Home › Forums › Bike Forum › MOD Land & MTB access – specifically Tunnel Hill & Deepcut
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MOD Land & MTB access – specifically Tunnel Hill & Deepcut
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ScamperFree Member
Was going to ask the same question as new to the area and was over at Porridge Pot the other day for the first time. Didn’t find much (Pants down and Go Go?) but noticed a few ‘official’ mountain bike signs up at the start of trails with I think a regimental badge on? And a few other arrows and`wolf’ signs marking out trails.
mrlebowskiFree MemberThere’s some good Strava routes if you search under Brass Monkeys – looks possible to create a 25k loop if you link both areas but I’d really like an update on access. It’s (access) a contentious enough issue without upsetting those who have tanks at their disposal to enforce their POV :wink:
Red flags etc I understand & I’m sympathetic to the MOD’s training requirements with more troops returning to the UK.
Anyone from TAG here?
dovebikerFull MemberAround Aldershot they have been barriering / gating-off any existing car parking facilities to restrict public access. Local bylaws still prohibit the use of bikes except on acknowledged rights of way. The reality is, there’s never anyone there, you’ll never see anyone outside of office hours and the motorbikes have free-reign to do what they like….
If you encounter Army units on training, simply change your direction and don’t get in the way.
Been riding on the ranges for 25 years and only time been ‘shooed-off’ by illegal deer-poachers…but ride through a ‘minefield’ once.theotherjonvFull MemberSame as it ever was – follow the code of conduct and don’t be a dick, basically.
I was on TAG for years, but no longer have time, although i still see a few of the TAG guys occasionally out and about. I’m sure one will pipe up in due course but it was all voluntary and i think they were seeking new blood for the committee.
thisisnotaspoonFree MemberBeen riding on the ranges for 25 years and only time been ‘shooed-off’ by illegal deer-poachers…but ride through a ‘minefield’ once.
I had a tripwire/flare go off under my front wheel after Shortcut rode into it but the delay meant I got the brunt of it, that was chuffin scary!
Have a look at the Tunnel hill trolls website and forum, there’s a few rides a week if you don’t know the area. Although they’re faster than they used to be so take the description of Tuesday as “average” with a pinch of salt. Monday was the new “fast as the slowest” last time I went, Tuesday was fast, Thursday was enough to make the slowest rider vomit.
but noticed a few ‘official’ mountain bike signs up at the start of trails with I think a regimental badge on? And a few other arrows and`wolf’ signs marking out trails.
I think that’s more to do with exercises than mountainbiking, they’ve usually got some sort of code on the back for orienteering type exercises.
you’ll never see anyone outside of office hours
Oddly I never see anyone in the daytime, but some evenings you can’t move for exercises. Just ride away if you see them, or if you come across them on the main fire roads ask them which areas they’re using, sometimes they’re helpful and point you in the right direction, sometimes they just say everywhere and ask you move on somewhere else.
And when riding at night, don’t take a bazillion lumens, and turn them down/off as soon as you see them. You’ve got a bazillion lumens, they’ve got to wait 15 minutes for their eyes to re-adjust to the dark.
It’s their office at the end of the day, and they’re judge, jury and executioner when it comes to enforcing the byelaws.
ninfanFree MemberSame as it ever was – follow the code of conduct and don’t be a dick, basically.
This, discussions are ongoing, but tectonic in nature – in the meantime, keep on riding but don’t be a dick.
mrlebowskiFree MemberSo, basically don’t be a dick, follow TAG code of conduct & you should be ok? This goes for both day & night riding?
thisisnotaspoonFree MemberSo, basically don’t be a dick, follow TAG code of conduct & you should be ok? This goes for both day & night riding?
And “don’t come crying if you get caught/told off/arrested and bike siezed/crushed”
I’d still join up with the Trolls if you can though, they’re a friendly bunch and know the area like the back of their hands, it’s a maze of trails, even with a STRAVA course of one of the race venue’s you’d only cover a fraction of the trails and still struggle to pick out some of the turnings.
shortcutFull MemberNot much has changed – as the others say give the trolls a go and be nice to soldiers avoiding where ever possible.
There are a lot of great trails up there. Have fun and be safe.
theotherjonvFull Memberand above all don’t be a dick. it was people behaving like dicks that started to force the MOD’s hand to start cracking down and which has taken a number of people quite a lot of their free time to get it where it is now, which is a fragile stability. If people start behaving like dicks again nearly 10 years of hard work could disappear like that.
big_n_daftFree MemberI had a tripwire/flare go off under my front wheel after Shortcut rode into it but the delay meant I got the brunt of it, that was chuffin scary!
Incidents like that will be restricting training, that incident would have had to be reported if they were following range management procedures.
allthepiesFree MemberCarry on, play nicely if army exercises are underway in the area and move somewhere else. Don’t organise night rides with 20+ people :)
mahaloFull Memberi seem to have ridden straight into the middle of army exercises about 4 rides in a row!! is WW3 imminent or something?
i dont know me way round well enough so when im turned back i usually end up completely lost!
thisisnotaspoonFree MemberIncidents like that will be restricting training, that incident would have had to be reported if they were following range management procedures.
I did wonder who was more scared, me or the guy who was going to have to explain how a group of mountainbikers managed to sneak up on him!
mahaloFull Memberive also hit a trip wire, and run into one of them camouflage bivvy things! but its most scary when you dont see or hear them and you stop to check your garmin or whatever, then look up and realise there loads of them stood looking at you!!
reformedfattyFree MemberThe ones that are the strangest are the ones that continue oblivious as if nothing had happened. Remember a chap bimbling through the middle of a blank firing platoon attack with his headphones in just looking utterly confused as if it was a surprise to find military training on a military training area.
Also had a group out on a hunt stumble into our harbour area, bit of a surprise to them as they tried to get into the woods only to be confronted by the previously unseen chap with a machine gun.
Considerate ones.. some horse riders, encountered our exercise, did a 180 and decided to take another route.
scudFree Membermahalo – Member
i seem to have ridden straight into the middle of army exercises about 4 rides in a row!! is WW3 imminent or something?i dont know me way round well enough so when im turned back i usually end up completely lost!
The biggest issue is that for a long time Aldershot and surrounding area was a bit of a ghost town, the Airbourne regiments went to Colchester and there were just over 20,000 British Troops stationed in Germany until (until ’94 it was 50,000 plus) and since 2010 of those 20,000, only about 5000 remain, so there has been 15,000 troops come back to the UK since 2010 and many to the area in question causing a lot more conflict between users
deadkennyFree Membermahalo – Member
ive also hit a trip wire, and run into one of them camouflage bivvy things! but its most scary when you dont see or hear them and you stop to check your garmin or whatever, then look up and realise there loads of them stood looking at you!!Ditto, though wasn’t an active trip and turned out they were cadets. Was weekend middle of the day. I still didn’t notice them sat in holes or the trip until I’d gone over it. Apologies and short sharp out of there. Was pure mistake and nothing obvious they were in there. As said though, just the kids playing games really, not proper troops.
Anyway, all as above, rules are the same, don’t be a dick, keep clear from each other and FFS – no digging!
And yes, more active during the night with both troops and riders.
Clear give away where they’re active – portaloos ;) . Just hope they don’t use them on the battlefield else all the enemy has to do is target poraloos :D
allthepiesFree MemberI went through 2 trip wires on a tunnel hill nightride once :oops:
On the “whoops” section for those that know it. Lit up the descent pretty well.
shortcutFull MemberThe only things I would add really is scan the ground more than you are at the moment (the soldiers are usually fairly obvious once you are a few metres into the trail, don’t wear head phones, apologise lots if you do run into them.
Places to be especially careful are Banana Split (top of Seven Eleven), Belgian Bun and Harry’s Game off the small grassy area near the Old Guildford Road. Also on the opposite side of the OGR at the top of the hill there are sometimes harbour areas their but fewer trails go through.
If there are a lot of port loo’s around and the odd vehicle that is usually a good sign to move on.
On Porridge Pot the usual harbour areas are near the plateau at the top. Again fairly obvious.
If you don’t know the area the best bet is to go out with a group that does or ride in daylight when you might be able to see the military better.
ninfanFree MemberClear give away where they’re active – portaloos . Just hope they don’t use them on the battlefield else all the enemy has to do is target poraloos
They only use the blue ones in training, they have a strategic reserve of camo ones for wartime deployment
mahaloFull Memberthey have been semi permanent on P44 & P45 weekday evenings lately!
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