Thrunton woods

After the travails of the thinning operations last year, destroying some classic trails, theres some serious clear felling on the go just now, any regulars still running the gauntlet, had a couple of hours today the best bits still ok, but who is trying to sanatize Vector, still top dollar but the modifications seem a bit out of place on this old walkers path.

email me for details of the vector work… 😉

It will all become apparent.

carl r donaldson @ gmail dot com

OMG! You mentioned the place that can not be named on here, I can feel ‘The Others’ closing in now.

Actually Drac I haven’t nabbed you yet to come and give a hand on dig days.

Yep Considering the numbers that seem to ride there no matter what state the trails are in year round it seems a little hypocritical to get worked up about a local enthusing about an area, i ride responsibly and don’t try to turn a venue into a sanitized theme park.

Vector was a great natural trail/ old path with little erosion, a little boggy at the finish, but this dried out. Now somebody has taken it upon themselves to change the course of the trail with branches, place rocks and gravel on the soft sections, it reminds me of a very poor attempt at trail center type building, i guess it will go the same way as the trails up near HP sauce/super G – trashed.

That someone happened to be me BTW, it was done for a reason. Now I did ask for you to email me and I would explain why the Thrunton Trail builders decided to do this on that really boggy lower section which is only about 5 meters of trail.

If you want to get involved rather than come on a public forum and help with maintaining the trails then email me and I can sort that out for you.

There was one this Sunday gone IIRC Carbon but I couldn’t get, I rode there on Saturday it was incredibly dry meant to fire an email to you but forgot. I’ve been saying for years I’ll get over to help but just never made it, keep me informed though.

I will say and said it before that the building of those trails have made Thrunton a busy place now a victim of it’s own success, gone are the days of riding there and seeing no one barely even a walker. However, there is some lovely bits in there and the original ones we rode or still there, well most of them.

Thrunton is very susceptible to the weather though and even when there was just a handful of us riding it regular the erosion from the weather could be quite substantial, washing whole trails out.

Bang on Drac, def a victim of its own success, shame but thats the way it goes I guess, weekend warriors (you know the ones…dressed like robocop for xc riding) have the trails fecked…..luckily they dont seem to know them all…….yet!!

I hear someone has also spoilt Eiger sanction by building a jump on the run out of the rock chute!! not ridden or seen it myself yet but have it from a reliable source who knows their stuff that this certainly does not enhance what was a great natural section of trail.

Thrunton is still a fun place to ride for a once in a while change from the Cheviot hills though and I do think the trail builders do a much needed and on the whole good job, with so many of them have often wondered how long it takes and who decides what gets done!!? But seeing as I only ride there once a month at best I can happily live with their decisions.

Stranga there’s no jump on eiger and which trails are fecked?

Carbon why all the cloak and dagger stuff, just tell me here!!??

Stranga was down the Eiger yesterday didn’t notice any modifications, also folks the new rungs on the opening north shore on the TOTD my handy work from last year, still holding up, i feel passionately about the place and do my little bit for the trails when i can.

Carbon why all the cloak and dagger stuff, just tell me here!!??

The trails at Thrunton are supposed to be kept hush hush, futile I know now but Carbon is just doing what was asked.

Toons, sorry I stand corrected the person that told me has obviously got his wires (trails) crossed like I said I have not ridden it recently although it is a personal favourite, as for fecked the last time I was there I would say parts of Super G (think thats whats its called, few bits on HP and a fair bit (mostly at the start) of the trail thats opposite where super G comes out thats IMHO.

@drac do you have a name for the couloir of doom, you know the one at the end of the escarpment, love that trail, big old pines very north shore feel. But remember folks in the bigger scheme of things it’s probs rubbish.

I thought the cloak and dagger stuff was related to access rights, rather than any trail knowledge or sustainability issues ?

Haven’t been along there this year yet, how’s it drying out ?

There are serious logging operations in progress.

@drac do you have a name for the couloir of doom, you know the one at the end of the escarpment, love that trail, big old pines very north shore feel. But remember folks in the bigger scheme of things it’s probs rubbish

I never remember the names of them but I know the area you mean.

It’s drying out very well much drier than I thought it would odd patches of bog in the usual areas but I had more dust on my bike than mud on Saturday. Logging in going on but at the moment not on the trails just near them and they’re letting you through.

Thrunton is a shadow of it’s former self, it looks like i’m flogging a dead horse anyway, i’m out of here.

Should now be known as the venue formerly known as Thrunton.

Nah! It’s still good but has changed a lot but heavy rain has done most of that and FC diverting trails too, the built trails have made it very popular though.

Most of the ‘sanitizing’ has been done to stop the trails turning into big wide muddy scars on the landscape, which is becoming the case in places like jakes-doghouse, due to the usual riding around muddy spots.
The rocks and gravel have been put down to armour the muddy area and drainage ditches dug.
Cant see how this is wrong myself? would understand if they had built northshore over them but rocks and gravel? which WILL blend in over few weeks.
All inmho of course

The few bits I seen at the weekend helped on some of the bits that can really boggy. I’d prefer it if Thrunton has stayed how it was but it hasn’t it’s been picked as a place to build trails, some of which are great fun and well that’s the way it is.

You are of course right and i should get a grip, i guess my own perception is of how the trails were riding a few years ago, they have eroded badly with more traffic and of course ongoing forestry operations havent helped.

But the bottom line is, it is a working forest the trails have been created from nothing by the trail builders to a large extent, even if they feel as natural as can be, imho TOTD and the Eiger sanction are phenominal creations as mtb trails and i will be very sad to see thier demise. So thankyou Charlie and crew for some great riding no matter how fleeting that is going to be.

Might have a trip up there next week. So another day tripper coming to erode the trails. I have been going up their since I was one though. My mum used to live at Callaly and used to ride her horse up there. They were always Callaly Woods to me and Thrunton Crags. Now my bairns love to climb on the big beach trees at Castle hill just like when I was a nipper. Need to take them to the Hermits cave as well.

Also need to follow someone else down the really steep stuff as I was a reet chicken last time I went.

I remember picking Cherries at the back of Callay Woods when I was a nipper, my Uncle farms Lorbottle.

Geda give a shout when your going I might be able to get next week as only working 2 full days, well 2 part full days as only 8 hours,

Sounds cool Drac, I will send you a mail. Will see how I go with real hills after the height points of 175m in Sweden.

You could always ride the gulley and castle hill to the hole in the wall………..just like back in the day, proper old school 😛

You could always ride the gulley and castle hill to the hole in the wall………..just like back in the day, proper old schoo

Saturday was probably the only time I’ve never ridden that when I’ve been at Thrunton.