....am stopping in a small place called Peaslake. Seems to me it's a biking capital. Whats the score here? being from the far north I've never heard of this tiny village yet sat in the bar tonight watching bike after bike after bike pass by and cyclists pop in the Hurtwood Inn for a quick drink and a big van doing uplifts for an hour across by the village shop tells me I should have driven down and brought the bike and not taken flybe from Newcastle??
Er some of the best riding in the south east in the hills around Peaslake, built trails , natural trails, nice singletrack etc...
Well Doc, next time the boss decides to have the team meeeting down here I'll be with bike.
It's the nuts, best riding for 50 miles in any direction.
Just the volume of bikers (darkside & mtb) got me kicking myself straight off. To make matters worse my room in the hotel is opposite the pedal&spokes shop, and all i've got to do down here is talk shop for 3 days with colleagues, I could cry.
test ride??
Have only packed a suit and 2 shirts 🙁
There's always next time.
Whats the downhill near the village? 4 guys in a big van playing turns each driving/DH had me intrigued??
Sounds like a good excuse to invest in a new riding outfit!
that's probably the infamous "barry knows best". its more like an xc style dh than a proper one. like most riding around there.
stop making excuses, the guys in the shop will prob sort you out with a bike they are really friendly guys in there, and if not, do things old skool and just go out in your boxxer shorts and bare feet!
there is certainly some great singletrack, and i go there quite a bit whien im down south. DOnt kill yourself too much though, the sheer volume of riders is because you are so close to london and like someone else here said, there's not much else within a 50 mile radius.
There's always a great vibe around peaslake though.......
They'll be driving up the top of barry knows best - waste of time driving - its a 10 minute ride and slightly over rated. The best riding is over on Pitch Hill - turn right when you come out of the pub and turn left again into the large carpark.
You are smack in the middle of shedloads of singletrack in Peaslake.
Still can't get my head round people getting uplifts to BKB!
How much longer are you down? I live 3 miles away, could sort you out with kit (on the larger side :wink:) and lend a bike if you fancy a ride in the evening...
It's called Barry knows best, it's a laugh. Not wanting to piss you off but you are currently surrounded by miles of woodland singletrack, bridal ways, jumps, drops and hilarity.
Uplifts on Barry's does seem a bit .... But if you're packing the runs in I suppose it makes sense.
bugger, wish I'd never asked. I'm in Northumberland doing a bothy trip Fri/Sat and could have really done with a few more miles in the legs, was peed off to have to come down here and now I find this. Going to bed now so I'm not depressed in the morning.
As for riding in my boxers...well maybe not on the bike! (at least not one with wheels 😆 )
I think they were packing in the runs before the rain came on a bit, its a monday after work, you take what you can.
Thanks for the offers, I'm going back north on Wednesday at 5pm
I reckon by the time you've put bikes in a van, got in, driven up, unloaded, and ridden off you could just ride up, it's not exactly a long way! Particularly if you go straight up the trail rather than going into the village and up Radnor Road.
I'm surprised that you're on this forum and had never heard of Peaslake! I'm even more surprised that you're doing anything 'on business' there!
if you go straight up the trail
This is probably highlighting my ignorance, but which trail is this? Is it on the uphill/Peaslake side of BKB or the other side?
Ta
When you get to the new bottom of BKB you can either turn left (more straight on) down onto the road, or can go sharp right up a trail which crosses the old ending. The trail is a far shorter way back up.
Does seem an odd spot for a business meeting.
Cheers njee, I'll keep my eyes open next time I'm there.
I raced mates on a chairlift once in France, I was only a few s behind after a 10m climb 😎
Nirvana (just up the road from you) will be able to sort you out with a hire / demo bike. They do a night ride a few evenings during the week too, if you wanted to get shown around.