Mountain Biking in Essex

Hi guys.
My wife and I (together with the kids) are thinking of locating back to her homeland of Essex, and more specifically probably the Leigh-on-Sea area. Obviously once the initial considerations of schools, family, jobs, property etc. have been pondered, my thoughts understandably turn to biking potential. We currently reside in Leeds so I am spoilt for choice for rides both from my front door and further afield into the dales, moors etc.

I guess what I’m saying / asking for is reassurance that there is still some mountain biking (even if there are no mountains) to be had if we were to take the plunge.

Any encouragement that there’s trails to ride, clubs to join, like-minded people to meet, decent LBSs, any further information really, would be music to my ears.

Cheers

[start sarcasm]It must be mega hilly in Essex – they chose to build the Olympic XC course there after all…
[/end sarcasm]

I’d put your foot down and stay in Leeds. Lovely place, ace riding…

It’s not that bad, Leigh on sea’s near sarfend I tink, so off the top of my head there’s the Olympic course right next door, Hockley woods, Thorndon park and Epping forest, plus a lot of local bridleways and such,
There’s a few lads off here around there as well so you’ll find some local knowledge easy enough,..

yes there is riding to be had but dont expect what youve currently got..

BEing in Leigh youll have Hadleigh DOwns on our doorstep – you can ride past the olympic course every day! The downs are actually quite good but more for loops than spending hours in the saddle – some very good (national class) racers have used the downs as main training. There are also other woods and forests dotted about in ridfing distance, and Langdon Hill (about 5-6 miles away) is on the national xc race list this year. Local race series takes on the immiedaitely local stuff and goes up to thetford if youre into xc

but this is prob one of hte most populated areas in the UK youll find a lot of small places to ride but the whole area is slowly becoming an extension of the east end of london, and you might also want to check out the UKs largest airport they’re planning on building in the estuary, that’ll be right opposite Leigh (good news if youre a plane spotter I guess! not so if you dont want to live around the flightpath of one of the busiest airports in the world) – although this obviously hasnt been confirmed!

Get a road bike….. 🙂

There’s Langdon Hills not to far away, Danbury Commons a bit further away, plenty of country parks to ride around, bit tame compared to what you’re used to. Richardsons is good as a LBS, local club will be southend and county, not as big as they used to be, but ok. Thetford Forest’s an hour an arf away, plenty of xc races, if thats your thing.

Leigh is around 6 miles from where I live. Yep there are trails you can get too, it wont be anything like you’re used to currently but there are 4 or 5 places within 10 miles of Leigh on Sea that are all ok but as said nothing like you have available at the mo.
Happy to show you a couple if and when you get here. 🙂

North & South downs aren’t a massive drive when you get bored of local trails. Peak district is still pretty close for a weekend.

I came down from Worcester, but used to drive 5 hours round trip to get to the coast, it’s 20 mins away now! Swings and Roundabouts I guess.

Lots of quiet lanes for the road bike, should you be tempted! 😀

Be nice to know for sure what they will do with the Olympic course.

I hope the health and safety guys don’t take all the fun out of it!!

Be nice to know for sure what they will do with the Olympic course.

I hope the health and safety guys don’t take all the fun out of it!!

I caught an interview with the course designer on Beeb Essex last week saying the latest thinking is a push to get various parts graded for ability specific trails/sections of the course…Hopefully they’ll keep the rock garden section in etc and “little johny” and “appollo dad” wont break themselves 😉

Hopefully they’ll keep the rock garden section in etc and “little johny” and “appollo dad” wont break themselves

put some chicken runs in…..

put some chicken runs in…..

Would be an option…Be interesting to see what happens.

This is great stuff chaps, thanks. For the record its not all the ball-and-chain’s idea to move, my family are in the south too…

The suggestions are all very welcome and I will certainly take up offers of tours and show-rounds when any move occurs.

And as for the Olympic course, you’re right, this would be very close and I sincerely hope they dont dumb the whole down (as you say lazybike: install chicken runs for those that want them!).

the chicken runs are already in place on the course – as it stands there is one feature, a rather large shear rock feature, that only a very few of the elite riders attempted, the majority opted for the ‘2nd route’ (also known as a chicken run..). It would be perfectly rideable for the majority of riders today (using the alt routes) although some may struggle on the ups… They are making provisions for it to be kept, I believe its already pencilled in forthe local race series in 2013.

Possibly don’t expect all day epics but there are plenty of goood places to ride but you do need to know your way around.

I’m from that neck of the woods more or less…compared to Leeds, neither the nights out on the town nor the riding can really compete.

Although Essex can be a cultural, cycling and it seems a real geographical desert there is still some riding to be had if you look around. Danbury was always popular and you’re not a million miles from The Downs. And there’s the ever-popular Epping Forest too.

http://www.essexhertsmtb.co.uk have a forum where rides are organised fairly frequently. Danbury has some nice sections bit no big hills. Plenty of riding in Epping but gets very sticky in winter. There is always riding to be had, but not as good as ooop north of t’Watford gap.

Danbury has some really nice, fast, swoopy singletrack. Great for a couple of hours after work or on a Sunday morning. Just not enough of it, and the runs are short.

I head over to Swinley Forest (1:45hrs) or Thetford Forest (1:45 again, really flat, not particularly technical but lovely singletrack) if I fancy a day out.

If you can accept that its a different kind of riding, and kind of what you make of things, then there is some good stuff to be had.

Plenty of other sports to get into if you want. Road riding’s good, lots of triathlons springing up, sailing, windsurfing etc.

I’ll spare a thought for you next time I’m hooning down miller lane or playing ‘spot the burnt out car’ in Ravenscliffe wood.

Eppin is best place I have riden in Essex. Danbury’s trails are short loops as far as I can tell more for playing around than speding hours in the saddle not riding the same thing twice. I would get a road bike and ride with your local club as that trip to Epping is a longish one.

Youre not too far from the QE2 bridge so the new cyclopark in Gravesend is only 10mins over the bridge. You also have some good riding near Bluebell Hill and Wrotham heading onto the North Downs.

Will you have time to ride? What with all the spray tans and Vijazzles you’ll be having 😛 .

My wife and I (together with the kids) are thinking of locating back to her homeland of Essex, and more specifically probably the Leigh-on-Sea area

Are you sure you know what you’re doing? I left that area 10 years ago and every time I visit I am filled with joy at the decision 😉 I still have lots of mates there, all of them working in the city so if that’s what you’re going to be doing then financially it could make sense. Leigh especially appears to be trader central these days. If you are an outdoors type such a place would be depressing.

Biking wise, just look at an OS map! It’ll be a sea change from the wide open spaces you’re used to I’m afraid. Hockley woods is OK but it’s pretty small. If I were you and it absolutely had to be Essex, I’d be thinking north essex, or Chelmsford at the very least.

North Essex is lovely but essex is a big county and commuting across it take alot of time. I live on the Essex/Suffolk borders and the countryside is lovely but it is roadie country.

There’s quite a few places to ride mountain bikes in the Castlepoint, Rochford parts of South Essex, but there’s nothing particularly ‘Eplc’ and you will need to link pockets of riding together to make it work. I’ve been riding a cross bike recently which could be another way to make your time in South Essex more interesting. It isn’t a complete loss, but with a bit of effort it can be made to be worthwhile.