for me this time. I blindly just followed the guys in front.
Sorry to have missed it, sounded like a good one. I went up there a little earlier to miss the traffic and the heat.
Must have been up there early then. I was out not a million miles away and was melting by mid-morning.
Either some bitey insect liked me, or I disliked some vegetation we passed....absolutely covered in really itchy red blotches on arms (fore arms and inside of elbows), a few across my chin - I reckon vegetation from thast pattern....but also a few acros my chest 😕 Really bloomin itchy, although antihistermine seems to calm it....was it just me?
I don't norammly suffer from bites or stings 😕
Still itching now....antihist is wearing off.
Something nibbled my leg slightly, but nothing out of the ordinary! I wouldn't have thought there was much up there that objectionable!
Was out at 6.30 back in the car by 10.30 it's just too busy/hot otherwise.
I was surprised by how quiet it was actually, I thought it was gonna be horrific. Got stuck behind some riders on BKB, but hardly saw any otherwise. Admittedly we didn't do Leith, but even Peaslake wasn't that busy.
Leith was quiet as well. Perhaps, for most, it was just TOO hot to trot...
njee thanks for the route, didn't make it in the end but would be following it soonish. How noobie proof is it? Am gonna take a friend with me who has only done 3-4 months worth of mtbing and would rather not scare the heck out of him 🙂 Thanks!
Vrapan - hope it's OK to chip in and answer the question. There's nothing on that route that you couldn't easily get off and walk down if you weren't happy to ride it. The bomb holes over on Winterfold might well be a little foxy for a newbie (and for many experienced riders it would seem). This section is tiny though and you can easily ride around them.
Some of the sections will be more technical than they will have ridden as well; the section from Pitch Hill down to the graveyard will be challenging but not scary. I am not 100% sure of the root they took off the back of Pitch Hill down towards Winterfold, but there are one or two steeper drops that would probably stop a new rider. Again, nothing you couldn't walk down.
Do you know where you're going or will you just be following the GPS?
We didn't do anything scary. From Pitch we just rolled down the tarmac drive into Peaslake, rather than do Graveyard Shift. The three bombholes on Winterfold are the only thing I can think of, even then it's only the third one which causes problems, and there's a very obviously defined trail to the left of them.
I did Parklife and Telegraph before I joined the group too, hopefully that won't be too confusing on the route! If PeterPoddy or similar has a 'clean' copy that may be easier to follow if you don't know the area.
The route is all pretty much rideable, I've done all of those trails either on my cross bike or the tandem (except the bombholes as the tandem would have been stuck like a seesaw).
Just use some common sense when you're out there.
geetee1972: No problems, was directing the question to njee only cause he uploaded the route and all but any feedback is welcome. I will be following the GPS, I wanted to come to the group ride to get a feel of the place and get a rough idea of where to go before dragging someone else along but that is a mute point now.
njee20: A cleaner version will be cool but I am sure I can follow yours no problems!
Thanks to both of you for the info, the ride sounds fine to me, he has to get his teeth into something more than the woods around Watford at some point anyway :p
I'd say it's a great place for him to learn. The trails there all get harder as you ride them faster, but nothing is difficult at a slow speed.