I bought a flat in Woodford Green about 18 months back but hadn’t bothered bringing a mountain bike down from Edinburgh as I’ve been running more than biking in recent years. Since spending a week back mountain biking in the Pentlands I find I’ve been missing the mountain biking so wondered if it’s worth bringing a mountain bike down here. I’m close to Epping Forest and also close to the Redbridge cycling centre – anyone know what those are like? Anything else nearby that’s good?

I’ve got a couple of road bikes down here at the moment but am thinking my Roadrat could go back to Edinburgh and I’d bring down one a mountain bike to replace it (limited storage for bikes, being in a flat).

I work about 2 miles from an entrance into Epping forest – its ok but I find the woods around Broxbourne/Hoddesdon/Cheshunt/Paradise animal park much more interesting

exclusively use my on one single speed rigid if that give you an idea how the trails are

Cycle over to Ponders end train station and catch a train to any of those stations or up the lea valley path

Happy to show you around if you like, I think there’s quite a few from that area on here

I’m not far from you so Epping is my local ride too. I have been buidling up a picture of the more interesting (blue) trails on trailforks recently, some even have jumps! Sadly most of the runs are quite short and interspersed with smooth boring fireroad but its worth having a good look around, I can still use 150mm of sus on a handful of trails if you go at them hard.

http://www.trailforks.com/region/epping-forest/

I haven’t been to Broxbourne yet as I hear there is some issues with a private company blocking off the good stuff. Woudn’t mind being shown around though.

Oh dear.

I’m an old hand at Epping and could show you about 50k of single track wi minimal fire road if you like.

Epping is great when dry,but once it gets wintery it is very very very muddy. Should be ok until November:-), fingers very crossed.
You can make a day of it and easily link Epping & broxbourne area with the Lea valley canal .
Fwiw Wormley woods is my fave part of “broxbourne” . Sadly, some of the interesting ,ahem,”features”have recently been demolished & signs stating “the mtb trail” is closed have been erected all over the shop! Boo hiss.

50k ! ? Is that all? 😉

What bike are you thinking of bringing down?

Danbury is also a 45min drive and its pretty easy to get to paces like Aston Hill, Swinley, Surrey Hills, PORC and Bedgebury depending on what flavour of trail you require.

Yeah sorry Senor J London is a small place…

Senor J – how recently is recently?

I was there two weeks ago and didn’t see anything like that.

Kryton- I was just joshing. 🙂
Chapaking -honest guv. about 2/3 weeks ago there was a Woodland trust sign near some “features” stating they were not permitted and would be removed – a week later, loads of wheel marks and the “features” were gone and several more signs ,at various parts of the singletrack.

We must be thinking of different features. I only get round there a few times a year now I live 200 miles away.

Are the Bushcraft lot still occupying part of Broxbourne Woods?

Senor j I know, I should have used a smiley 🙂

Weirdly I’ve only ridden Epping twice this year, but am now thinking of getting back in lieu of road miles for XC training.

Probably..The bit I’m referring to is South of Wormleybury brook – running West to east.
Bush craft have put loads of barbed wire perimeter fences up since last year.
Pah.

Thanks folks. Looks like I need to get a mountain bike down here and then get in touch. I was out on the road bike last night and took a spin through Epping after visiting Abridge and Theydon Bois. I hadn’t realised that it was fairly hill around there so the mountain biking is probably a lot better than I’d been expecting.

What bike are you thinking of bringing down?

I was going to bring down my old Epic, which is set-up as a pretty lightweight XC bike but I have other options. Main candidates would either be a Soul, BFe or Enduro (and old S-works one with 100mm at each end). What sort of bike would be best?

OP ,I would bring an xc hardtail and buy some mud tyres for when it changes (everyone should experience at least one winter in Epping!)
Get in touch when you’re sorted and I’m sure myself or kryton can sort a guided tour out.
I get a lot of afternoons free 🙂

Cheers – probably bring the Soul down then. We’re used to mud but will be interesting to see how Epping compares to the Pentlands.

Will be in touch!

Count me in Senor J / epicsteve if you can. Email in profile.

I’d be happy to join in

email in profile

Cheers

Plumb

Do any of you locals do any road bike riding? I’ve been doing a bit of exploring and there seem to be a lot of nice quiet lanes not far to the North East. Took the road bike for a spin out to Toot Hill this morning but looks like I did the climb the wrong way round as there where loads of roadies climbing up from the Epping side.

I use a cx bike on the roads to link loads of off road stuff. There are loads of lovely quiet lanes into Hertfordshire and beyond. Not done much on the road around Epping though.

You can rack up some climbing surprisingly quickly out round Broxbourne, Bayford, Newgate Street, Essendon kind-of way – and it’s mostly very pleasant.

You could ride through Epping Forest then head up towards Nazeing and through Broxbourne to get there.

Shout me if you use a GPS and want any routes.

Do any of you locals do any road bike riding? I’ve been doing a bit of exploring and there seem to be a lot of nice quiet lanes not far to the North East. Took the road bike for a spin out to Toot Hill this morning but looks like I did the climb the wrong way round as there where loads of roadies climbing up from the Epping side.

Yep, there’s loads of good riding all the way up to Halstead, or crossing the Herts/Essex Borders. If you want a hill climb/reps around Epping Google Mott St, Avey Lane and the climb out of Theydon Bois toward Epping ending at the roundabout by the Miller & Carter restraunt, or further toward Epping town Bridge HIll / Ivy Chmineys road.

Thanks folks. I’ve done that climb from Theydon Bois up to the roundabout in the forest – it’s a very decent climb. I’m in Repton Park and did a little loop that went from there out to Lambourne End, up Hoe Lane to Abridge then onto Theydon Bois and up into Epping Forest. Quite a fair amount of climbing on that bit. Favourite so far though are the lanes from Chipping Ongar over Toot Hill then back to Abridge. I’ll definitely check out some of the other options mentioned as I working on my backside getting back used to some decent time in the saddle before joining up with one of the local clubs (I’ve been in contact with Crest CC as they do mountain and road biking so look a good option).

My wife and I had a walk through Epping Forest yesterday and it does look like there must be masses and masses of singletrack in there although it’d definitely help to have some local experience to navigate it. There were certainly plenty of mountain bikes out and about yesterday – even saw a fatbike in the car-park at the tea hut.

There were certainly plenty of mountain bikes out and about yesterday

There always is on a Sunday – I got MTBing proper by going up there 15 years ago, asking a group if I could join in and the rest history, we are still all mates.

I went out in the forest on Friday evening – its very fast and dry at the moment.

There’s that much singletrack in Epping that in the years I rode there I don’t think I ever did the same ride twice. I seriously recommend going out & getting lost, which is what was told to me when I first started riding because the truth is you can’t actually get lost especially if you know the roads all around it.

Don’t forget the forest goes all the way down to Forest Gate in East London, but as mentioned here it ‘closes’ soon so better be quick coz unless u have a SS don’t even bother once the mud comes.

I ride down there from bishops Stortford quite regularly….it’s my old stomping ground from the late 80’s :0)

I still don’t know half of it though, but the bottom tea hut provides fantastic sustenance!

If you guys head out on a weekend round Epping Forest I’d love to tag along please!

Or in the evening. Work normal office hours

same here, I’d like to tag along too please even though I have a full rigid 29er SS and I’m rubbish at mountain biking. Was out and about last night and for all the world it could have been southern california….

Blimey. Could be a real STW ‘ting gwan.

Friday night anyone (lights needed after 7)? Or Sunday morning 11th? If it’s the Sunday I can do a route with bacon and coffee in the middle.

Sadly I don’t have a mountain bike down here at the moment but if a group gets going I’ll definitely join in once I’ve brought one down.

Almost tempted to give it a go on my Roadrat though!

You can ride Epping on a CX especially in the dry, a road rat will be fine especially with drops.

New to the area too (well, within driving distance), been to epping a couple of times its great fun but it’s easy to get lost on your own. Kryton – I’d be down for a Sunday ride.

I’m up for a Sunday morning ride on the 11 Sep & tempted by a Friday night ride, would have to test me batteries though..& check with the missus that she doesn’t have something scheduled.
I’ll probably sneak a couple of lunchtime/afternoon rides in before Friday if anyone is at a loose end. 🙂
I usually head into the forest at the Waterworks corner (Woodford) on the A406 , if that helps anyone out who lives South/near Walthamstow…for meeting up and going up towards High Beech and Karl’s Tea hut.

You can ride Epping on a CX especially in the dry, a road rat will be fine especially with drops.

My Roadrat is set-up more as a commuter/tourer – flat bars, an Alfine hub and more road biased tyres. It’d be fine for the tracks in off-road but not the proper stuff.

Ah!

Other news, I’m posted to Wiltshire Friday for work so 11th remains the only current option for me, but I’m happy to organise that as there seems to be a few takers.

9:00am at Karls Tea Hut (High beach upper tea hut) with a 9:30 leaving time? Should have us sitting down for a bacon roll & coffee at 10:45, probably back before 12.30. Thats about 25k of singletrack, for those that want more I can extend the return loop adding 12k/1hr to it if wanted?

That should get us all the “classic” Epping Forest runs in, including Pole Hill for views over London and its subsequent descent, out to Whipps Cross & back.

Is that the tea hut at the car-park near the visitor centre? If so then I might nip up on the road bike and say hello.

Used to live on Sth Woodford / Snaresbrook border.

Would agree that a rigid one speed is fine and that it’s worth avoiding in winter; I used to head over to Thetford between November and April.

Unlikely to make the 11th, wife is doing the Pretty Muddy in Stratford so I’ll have the kids unless I can find a babysitter

I’m completely game for a Friday night ride. I usually work from home on a Friday so can meet earlier than I could if I was coming back from the office

Lights always ready as all my local rides tend to be in the evening once the kids are in bed

I’ll book in the 11th.
Ben-what’s the earliest you can ride on Friday?
& Plumber -welcome to join & I’ve always want to learn more around broxbourne 🙂

this Friday is the exception to my rule, have to come into the office for a meeting 🙁

I could meet at 6pm on a normal Friday I reckon, traffic will be a bit annoying that’s all