PSA: For The SWINLEY Folk

I'll rub it better if you like, viv…

actually in all fairness to swinley – compared to cannock there are no awfully rutted sections and hardly any braking bumps – this could well be because it, ahem, goes both ways….

So with places like Cannock, Forest of Dean etc., is there a permit system? Are these Forestry Commission owned or what?

I really must lose my cynicism that questions whether we get spoonfed tosh from Crown Estate.

compared to cannock there are no awfully rutted sections and hardly any braking bumps

This is because the 'singletrack' at Swinley is 5 **** foot wide in places…

im pretty sure cannock is forestry commission, no permit system, just park and play, think a few car parks are pay and display.

but cannock doesnt have the special heritage trees that create a more dynamic riding experience – that alone is worth paying for….

nickc – trusay.

nickc – Amen! It's not so bad now as the dry weather has meant that a hardpacked line has appeared, but give it a couple of damp weekends and there will be people riding all over the place to avoid getting their tyres wet. I'd be happy for some of my 20 quid to go into signage saying 'Keep our Singletrack Single!' to be stuck up over the winter.

Cannock is FC, you can either pay for an annual permit to get free parking for £50, or pay and display on the day for parking. The trails themselves IIRC are 'free'.

Nickc – the singletrack is about a foot wide for most of it, I reckon. You really sound like you've not explored Swinley properly AT ALL. It's a top place to ride if you put any kind of effort in.

Re responsibility: when you are messing about in a quarry that just happens to be there, you are taking your own responsibility. At Swinly they have provided a load of trails for our use – because we are using something they've provided, we can in theory sue if it's not safe. If for instance they built a lovely swoopy bit of singletrack that led you round a blind bend and immediately off a cliff, that'd be their fault and you could sue (legally speaking and perhaps morally). They clearly haven't done anything stupid, however, but people are trying to exploit the law – which I am NOT CONDONING in anyway so put your flamethrowers away.

And I bought a permit using Paypal on my phone, and I could show the email to anyone who asked to prove it there and then.

£2 at reception and sign the list, takes ohhhhhhh 90seonds?

Only if you are there during the day, mate 🙂

I paid for a permit last year but didn’t get anything like enough use out of it, now I’ll just stick to day passes but I do always buy one.

Regardless of weather or not Swinley is the dog’s bollocks it is at least an insured, maintained riding venue with a solid local club that puts on regular events, worth the odd couple of quid every time I go there I reckon…

Sadly there’s always going to be some who will choose to sue given half a chance, it’s worth noting that if you pay for a day ticket it does give you liability cover for the day, so if you T-bone some Chav stood in the middle of a trail (we’ve all seen them), any claim he tries to make shouldn’t cost you regardless of the outcome…

I went to Swinley on Saturday and got completely lost away from the Lookout, didn't see a soul for about an hour – found lots of good trails, not sure I could find them again though.
I always thought the 'permit to ride' thing was a running joke… didn't realise it was for real until I read the signs.

cookeaa – Member
… it’s worth noting that if you pay for a day ticket it does give you liability cover for the day, so if you T-bone some Chav stood in the middle of a trail (we’ve all seen them), any claim he tries to make shouldn’t cost you regardless of the outcome…

Cookeaa – straight to the point. That is exactly why it is worth the £2.

Crown Estates are insured – riders are not, unless they buy a permit. So when that chav you tea-bone get's a visit from an Ambulance Chasing Lawyer – guess what? He is going to sue YOU!!! That will be an unholy ballache – courts, phone calls, mountains of paperwork, time off work and a nice fat dent in your bank account at the end of it.

OK, so you go, the trails are so bumpy they haven't had maintenance for years… Oh and didn't the Harry potter filming bring in a LOAD of cash haven't seen any of that spent up their….. (oh not been for a couple of months so please correct me) 😆

molgrips, you've no idea chap, been riding around Swinley on and off for the better part of 15 years. (dear lord, I feel old all of a sudden)

Oh.. well then you are unlucky that you don't like your local riding.

I enjoy your local riding very much 🙂

but i am insured!
do i still have to buy a permit?

yes, them's the rules

Not sure why there's such a "It's not worht £20 a year, but I'll ride there anyway and not pay"

£20 = ~10p/day, probably lose more down the back of the sofa!

If you think its that crap, don't go?

I have ridden there several times since my permit expired in April, but I seriously kept forgetting to renew 🙁

I've got 4 years worth wrapped around my cables.

It's private land so I don't mind paying. FFS it's only £20. If you don't want to pay it go elsewhere.

I've got 4 years worth wrapped around my cables.

think of the weight!

one crap think about the annual permit is that it does not run for 12month from when you by it…

so only valid

Annual Permit = £20
Permits are valid from 1st April 2010 – 31st March 2011

not much incentive to buy one at other times of the year really…

i know there is bound to be an admin thing, colours issued each year etc etc

but

think they would get more sign ups if you permit ran for 12months from date of purchase…

think of the weight!

I ride at Swinley therefore I've got a full 40lbs downhill rig with 10inches of travel both ends. Add to this a full face helmet, back knee, elbow, wrist, neck and crotch pads.

A fully loaded Camelbak with a 5 litre bladder and a full compliment of spares 'cos it's so remote and wild.

GPS and Sat Phone

Not sure three extra bands of plastic are going to make much difference

I ride at Swinley therefore I've got a full 40lbs downhill rig with 10inches of travel both ends. Add to this a full face helmet, back knee, elbow, wrist, neck and crotch pads.

You're the one we nicknamed the Twig (like the Stig, but on a mountainbike) at the gully on Saturday? He was tricking off everything, so we'll forgive him for being and anti social grump in blacked out goggles, black full face and iPod plugged in.

It's not that i don't like it, it's just overused.

I dunno, I've only ever been there on weekday evenings and seen hardly anyone…

Crown Estate announces income surplus of £210.7 million.

Taken from the home page of their website.

They 'allow' the trails to be built, they do not build them. It's a working forest.

Harry Potter filming caused inconvenience by restricting access to fire roads and some singletrack. For months at a time over a space of several years. Also loss of some car parking capacity. I did not get 'value for money' from my annual permit.

Of course we do not know the income from HP but Bracknell Forest Borough Council also received money from the use of car parking for this.

I did not get 'value for money' from my annual permit.

Bugger off and ride elsewhere then

Easy Tiger 😉

To be fair, the trail pixies have not been able to build/maintain the Swinley Trails, due to it being stopped by the management etc, however they have just been given the green light again….

Hmmm the Swinley M/Ways I do agree with you Nick loL.

Easy Tiger 😉

Never a truer word spoken (or typed)

Could someone point me in the direction of these motorways? I feel I'm missing out on these trails I've not found yet.

Trail from the top of the full nine yard to the green bench for starters

Yeah, unfortunately anywhere that's flat tends to get widened by people trying to avoid getting water or mud on their mountain bicycles. Not much we can do about that.

anjs – Member
Trail from the top of the full nine yard to the green bench for starters

Known as the "Crowthorne Highway" by some…

I did not get 'value for money' from my annual permit.

C_G – It's private land. If you don't feel you get value for money, you have the choice not ride there.

ive found aston hill to be much better value over the last year in terms of built trails.

its nice that i can still go to swinley and pay on the day though – perhaps i will schedule a visit after the summer holidays are over.

my 'out the door' riding is easily as good as swinley so the traffic & travel make it a less regular haunt.

Aston Hill is a different sort of ride though. I'd never get my wife around Aston XC loop, never mind the other runs, but she'd be happy to pootle around Swinley for a few hours.

I like Swinley for an occasional ride and there's plenty of ground to cover without doing trails twice if you know your way around. On the other hand, yes it can get a bit crowded and some of the trails get ruined over winter. Still, it's another local place to ride and fits okay with the other places I go.

Swinley clearly dont want riding on there considering they have banned trail maintenance….A rigid SS is clearly the minimalist way to go there especially in the winter 😆