Swinley, great apart from ……

The planks riding up the wrong way on the trails, especially at blind corner descents.

Firstly I hope your wrist is ok mr blue top, and I appreciated the handshake.
Secondly find a new riding partner, your pal in black needs to think of another excuse other than ‘its not got a no entry sign’ especially when backing it up by ‘I’ve ridden here for ten years’

Well you should know better than most.

From our encounter I have a sore wrist, stiff neck, bent saddle rails and scuffs on the front on my bike.

I don’t mind damage from normal crashes, but avoidable ones like this do irk me some.

Yours mr green cotic

You’re not alone, I feel your pain. Bikepark wales this weekend was full of goons riding/pushing up the wrong way, and stopping in the middle of the fastest parts of the trails for a chat and an energy gel picnic.

So were you both going too fast and were unable to stop quickly enough?

Pushing up downhill trails drives me nuts. “We’re sessioning”. You’re in the ****ing way is what you are, keep your eyes open.

So were you both going too fast and were unable to stop quickly enough?

Damn. My money was on this being post 5.

So were you both going too fast and were unable to stop quickly enough?

Does someone always need to trot out this rather average troll line every time?

last time TT was over here, all trails at swinley were dual direction.

Tsk, trail centres, eh ?

I’d be annoyed at BikePark wales this is meant to have a bit of DH slant but at Swinley the trails have previously been 2 way and often u do find joggers etc on them.

Try joggists running up Deer Stalker 😯

For those that don’t know it’s steep, downhill and made by bikers for bikers and no run off anywhere due to lots of pine trees.

AndyRT – you had me up to ‘steep’ 😉 sure is fast though. Joggists are a PITA though – there seems to be a group that insist on running the bike specific trails in the belief that they are entitled to do so. Better signage at the entry/exit points would help – they’re not specific about walkers/runners/horse riders/push chairs at the moment, let alone bikes.

Try joggists running up Deer Stalker

First time I found Deerstalker I rode up it. Good thing it was mid week and no one was about!

(pre trail centre days, off course)

Thought the whole point of new Swinley is for one way trails for bikes only to stop the walkers, runners and dog near misses and two way traffic?

I like the gaggle of goons who always seem to be having a group hug at the end of Labryinth. If you go off the drop at speed you tend to land smack bang in the middle

To answer your questions

Yes I was obviously going too fast to stop (otherwise there’s of been no crash), this speed based on
A. The trail is only signed one direction for the reason stated above (to avoid conflict)
B. it’s a weekday, therefore reducing foot traffic
C. It was on a corkscrewing berm leading into a piece of trail that I’d ridden about half an hour before and was confident in what lay ahead.
D. I thought Darwin would have thinned more out by now.

Tsk, trail centres, eh ?

Do you have to do that in every thread? Not everyone’s idea of fun is a sport that involves sticking to zero-fun bridleways while staring at a map board in an effort to get from random point A to random B as joylessly as possible.

If you go off the drop at speed you tend to land smack bang in the middle of the bushes opposite

…in my case anyway.

To add to the grumpy old git anecdotes – mine is coming off a step jump at speed on the veery fast flowing summer lightning, when it is tall with ferns, to find 3 utter muppets changing a puncture in the middle of the trail.

Do you have to do that in every thread?

No, only the ones about trail centres.
Tsk, trail centre riders, eh ?

Only in Surrey eh? We’re they wearing Barbour wax jackets and cowboy hats per chance?

I’m a complete t**t and have done many many stupid things in my time:- but even I wouldn’t ride way marked trails backwards! 🙄

It’s people pushing baby buggy’s along the MTB trails at swinley that scare me.

Pah! That’s nothing! I’ve been stopped by the MoD in woods near by when I wandered into a military exercise and was apparently surrounded by trip wires, flash bangs and men disguised as bushes. I obviously bravely ran away and had a cup of tea.

Today was great, on ‘The Big Dipper’ I took the quicker line into the bit just before the table (so you can double up the stepdown & hit the table faster) only to find a family playing with buggies, dogs & small children in the middle of the track right at the bottom of the dip.

Perfect at mach 10. best bit was the (assumed) father called me a f*cking c*nt for nearly killing his family.

Tried to point out they were in the middle of a very fast part of MTB trail & he insisted on telling me to “f*ck off, i’ll walk where I want, you don’t own these woods, come near me again & i’ll knock your f*cking head off”. Delightful.

Next group pop over the top of the table, dog gets sent flying…

Pah! That’s nothing! I’ve been stopped by the MoD in woods near by when I wandered into a military exercise and was apparently surrounded by trip wires, flash bangs and men disguised as bushes. I obviously bravely ran away and had a cup of tea.

I can beat that.

Pah! That’s nothing! I’ve been stopped by the MoD in woods near by when I wandered into a military exercise and was apparently surrounded by trip wires,setting* off the flash bangs and disturbing themen disguised as bushes.

They obviously didn’t move far as we stopped at the top of a hill in the same palce later on and they all jumped out on another group of soldiers and started shooting at each other.

*technicaly shortcut off here did, but I was second so got the full brunt of it once it ignited!

lol @

Not everyone’s idea of fun is a sport that involves sticking to zero-fun bridleways while staring at a map board in an effort to get from random point A to random B as joylessly as possible.

Excellent trolling, moar.

Thisisnotaspoon I salute you (in an utterly non military manner as I wouldn’t have a clue)

Hob Nob – that’s one hell of a place for them to stop! Might be worth letting the ranger know about the incident, might be another piece of evidence that improved signs/education of users is needed.

I can beat that.

Pah! That’s nothing! I’ve been stopped by the MoD in woods near by when I wandered into a military exercise and was apparently surrounded by trip wires,setting* off the flash bangs and disturbing themen disguised as bushes.

They obviously didn’t move far as we stopped at the top of a hill in the same palce later on and they all jumped out on another group of soldiers and started shooting at each other.

*technicaly shortcut off here did, but I was second so got the full brunt of it once it ignited!

Squaddies on Tunnel Hill eh….. think they own the place. Skulking around, digging and hiding in holes and scaring the crap out of you.

Tsk, trail centre riders, eh ?

Beardy, lycra-wearing vegan in not-understanding-having-fun shocker.

(as you seem to like generalisations so much)

Hey, I don’t just ride zero-fun bridleways I’ll have you know.
Sometimes I ride round and round a flat field for 12 hours.

There are going to be more and more posts like this (I see across most forums there are many already).

I have come across walkers, joggers, dogs, prams, pull-alongs, old ladies on sit up and begs (with wicker baskets) on some of the fastest sections of the new trails (blue and red). I also hear that the rising rate of accidents and ambulance call outs is causing concern with those responsible for running the place.

The design and messaging do not work together. For example, shared trails built closest to the car park with large berms and tabletops is a bad idea. Are these for experienced mountain bikers going flat out or families looking for a fun cycle just outside the car park? It’s both apparently based on usage.

Seem to remember I got shouted down for moaning about the ‘trail centre’ and the numpties who shouldn’t have been there.

Even tried to speak to the Crown Estate Ranger, left my number and did he call me back? Did he heck. Presumably they don’t give a stuff.

I won’t be going back.

…old ladies on sit up and begs (with wicker baskets) on some of the fastest sections…

That’ll be Mrs MTG.

thepurist – Member
Joggists are a PITA though – there seems to be a group that insist on running the bike specific trails in the belief that they are entitled to do so

To be fair there’s nothing at all that says they can’t run them. Same with walkers and anyone looking to have a picnic.

Common sense however is another matter. It’s a daft thing to do, but then fell running up Deerstalker and even Babymaker (yes seen that) is daft.

A lot of Swinley visitors lack common sense.

Odd as over in the Surrey Hills, it’s no trail centre, there are no signs (except for Summer Lightning), only three official trails and everything else is generally open access to everyone, walkers, riders, even horse riders!, as well as the local wildlife,… and we rarely have much problem and can generally cope with stopping in time if someone’s wandered onto a trail. Generally everyone’s polite and no one is up your backside shouting “Strava!”.

Seem to remember I got shouted down for moaning about the ‘trail centre’ and the numpties who shouldn’t have been there.

You can’t really stop people from doing it. Just like you can’t stop the families from venturing out to the more adventurous stuff & walking all of it.

It’s the location that’s the issue & it’s multi usage. You would have the same problems if any other trail centre was picked up & dumped where Swinley is.

FWIW, I like it – I can blat round the whole thing in just over an hour on the way home from work, rides the same in all weathers & if you ride it flat out, there are some good, fun sections 🙂