It was a bit busy on some of the Blues but in a really funny way, shopping bikes, 1980s bikes, bikes that couldn’t be any less appropriate if they tried, but all riders were chatting merrily with us and having a blast. Fantastic!!

I’m a middle aged IT nerd, I hit jumps (ok so not big ones but plenty of medium ones) and I also love Swinley.

As said, you have to be fit enough to smash it all the way round which means pedalling, otherwise it’s less fun but still fun. Bits of blue drag on unless you are leaning over trying to extract every bit of speed or air, then it’s engaging.

Nice vid OP but yes it’s not nice being laughed at on the internet if you’re slow.

It’s been a while since I’ve been there, but I used to love riding at Swinley back in the mid 2000s. However unfashionable it may seem, it was always one of my favourite riding spots. One of those places where you can make the riding as easy or challenging as you please.

Does it turn muddy in the winter?

Nice vid OP but yes it’s not nice being laughed at on the internet if you’re slow

Is this one of them times where we’re being offended for people who don’t even know they were being mocked, never will know and never will care.

Does it turn muddy in the winter

Well, everywhere in the in UK does. But no more so than anywhere else. Couple of bits used to suffer but they’ve changed them.

It turns gritty…

It turns gritty…

It most certainly does. Winter riding at Swinley eats components. Still good fun though.

It’s been 12 years since I rode Swinley last, after moving to Nottingham from Church Crookham. I would love to spend a bit of time back down that way taking in my old haunts of the North Downs/Surrey Hills (I lived near Dorking too for a bit) and an afternoon at Swinley.

Winter riding at Swinley eats components.

It does but it’s the perfect venue for a winter singlespeed; nothing’s too steep or too long to be ridable (although the hill to the clubhouse often sees me weaving up!!)

I took a couple of nippers for a Swinley ride a few years back. They’re 17 now and want to return.. I’m scared 🙂

OP, you need to augment your videos with a nasally “yeah, boyyyeee” on every drop for full on rad effect.

Swinley is just a lot of fun. I used to ride there a lot when I was at my fittest but having a guide who could string the trails together made all the difference. All year round too, I think it keeps dryer than a lot of places in that neck of the woods, Aston Hill was the worst for mud IME.

It’s been 12 years since I rode Swinley last, after moving to Nottingham from Church Crookham. I would love to spend a bit of time back down that way taking in my old haunts of the North Downs/Surrey Hills (I lived near Dorking too for a bit) and an afternoon at Swinley.

There’s a good scene going on next to Church Crookham now around Caesars. Don’t know what it was like 12 years ago.

Loads of riding though generally. MTB seriously taken off around Surrey Hills and Swinley. Good, though you can’t pop out for an afternoon at Swinley and not see anyone for hours any more. At least not at the weekend. Used to be the majority stuck around the Lookout area, and the rest of the place would be empty.

Anyway, add me to the middle aged IT nerd category and no worries with laughing at my rubbish jump & drop skills 😀 . Great to see kids having fun and progressing. Hopefully it sticks with them and isn’t lost with teenage interests (or disinterest) and forgotten once they are able to drive.

Great to see kids having fun and progressing. Hopefully it sticks with them and isn’t lost with teenage interests (or disinterest) and forgotten once they are able to drive

I/We very much hope for the same. Thy’re all doing the FoD enduro race this weekend, so i’m hoping their enthusiasm as a group keeps pushing them on to enjoy it more as the years pass…

Does it turn muddy in the winter?

It can do. Basically, it’s great in the wet up to a point – when it’s wet enough everything dissolves into mush. I went there after snow had just melted and it was unrideable. That was a long time ago though.

The cobbles hold up better. They’re rough to ride on by they cope in the wet, if a bit slippery. The ginger is the grinding stuff but worst on the fireroads.

Went round with the children on saturday, still can’t finish the tank traps without a stupid grin on my face 🙂

Where are these tank traps?! I can only
Really ride Swinley after work and now it’s only 1.5-2 hours due to the light, so normally skip straight to red 15/babynaker/red 25!

End of blue 5-6, the long long twisty flat bermy one, then instead of going right to the next blue/red1, then go left and it’s 40m up on the right.

Just for some balance, everytime I go there I leave with a overwhelming sense of meh

Whys that ? Because it’s not BPW/Afan/somewhere else ? What could they do that would improve it for you ?

a jump line or dual slalom or 4x track would be good

a jump line or dual slalom or 4x track would be good

But realistic in a place that’s free and for ‘public’ rather than MTBers ?

Where are these tank traps?

Red 32 – directions as Weeksy says above.

Whys that ? Because it’s not BPW/Afan/somewhere else ? What could they do that would improve it for you ?

I don’t think they can improve it because of other useage interests.
The elevation is what it is but it’s forced to be or become boring unless you just want to whip round as quick as possible.

It’s got more elevation than Woburn and can’t be far off Aston Hill but the venn diagram if interests seems like either piss-off somewhere else if you want anything half technical OR build something secret but don’t share it …and some fear that if ever the two circles meet it will be something akin to BPW

I still like a quick purple blast… but nothing on earth can get Ollie to go.

But realistic in a place that’s free and for ‘public’ rather than MTBers ?

Why not? Southampton do it in the middle of the public park with tennis courts and what-have-you…

Southampton do it

Sorry, that’s completely irrelevant as it’s nothing like Swinley.

become boring unless you just want to whip round as quick as possible.

I just don’t get that at all… not even slightly.

My feeling is that CE & NE are a major part of the limitations at Swinley – CE were behind flattening the old jump gulley which was (IMO) less hairy that the Babymaker.  NE insist on only using local materials, and as there aren’t many rocks in the area that makes traditional technical features more challenging to build. I reckon you could use some of the steeper sections to build some nadgery low speed stuff with properly tight hairpins and  rooty steps, but the previous trail builders always seemed to be pushing for bigger freeride features. The on site shop is now the chief of trail pixies so it’ll be interesting to see what develops next.

The on site shop is now the chief of trail pixies so it’ll be interesting to see what develops next.

Rode past the their new private free ride section on Monday, Looks pretty serious from what I can see from public trail. couple of tables, maybe a gap.

They have bars of over the entry points to trails so you can’t do a sneaky after hours run.

what’s happening with that then ? Do we know yet ?

Whys that ? Because it’s not BPW/Afan/somewhere else ? What could they do that would improve it for you ?

I’m not sure really. I like most types of riding including sdw xc so it’s not about it not being super hard or anything, I just always find it a bit unsatisfying. Maybe how busy it is combined with being fairly flat. There are a couple of nice sections but even tank traps I just don’t ‘get’ somehow (never makes me smile)

Don’t know but there’s definitely recent work taken place on the old half finished area by the start of the blue, I assume same place jim saw? The jumps looked huge to me.

Sorry, that’s completely irrelevant as it’s nothing like Swinley.

I honestly don’t see why, its free and open to the public.
Of course it’s nothing like Swinley as it has a 4x and jump line which was kinda my point.

become boring unless you just want to whip round as quick as possible.

I just don’t get that at all… not even slightly.

Other than doing it faster there is no challenge or progression.
It’s a lovely place to cycle around, I enjoy just pootling around it and boring is sometimes good but there is nothing to challenge you except doing it faster or more loops …

what’s happening with that then ? Do we know yet ?

It’s going to be an area for exclusive use of the bike hub’s coaches & clients.

Found this, but not much else –

https://www.swinleybikehub.com/blog/coachingarea

Not sure if it’s “live”.

but there is nothing to challenge you

If you look hard enough, there are step downs and doubles on the blue, similar stuff over clubhouse and Red 16 / 25. Too challenging for me (as a middle aged IT worker who falls off going over Cooper Falls).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1yRiFOdZiU

I suppose people look for different types of challenge. There’s very little at Swinley that a total beginner couldn’t ride, no technical challenge in the sense of navigating an obstacle cleanly. But I’m not sure why going faster doesn’t count as progression? Some of it’s fitness but I know I’m a long way from being able to pick the fastest lines and carry speed effectively through the tight corners.

If you look hard enough, there are step downs and doubles on the blue, similar stuff over clubhouse and Red 16 / 25. Too challenging for me (as a middle aged IT worker who falls off going over Cooper Falls).

I just did a blue/red (except for substituting babymaker for red 21) … it was a very pleasant pootle about and lovely in the forest but non of those approached challenging or exciting… (and I’m just a over 50’s middling beginner, I only really started riding again 4-5 years ago and I took the XC HT with no dropper)

Of course it’s nothing like Swinley as it has a 4x and jump line which was kinda my point

Don’t be dopey – SPB is wide open, treeless, obviously not a place to walk on, there are fields nearby for walking dogs, it’s clearly and obviously JUST there to ride bikes on.
I can’t believe an explanation is needed as to the differences. Unless you’re purposely being dense.
[edit] to simplify. one is called Southampton Bike Park.

Don’t be dopey – SPB is wide open, treeless, obviously not a place to walk on, there are fields nearby for walking dogs, it’s clearly and obviously JUST there to ride bikes on.
I can’t believe an explanation is needed as to the differences. Unless you’re purposely being dense.

I still don’t get why that should preclude Swinley having more interesting features?
It’s just a part of the larger park with a bit for bikes and nothing to stop anyone just walking across or around.

[edit] to simplify. one is called Southampton Bike Park.

This seems to me the main reason, the backdrop to everything seems to be “This is not a bikepark” but with some subcontext that just by the name it would resemble BPW more than Southampton.

You could easily stick the whole of SBP just where Babymaker currently is… or several other places