Want to avoid the ridiculous parking charges at Bedgebury.

Can anyone suggest a spot within a couple of miles?

Many thanks

I would suggest don’t bother cops it’s shit

You could park in union street/high street then there is a forestry road that goes into the heart of bedgebury opposite the “Forest Edge” Motel

http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=bedgebury+forest&hl=en&ll=51.056893,0.446084&spn=0.008214,0.01929&hq=bedgebury+forest&t=h&z=16

I looked at doing this on google maps but as I don’t go too often I view the £8.50 as a fair price for trail maintenance and a good days fun 🙂

feisty – thanks for that

plumber – I don’t know the area can you recommend any “natural” routes near by?

Who do you think pays for the huge amounts of work being done at Bedgebury this year???

I buy an annual car pass, regularly ride the trails, and take my family out there too. Sorry, nothing’s free in this life.

£8.50 for a mornings fun, a lot of people have put time and effort into the trails and you want to ride them for free…. 🙄

Pay between £500 to £4000 on a bike a few hundred on clothing but wont pay £8.50 to ride on a man made trail – shame on you, you are a disgrace ? tell me what would happen, and how would you feel if people used your services for free ?

Can’t advise on the parking – I’ve always paid, but I would wait a little while before you go. Went last weekend and half the singletrack is closed at the moment. I think it’s all supposed to be open by ‘summer’. Worth waiting. The new bit ( for me anyway) that isn’t part of the loop but goes back towards the car park is rather fun though. Ended up riding that quite a few times.

AFAIK the money from the parking doesn’t go towards trail upkeep, that gets paid for by yearly passes, grants and donations.

Earlier this year they were given £60,000 of funding for trail improvements which are ongoing at the moment and will help with some of the drainage issues.

IMO Bedgebury is a nice trail centre which can be as challenging as you want it to be and is a fun place to ride. If nothing else there isnt anywhere else in the area where you can get 9 miles of singletrack.

Come into the forest on the east side. Enter Park Lane off the Cranbrook Road A229 and drive into the forest. Stop where the lane turns into a fire track. Here you will find parking spaces. Ride your bike into the forest on the fire road and not far after the bottom of the slope you will see a marker for the XC red route on your right.

Ok, as of Saturday its all open up to the quarry with some significant work having been done on the first few sections (see the Quench Cycles website and facebook page for photos of berms and jumps). This cost around £15 k and was paid for out of general funding including the car park fees. The £60 k which the FC at Bedgebury managed to get from various sources is being spent on completely rebuilding the bits from the quarry onwards and should be done by mid summer.

Trail building at Bedgebury is currently coming in at £30 per metre, and the site as a whole makes a loss of £250 k per year. Your £8.50 is probably the cheapest bit of your day. Look at what you spend on bikes, fuel, tyres, brake pads, food, clothing, car wear and tear and stop being such a cheapskate.

Put out or get out!

Winston – Friston forest near Eastbourne is worth a visit, lots of natural riding in and around the forest on the South Downs. Some decent elevation too. Parking £3 I think, I buy a annual pass.

Not been to bedgebury for a while, happy to pay £8.50 if that sort of investment as been made though. It does feel steep though.

Anybody local who wants to ride pays £50/ year for an annual pass, and uses it with their kids – absolute bargain IMHO!

Don’t mind paying for parking but £8.50 is taking the p!ss.

Just feels like overpriced, South East tax. Surely the Scottish trail centres have cost more and yet the parking is £3 per day?

And possibly have more funding or dont make a loss.
The alternative is no trails

I’d be quite happy to pay that sort of parking fee normally but Bedgebury is pretty shit as it goes for a trail centre.

Sorry I can’t advise anywhere else that is in reasonable driving distance

Fine – your choice not to go then!! But using managed man made trails without paying is taking the piss a little. Now, I happen to know places to park outside the car park, but that is due to night riding outside car park times, and convenience of the trails, as I also have an annual pass.

Park in one of the near by villages as it saves annoying locals parking on lanes locally. Cannot remember name of closest village but its about 5 mins cycle away.

That’s how I would always do it

Get the train.