Thinking of going to Chicksands this weekend to introduce a mate to mountain biking but the XC section is a bit short – kind of looking for a 5-10 mile loop.

Anyone know of a similar place that’s easy train and bike ride from North London?

Epping forest. You can get there on tube, and its full of track trails and bridlepaths.

chilterns

http://www.bucksmtb.co.uk/trailguides.htm

where in london, which trainline/tube?

No need for tube even to get to Epping Forest, the Lea Navigation takes you on a nice flat towpath all the way up there.

No need for tube even to get to Epping Forest, the Lea Navigation takes you on a nice flat towpath all the way up there.

Whereabouts do you exit the Lea Navigation towpath to head up to the Forest? I’ve ridden out there a few times, but I always muck up this bit and end up backtracking on major roads…

Chilterns.

Get the train to Tring and you can do a decent 10 mile loop that includes the cafe at Ashridge.

Or Wendover on the Chiltern Line, and same again but the cafe in Wendover Woods.

Or Luton, and then ride to Tring via the cafe at Ashridge.

Aston Hill? Maybe on the shorter side of what you want but is still decent enough.

Seeing as it has rained with the last 2 months Epping will be muddy enough to put a newbie off for good!

Whereabouts do you exit the Lea Navigation towpath to head up to the Forest?

exit River Lee inbetween King George 5th Reservoir, head east on A110 (Lea Valley Road), at traffic light cross roads go straight across up Kings Head Hill, turn left onto Pole Hill Road (approx 3rd left) and at end keep going up grassy bank and your then at Pole Hill.

PS: if you find a “bike park” in norf Lunden – let me know!!!

You can link up some local parks if you know where to ride: Forty Hall, White Webbs, Hilly Fields, Trent Park, Monkden Hadley etc

Broxbourne Woods and surrounding woods are great.

check out:

http://www.thetrax.co.uk

http://www.hoghill.co.uk

woburn if you’re heading out luton way

Aston Hill? Maybe on the shorter side of what you want but is still decent enough.

Based upon how slippery it was today, and the predicted rain tomorrow – only take a newcomer if you want them to either crash or give up.

Go to Epping forest, it’s ace, before it goes all boggy quagmire. Gotta find some local to show you round though, or you’ll never find the good stuff.

FInsbury park is the nearest train station so Ireckon the Tring plan could work. The trails easy to find? She saiys she’s happy to get wet and muddy…

I tried Epping Forest before but didn’t really find the trails – or if I did they were rubbish! Need that local knowledge

if you go to tring, theres trails all over, but a guide would help as all the good bits are hard to find…

Go Saturday, not Sunday (the Chilterns can be pretty miserable in the rain).

Whereabouts do you exit the Lea Navigation towpath to head up to the Forest?

Ride all the way up to the top of King George Reservior then through the old Armoury and the new housing estate across to Sewarstone then up the hill to High Beech. Takes a bit of faffing to find the way through Brookside Close, look for the roundabout in the cul-de-sac, then over the bridge.

Heres a route I did from home

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/33455096

As there’s a few people in this area – anyone had a look in Queens Wood?

http://www.ibikeride.com/trails/england/queens-wood-mountain-biking-in-north-london.html

I’ve been for a run up that way but stuck to the road.

Queens Wood isn’t really worth it. The longest descent takes about 1.5 mins and can only really be done at night. Its a dog walkers place.

There are also some small jumps next to Highgate tube, but again not really worth traveling far to get to.

You can link Parkland Walk, Queens Wood, Parkland Walk extension and Ally Pally into a loop, which is OK for a 40min night ride.

Epping can be good. It was very slippery last night and will be awful after the weekend, but is about the best to be had within riding distance of that part of North London.

Otherwise head out towards Herts on bridleways then try Broxbourne and so on.