I’ve recently moved to Medway and am wondering if there are any good trails to ride around here.  I’ve checked Strava and there look to be a couple of runs off Bluebell Hill but that’s it.

For reference, I mostly ride (or used to ride) Surrey Hills – Holmbury, Pitch an Winterfold.  Not keen on wheels leaving the floor tbh.

Cheers.

Theres lots. but to find some of the good stuff you’d need to be shown I can show you round if you want, I live I Walderslade.

There is quite a bit around Bluebell Hill.  Further afield there is Mereworth and Oldbury which can both be ridden to but involve quite a bit of road to get there from Medway.  All the decent bits will require someone to show you around unfortunately as none of it is marked on maps.

There used to be a really active group called SketchyMTB with weekly rides around Bluebell Hill (starts from Lordswood Leisure Centre), Ashford and Canterbury.  Not sure if they are still running since I left Walderslade two years ago but might be worth a look.

EDIT:  I think the chap that organised the BBH rides was called Blayne and went by the name LaggingBehind on the old SkethyMTB forum.  The rides covered a lot of BBH and the surrounding area and were pretty good.

I live in Maidstone and as above there’s some singletrack and ridable bridleways/cheeky footpath trails all along the north downs ridge from bluebell hill to boxley and detling.

Get on strava segment explorer and have a look, there’s plenty of trails. Watch out for the climb back up though, it’s a killer.

Put it this way, the riding round here doesn’t make me want to go and ride it every weekend – it’s OK but nothing amazing, and slogging up a near 45 degree heart and lung busting flint covered climb for a couple of minutes of semi-decent single track isn’t fun.

Ta11pau1

“slogging up a near 45 degree heart and lung busting flint covered climb”

Is that the climb from Harple Lane/Pilgrims way at Detling to get to the single track at the top of the Downs?

 it’s OK but nothing amazing, and slogging up a near 45 degree heart and lung busting flint covered climb for a couple of minutes of semi-decent single track isn’t fun

Try the trails on the other side of common road – the ones heading towards the rail link

Is that the climb from Harple Lane/Pilgrims way at Detling to get to the single track at the top of the Downs?

There is that one but the other option of Warren Road is no better!

Warren road – I had to walk up that and was still barely able to make it up!! Then there’s the climb at the top end of boxley to get up to the trails in the woods there, I’ve come down the one at the Detling end of the woods but not up, they’re all as difficult!! The ‘best singletrack in the world’ (Strava name!) Isnt bad, but that climb…

Also the one in boxley is called ‘the bastard’ on Strava for a reason!

There’s some basic singletrack North of the bluebell hill picnic area too and a few descents starting there (flying squirrel is my fav). Secret muffalo is one, I rode that when it was still a bit damp, it’s just constant off camber roots nothing special imo.

Oh and if you’re willing to drive a bit, biketart over near Canterbury do a Saturday ride every other week from their shop – there’s a facebook group here https://www.facebook.com/groups/BiketartMTBRides/

When I get a car I’ll try and get to a ride there.

You can ride up the side of the A229 to Bluebell village if you’d rather not do Warren Road. Longer but its a fairly easy gradient. Or just push up one of the really steep ones in the woods, probably quicker overall.

I never have much luck finding some of these Strava trails though… I know Boxley – Detling but less familiar with the Bluebell Hill area.

Ahh yeah if I’m going up to the west side of the A229 I go up Forstal road, then along the side of the golf course, then all the way up along the left side of the A229, that’s not too bad a climb. However if you want to hit the trails to the east of the Shell garage (there’s one that ends not far from there) then you’ve got to hit lower warren road climb:

This is the climb I had to push up, it goes from a road to a flint covered bridleway, and just gets steeper and steeper.

It’s not too hard to find them on strava, there’s not really many trails around there tbh, I’ll link a couple. There’s even one which is semi-waypointed in the woods to the north of bluebell hill although it’s not on strava.

https://www.strava.com/segments/1401550

https://www.strava.com/segments/4320558

Ah that one. Been down a couple of times (and met cars being directed through it by satnav both times) but haven’t braved it the other way.