There'll be trouble ahead – Swinley Forest content

yeah that bit dropping in just past the reservoir is really good flowing fast

I dont want to appear unkind but you arent forced to ride at Swinley..

I think the point CG was making was that if you live in Bracknell, Crowthorne, Wokingham, etc then it’s the local woods and the new setup is worse than what it replaces. If you’re driving from further afield then you’ve got a choice of your local riding or driving to Swinley, or elsewhere. Whereas if a local doesn’t want to ride a pre determined one way trail their alternative is to drive somewhere (which is obviously worse than being able to ride from your door).

I am prepared to give them e benefit of the doubt at the moment. I think it will be great to have an all weather option in the area and there is plenty of other stuff nearby. Plus SF was close to a TC anyway IMO. Hopefully the whole DH will stay the same?

Might put more pressure on Porridge Pot etc..?

My friend was telling me that she saw mums with pushchairs on some new singletrack.
Also, an update to say that a phone call was not received from Crown Estate. Civil servants eh.

Hitting walkers doesn’t actually hurt very much.

They tend to take most of the energy from the impact. 😆 I haz experience in this matter.

I luckily stopped some downhillers just in time before they set off down the new fast section by the reservoir, because I saw a group of young kids pushing their bikes back up the track to do it again, despite there being a forest track parallel. To top it off there was an adult behind/with them 🙄

The new trails were fun, but I personally found it a shame everything is so smooth now. Absolutely gutted if they do get rid of the other trails in there.

I know what you mean about the smoothness, prefer some roots\ruts\rocks thrown in there. I used my HT over the full sus after a few rides there, might have to go rigid next after the smoothing down. I guess they wouldn’t be willing to set any rocks in place in case of injury.

I think the point CG was making was that if you live in Bracknell, Crowthorne, Wokingham, etc then it’s the local woods and the new setup is worse than what it replaces. If you’re driving from further afield then you’ve got a choice of your local riding or driving to Swinley, or elsewhere. Whereas if a local doesn’t want to ride a pre determined one way trail their alternative is to drive somewhere (which is obviously worse than being able to ride from your door)

This is exactly the point. I am not longer a local – but the main fun of SF was being able to string a ride together – indeed I used to drive from Bristol to meet up and ride. No point any longer – if I want a guided trail – I’ll go to Afan

Overall, a poor result for locals – unless you get “lost” though I understand much of the Crowthorne trails are still there

If there really is no off piste – then I’m glad I don’t live there any more

It really isn’t a poor result for locals (as a local) – hardly any of the old trails have gone…

Still don’t get the moaning.

Having spent a few weeks riding the new loop it’s not as bad as I thought it would be.

On the downside:

It’s chuffin busy at weekends, not so busy that quick laps are impossible, but busy enough that you’d struggle to get a clean run through any section. Not the end of the world, but it’s certainly busier than it used to be.

The swinely facebook page is full of moaners moaning about everything from slower riders, to braking bumps, and ‘XC’ riders cutting the ques for sections.

On the plus side:

It’s weatherproof, the fire roads are suffering (very badly in places) more than the trails when it rains!

While a lot of stuff that ran vaguely nearby to the new stuff is beyond riding (or just not as good as the new bit), there’s still loads of off-piste alternatives to keep a sense of variety if you ride the loop regularly.

If it’s hugely popular then it might get more investment and more trails. Or cynically it might get overused and eroded.

I’m with gee. Just because there’s a bunch of posts with numbers on people seem to think that’s all you can ride. You can ride them in any order you like, go off piste, head to crowthorne etc etc. The only real constraint is that you stick to the signed directions, but if its quiet you can even bend that rule on some sections.

Gee +1

You are supposed to keep to the trails or fr unless you go into crowthorne, that’s the point, no off-piste.

You are supposed to keep to the trails or fr unless you go into crowthorne, that’s the point, no off-piste.

Yes mother

now go play in the woods.

Just to throw my 2 penneth in.

I’ve never been but probably will on the next couple of weeks but I’m not likely to veer off the marked trail. I have no idea what the area is like but I would have thought that by keeping the visitors on the marked trails will improve the off piste stuff. If it survives that is.

I’m quite concerned about the Swinley forest situation. I first rode there in 92 and have done most of my riding there until I moved away 6 years ago. It was always a great place to ride and you could mash your route up and link many different routes together. Sometimes a new trail would pop up and this would mean that people were evolving the landscape and making it more inviting for us MTBers. I was planning a visit there next month and contacted an old mate of mine in the hope of seeing him there, he said I would be wasting my time there now and it is not worth the 100 miles in my car. I’ve done some research and I’m appalled that such a mecca for cyclist has turned into this playground for unadventurous people. Why has it got a oneway system with waymarker posts. I would have tolerated the posts if it left those of us that know the place to carry on as normal. BUT! why is policed to the extent of us not being able to ride as we have done for years. I’ve made a few good friends there in the past by finding lost soles and showing them the delights of the place. I’ll probably never go back now. Bracknell has now lost a pearl in its otherwise grotty existence (I know I used to live there).

Andy

Why has it got a oneway system with waymarker posts. I would have tolerated the posts if it left those of us that know the place to carry on as normal. BUT! why is policed to the extent of us not being able to ride as we have done for years.

Simply put, they had a choice. This, or no riding at all. I’m sure you understand the latter is better than the former.

dodgyrider – BUT! why is policed to the extent of us not being able to ride as we have done for years.

It isn’t.

PErsonally i think Swinley has improved. If it’s a choice to me between Swinley or Forest of Dean for example, Swinley will now win, the differnece in terrain/trails isn’t that significant to make enough of a difference between a 35 mins drive or a 1hr 30 drive.

Swinley now a playground for the unadventurous implies it was for the adventurous before. It was just a crappy forest near bracknel, it really wasnt adventurous. Its fun now and it was fun then nothing more nothing less. If you want adventure you head off to Scotland not **** bracknel!

You resurected an old thread to moan about somewhere you’ve not been?

a) the old trails are still there (except where overun by new stuff)
b) crowthorne is still there
c) the new trails are for the most part better than what they replaced, the only bit i realy dont like compared to the old version is 9yards, some of the bermy bits are better but the rest is pants.

d) it was never worth driving 100 miles, stop being melodramatic!

such a mecca for cyclist has turned into this playground for unadventurous people

Really?
I can’t imagine Swinley ever having been described as a Mecca for cyclists. As said above, it’s a forest in Bracknell with a couple of ok trails in it. It never has been nor ever will be a Mecca for cyclists.

Israel. Now THATS a Mecca for cyclists

Hmm. I have to say I was very anti change at Swinley. However, have had a ride of the new trails a couple of times, and if you accept they are what they are then it’s a fine way to spend some time.

I am sure that in the depths of winter I will be more positive.

I have ridden at gone six pm on a Sat (totally empty) and at 7.30 am last sat (to avoid the heat more than the people) and I saw maybe 10 riders on my way round (mostly when you get back onto the blue).

For more natural riding I am off to other spots….but for a 90 min whip around on a singlespeed it’s more than okay. And plus one for thisisnotaspoon’s points!

Israel. Now THATS a Mecca Jerusalem for cyclists

FTFY?

Oooh! never thought I get some hateful replies. I wasn’t being hateful to anyone so why send it my way? Well let me explain further. I never traveled 100 miles to ride there. I used to live in Bracknell and then Basingstoke and it was great to meet mates there for a good days riding, everyone has a local ride. I have read and been told that Swinley (or the Lookout as we called it) is now oneway only and no off piste. Scotland? would love to, I’ve done the Alps, Crete, China and road biked in Croatia though. I go to Wales for a real blast, its closer. Bracknell wasn’t rubbish. It was close and it was as much fun as you made it….. :¬)

Have a nice day
Andy

I’d have never driven 100 miles to ride Swinley, it was good fun, but not that good! I like about 30 miles away and I’ve only driven there to ride twice, not been since they changed it, but the handwringing seems a little misplaced.

Go to the Surrey Hills if you want a really long ‘natural’ loop – or do Swinley, then do Gee’s 100 mile route!

You resurected an old thread to moan about somewhere you’ve not been?

a) the old trails are still there (except where overun by new stuff)
b) crowthorne is still there
c) the new trails are for the most part better than what they replaced, the only bit i realy dont like compared to the old version is 9yards, some of the bermy bits are better but the rest is pants.

d) it was never worth driving 100 miles, stop being melodramatic!

I have been, I’ve ridden there regularly from 1992 – 2007 (amongst other places)
I never drove 100 miles to get there, it was 25 minutes in the car. Please learn to read.

it was as much fun as you made it….. :¬)

Still is TBH

I don’t live near there anymore, but I am enjoying these wonky rants. I live 100 miles away. I was planning a visit to see some mates for a ride. He said don’t bother coming for Swinley it is not worth the trip. :¬)

I’ve ridden there regularly from 1992 – 2007

6 years allows for a lot of changes, though, even in stuff that’s just ridden and randomly maintained and extended by local riders?

I’m glad it still is as much fun as you made.

Swinley has lost something in the change. It’s now a trail centre and before it was endless singletrack in some woods. It’s gone from being reasonably exclusive to being much more inclusive. It used to be a place where you had to put time in to find the trails or make sure you went with someone who knew where they were going. The fun of showing new bits to people or being shown new bits/loops has been taken away. However it’s gained in other ways, some of the new trails are great fun!

It does seem to be a mental there at the moment, air ambulances reported landing every day, new sections sanitised on safety concerns. But it is the summer and the schools holidays now too. I think come winter some of the old Swinley feel will return.

There are places nearby which still have the same “old” Swinley feel and are as good if not better…. as long as you avoid the MOD

That said I’m moving to Scotland next month 😀

Don’t see any hate – just people who have actually ridden there before and after ‘the change’ and know the situation, rather than making judgements based on second hand information.

If you’d not been there for 6 years then you’d have been dismayed at the state of the place – Watson’s Wander had turned into a 15(+) foot wide swathe through the forest, the quiet little junction in the Labyrinth had turned into a bare forest clearing, the Seagull trail had been reinforced with a hardpack gravel surface etc. Basically the volume of riders had gone up and the existing trails were either being changed to cope or suffering badly with the increased wear. Add to that the reported cases of claims against the CE due to riders crashing on unmanaged trails and pressure from Natural England to do something about the SPA for wildlife that the forest is a part of.

Change had to happen – as above they could’ve just closed it off but instead they invested c. 300K to make it a different destination. A lot of the old good stuff is part of the new routes. Other bits are still there but barely ridden and so feel quite different now, and the new bits are different in character but are still fun to ride.

On second thoughts. No you’re right, it’s rubbish. Don’t bother coming, it’s already attracting more than enough visitors.

If you guys want? I’ll come over one weekend and we can all go for a spin to enable me to re-experience it. I’ll bore you to death with old anecdotes of the olden days.
I’ll give you my gmail address if you want?

The revamp was never going to make everyone happy.

I’ve only ridden it once since the change and generally I’m pretty happy with it. The Blue is more flowy but rarely excites, whereas the Red is non-flowy but far more rad gnar skillz innit. Me likey and will be returning.

Israel. Now THATS a Mecca for cyclists

Swinley’s nearer and has more trees. I’d rather go to Swinley.

Haven’t been since the “change”, but heard nothing but good reports…

If you’ve not ridden in a busy place for 6 years, how can you comment on how it was before these new changes? All very well pining for the fjords but the place you rode was already gone.

singletracksurfer – Member

The new trails were fun, but I personally found it a shame everything is so smooth now.

That’s just new builds- you have to build smooth, only way to do it, but that doesn’t mean it’ll stay smooth. Trail will wear back, cut up a little, frostheave, and generally evolve with a little time. Depending on how they’ve built it, roots and rocks might come through (though I’m assuming it’s mostly machine built which makes it hard to retain roots, but not impossible)