Hi all found this on way to work this morning anyone rode there? What is it like? Here is the link

Maybe the Year’s Best MTB video..

So no one rode there then??

Yeah I have: It’s about 3 miles from my house.

It is ok as an xc course: It’s quite short and therefore good to do multiple laps.

The course is generally not technical at all, but in the wet becomes very technical, due to the claggy mud.

They have also built a couple of Northshore style obstacles that are fun to play around on.

All in all it’s quite good, but not much fun in the wet, or even slightly damp.

Our bike club did a ride there last year, there are quite a few pretty good albeit short singletrack routes around the park which you can link together to get an hour or two of riding. You can also use the area as a start point and loop further out into the surrounding area. There is a trail review on the Sussex Muddy@rse club sitehere

Ah cheers for that guys, will look into finding that route you did muddy@arseguy. sounds good! Or have you got any pointers?

I’ve done it about a year ago on a loop from Haywards Heath. I hadn’t got much time to look round there but it seemed OK. IIRC it was £2 to go round & it was under new owners at the time & they were hoping to build it up.

I should really go again to see if it has improved as we are pretty limited to what we have in the area.

Yeah you can’t go anywhere in this area: There are hardly any bridleways, let alone decent mountain biking ones. It does get quite depressing when you see what other people have on their doorstep in other places around the country.

This is why I travel to the North Downs for any decent riding.

Where do you live? I didn’t do the Muddy Arse ride in question but know most of the route they did.

From Dear Leap you take the bridleway running through Graveltye then into West Hoathly. Then there is a steep (for round here) BW that goes to Ardingly though it can get very muddy. From there you can build a loop to Tilgate & back via the Worth Way. If you are energetic then you can incorporate St Leonards forest as well.

Not particularly exciting with the exception of St Leonards/Tilgate but it may be useful depending on how local you are.

I live in East Grinstead

Mikey – if Ashdown Forest was legal to ride then you would have a top spot on your doorstep. I don’t think I could live with that – total torture!

Tell me about it. Unfortunately it’s not going to change anytime soon.

I go to the south downs or surrey hills but generally go round Tilgate/St. Leonards. The few local bridleways are are either boring flat farm tracks or are ruined by horses. Anything decent round here has to be sneaky & are still mudbaths.

Goby – where are you based?

There is apprently still a bit of hope for Ashdown.

The trouble with Ashdown Forest is, is that even if they do allow mountain bikes on there, the relationships involved will be so tenuous that it wouldn’t be fun. They would look for any excuse to put a stop to it, not to mention interferance from annoyed horse riders.

Slight hijack – my apologies.

Mudslinger – do we know each other being local Stleonards/Tilgate riders….?

Pete

Hi Woodsman – no I don’t think we do although I have been on a MA ride plus I meet up with TonyS every so often. Everytime I go to St.Leonards it always seems to be deserted – I don’t think I’ve ever seen another MTBer there. I tend to go therer most Sat afternoons.

Ah i live in heathfield, so normal ride around the downs friston and a few local woods, havent been riding for a few months do to a dislocated and fractured collar bone, its now on the mend (6 screws and a big metal plate later)and should be drving agian in 2 weeks! Woo can at least get out and walk new routes i have been plouting on the months off of riding.
Was looking at the mudy @rse website may come along to a few rides when given all clear to! 🙂

Tell me more about this St. Leonards Forest/Tilgate – directions/good place to park, any one got any routes mapped out, or link to a mapped route?

🙂

As a resident of Tunbridge Wells I too can relate to the lack of legal riding near by, so not being allowed to ride on Ashdown Forest is a real pain as it’s on my doorstep. I have e-mailed a member of the Conservators that regulate the use of Ashdown Forest to ask his views as to why there is no access for cyclists but for walkers and horses? If anyone is really interested I will post this with his e-mail address so you too can try to put some further pressure on them?

Oh, Dearleap Park = ok but awful when wet.

I’m pretty sure there is a thread on the bike radar forum about St Leonards / Tilgate. Try the search but you might have to include Colgate / Faygate.

It is the best riding in the area between HH & Crawley – in fact it is pretty much the only decent bit that I know of without doing to the South Downs or Surrey Hills.

There aren’t any routes as such, as most of the good stuff is tucked away deertrack that I’ve fettled, with my billhook axe! I’d be happy to show you around, drop me an email if you’re interested (my email in my profile). Can easily link the two forests (Tilgate and St len), I did a ride on Sunday for Brighton Mtb.org, have a look at the site, there is a report plus pics and video.

I live riding distance, so if any locals fancy an after work ride, now that the eve’s are light – email me.

Pete

Tilgate and St Leonards forests are the really big hidden surprise riding area in Sussex.

A good area to park for St leonards is at the forest carpark on Hammerpond Lane, east of Horsham just before Mannings Heath Golfclub. Probably worth just going and having a ride around but as Woodsman says, the (ace) singletrack/deertracks are pretty well hidden. Woodsman is yer man for all the local trail knowledge :-). There is a corking (and therefore unnoficial/cheeky) DH/Shore style run in Tilgate forest too.