I went to Swinley this weekend for the first time in about two years, Yes, it’s pretty flat (the climbs are generally short and steep) but it’s a load of fun. It’s not twiddling-your-way-down-Yorkshire-bedrock-type technical, but there are a couple of cheeky bits (on the red) that (particularly if you don’t know they’re coming) will test you – steep, off camber chutes (but short). The blue is a laugh – fast, flat, berm-central. Red starts half-way around the blue. So if you go Blue-Red-Blue (which seems to be the thing to do), you get a fun warm up, followed by a longer, more challenging ride, and a fun run in to the car park. Didn’t go to the Jump Gully or Downhill Skills course as I’m old and was knackered. Going Blue-Red-Blue is about 15 miles, apparently. It is really hard-packed at the moment but the right tyres will give you loads of grip (unless you hit a bit of gravel, as we’ve all seen). I rode a hardtail 29er and only wished for a FS bike just twice.