Queen Elizabeth Country Park QECP trail building

Good dig weekend guys, Thanks for all the help about 13 Volunteers over the weekend and 15 Volunteers fro SSE on friday.
Oh and ranger steve of course. Happy trails.

Jumps test: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Z1UmD2NZJI&feature=mh_lolz&list=HL1318236190

We have lots of bits to complete before the winter kicks in.
Next dig weekend is 5th and 6th Nov if you can spear a day or both i would be a big help.

The park manager has agreed for a FREE QECP car park 1 year season tickets available for everyone who dose 60 hours of Volunteering on the mountain bike trails. 🙂

Rode QECP tonight for the first time in months. Was really surprised by all the new trails which are nice and quick. Berms are feeling a lot nicer to ride the the original switchbacks built a few years ago. Wasn’t expecting so much new stuff, the only bits I didn’t like we’re the off camber uphill switchbacks which brought me to an almost complete stand still which may have been because of the darkness or too much time spent on the road bike! Don’t remember seeing those doubles though, hit a few kickers and very nearly a deer

Ps when did the price of parking there double?! Used to park near Buriton so was shocked to see it’s gone up

Brilliant to see trails going in there. Went there with the family 2 years ago and walked a fair bit out of Aberfoyle. Thought to myself “this would make a great trail”
Top job fellas. Got to get back up there soon for some hoonin roond the fairie moond.

The two table tops are after the first uphill switchbacks. Not open yet as we haven’t finished the bit of trail after them, which will add another berm and some kind of drop thing. They are optional so not on the ‘main’ trail, you would have riden right past them.

As for the parking been a few months, its a quid for an hour and 2 for all day. Still not bad when you compare it to places like Alice Holt.

Yea saw the jumps last weekend, with loads of logs over so assumed they were work in progress – looks interesting. £2 parking all day is hardly extortionate…

You can park for free if you help us for 60 hours! Or buy a season ticket which is £30.

Yeah it’s not extortionate but luckily I managed to find another 50p in the car! Was quite happy to pay it to park under a street light!

Yep you can get a years parking for qe if you help out with the trail building. The park manager said if you do around 60 hours he will give you your year parking permit. Also parking is free for trail builders on dig weekends and they provide tea, coffee and biscuits at lunch time.

Trails were running hard and fast at the weekend, top fun.

Just rode today all the way through for the first time, you’ve done a good job. Will be up on the 6th to help out – is there anything in particular that you are thinking of adding?

Hi all,

Im working in portsmouth next week and planning to ride QE park. I have been before but was 2 years ago. Are the trails different to then?

Is there any more info on the trails, grades, where they start, ? etc etc.

Quite a lot has changed since two years ago

Orange Route is plotted here – http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=1327634

Lots more singletrack where once there was fire road, and a new section added too.

Great cheers for that, Im quite looking forward to it.

Is the Orange trail the most gnarr? Also is it marked out on the ground by posts? Bear in mind Ill be night riding and dont want to get lost.

Cheers

That’s the most gnarr that’s marked out yes 🙂

There’s a combination of posts, or signs but all easily followed in the dark (as I did on Friday)

Great thanks for your help.

Is there stuff thats easily found, but not marked, if you get my drift.

Rode there today after doing SDW. Was nice to ride the orange in daylight and it seemed really different. Went down for first time in ages today on the soft loam to the edge of an off camber section and also had my first QE puncture made worse by the fact I got back to the car and lost my computer. Found it again luckily but my legs are struggling this evening!

Great thanks for your help.
Is there stuff thats easily found, but not marked, if you get my drift

Will be riding at qe on Wednesday night if your interested. We will be riding all the best bits.

Defo interested, Would be great to have some local knowledge.

email scottreid1974ATyahooDOTcoDOTuk

Cheers

Emailed

Scottfitz

Rode there today and noticed loads of branches and logs across part of the orange route that leads off a footpath up into the woods and singletrack….you probably know the bit, downhill along the footpath after the initial climb and this part branches off to the right and up into the hill….the logs and branches looked like they’d been put there deliberately?….wondered if the trail is closed for some reason?….or if some disgruntled walker tried to block off the trail?

Either way, i stopped for a bit and cleared the way through as best i could, thought you might like to be aware.

The table tops look good cant wait for that part to open!….was challenging this evening to say the least, rooty and slippery, time for winter tyres i think!

Devient – was this after the first uphill near the BBQ area ie the new down hill section from the fire road to the existing single track along the A3. If so there were a few bits over those on Sunday which I moved

Taff, yes i think we’re talking about the same place….there was loads today, seriously would’ve taken somebody a while to put it all there….the walkers (i assume its them?) have the entire place to roam and the mountain bike trail is a mere 7 kilometres of QECP yet they still get spiteful about sharing….i cleared a route through so that its rideable again, this kind of thing really annoys me….i’ll be at the next dig if for no other reason than to smash up any decent sized logs around that area so it cant be blocked off again.

I rode 3 laps tonight in the pouring rain. First time i have been for a few years and I though it was bloomin great. So much better than last time I went.

Only a couple of small moans 🙂

I think that the table tops need to be increased in size, to me they dont really serve a purpose. Also the switchback downhill bit was very dissapointing. It has the potential to be a great little section. I noticed that some digging was going on there, Is it going to be worked on?

But aside from my two small grumbles I though it was great. Good work everyone.

I am only visiting the area, but soon i will be down for a few months mon to fri. More than willing to lend a hand with my spade if you do any midweek work.

Scottfitz

Rode there today and noticed loads of branches and logs across part of the orange route that leads off a footpath up into the woods and singletrack….you probably know the bit, downhill along the footpath after the initial climb and this part branches off to the right and up into the hill….the logs and branches looked like they’d been put there deliberately?….wondered if the trail is closed for some reason?….or if some disgruntled walker tried to block off the trail?

it should be all open apart from the table tops because there not finished. I will have a look tomorrow night on my ride.

I think that the table tops need to be increased in size, to me they dont really serve a purpose. Also the switchback downhill bit was very dissapointing. It has the potential to be a great little section. I noticed that some digging was going on there, Is it going to be worked on?

there will be bigger tables when we finish them ones. We didn’t make the switch backs but will be tidying them up in the winter.

Main issue is the have lots to do with a buget of £0 and only 6 to 10 people per dig day.

the main thing thought the winter willbe to keep the trails maintained and a bit of trail building. then crack on with new bits next year. £100k and a digger would help 😉

i posted this on the facebook site but will repost it on here:

Please can no one ride the tabletops on the orange route because they are not finished. On Wednesday all the logs had been removed. It is dangerous to open a close section and then leave it open. It is closed because it is not finished. It will be open after the next dig weekend. If you would like sections opened quicker then come and help on the next dig weekend (5th & 6th Nov) Thanks

if anyone see the logs have been removed from the table can they put them back, Thank guys they will be open after 5th & 6th

Great weekend guys, biggest turn out so far 12 people both days. Thanks to everyone that helped and everyone who stopped for a chat, the feed back was great.

All the trails are now open and rideable. The next weekend will be fixing up bits of the trail that need it. There are several bits that need doing, open up some switchbacks, fix muddy bits etc…

Will post some pics when I get round to it.

Doing some great work there Scott (and crew). 🙂

Here is a map of the orange trail with new bits on it. Will update as we do bits.

Pic from Nov trail build weekend.

nice work guys!

Thats me that is 8)

Thats me that is

yes it is and you look like your having a poo 😐

just filling in the holes..

Riding really nicely this afternoon, like the new jumpy bit!

Rode the new parts today, top job…..rapidly becoming my favourite place to ride.

I need to change my tyres though!….the Panaracer Cinder 2.25s on there at the moment became clogged with leaves and mud almost instantly….then the mud attracted more leaves and the leaves attracted more mud etc etc….very shortly after setting off both my wheels looked like slicks, the tread was completely obscured and the bike was sliding all over the place, even mild climbs had me wheel spinning and stalling….any recommendations guys?….i’ve seen ‘Dirty Dans’ for a good price?

Dirty dans… Great for a rear wheel, I’m not sold on running one on the front

Cheers for the comments dev, there are a few bit we have done that need sorting out i.e bit more cutting in and opening up some switchbacks. the trail is riding well for the time of year.

Mud x front and rear for Qe in the winter 😉

I rode the new bits last night and although lots of surface water and mud around a QE, the berms and tables rode brilliantly! I was shocked at how quick it was riding. OK it was night, and I was on my HT (so it felt faster), but it seemed as if the trail wasnt slowed by the conditions at all! First part “Electric Avenue”, skipping out the fireroad down, was a bit boggy, but its low down, gets washed with collected water from higher up and that area was always the boggiest in winters past. The more its used, the quicker we get to the harder stuff underneath!

Well chuffed with whats been done so far 8)

As Scott says, MudX front and rear (I use a 1.8 back, 2.0 front on FS) or Spec Storm Controls (2.0 f/r) on my HT, they are almost identical to MudX and are currently £35/pair (2bliss tubeless ready) http://www.bikeplus.co.uk/products.php?and=1&keywords=specialized+storm&search.x=0&search.y=0

Pana TrailRakers are also good, but more extreme.

http://www.tritoncycles.co.uk/m5b195s120p3270/BONTRAGER_MUD-X_TLR_Pair/RS_GB/7218

Mud x pair 26.99 i find them a bit better on the roots than the Spec. 2.0 front and rear for QE 8)

£36.99 a pair Scott, not £26.99. They are such a similar pattern I doubt there is much if any difference?!