Redlands Trails

Moving our blog

As of now, we're moving the Redlands Trails blog to a new platform. We're still ironing out a few its and bobs, but check in to Redlands Trails to find out what's what.

Cheers,
Ben

Maintenance time

09112008205
Originally uploaded by bent udder

Autumn's here; a full weekend of rain (and, as I write, it's continuing to hammer it down outside) means that autumn is definitely here. All of a sudden, there's no grip to be found, roots are a bit more treacherous and it's either boiling hot or super chilly.

This is probably a coincidence, but at the same time, I've had two lots of forks fail on me - nailed oil seals on the MX Pros on my singlespeed have now oiled my disk brake, which is a faff - I'd only just replaced the pads. Time to check all your kit before the chilly winter months!

There will be more work on the Hurtwood soon, and Summer Lightning needs a fair bit of tweaking ahead of the winter to keep it out of trouble. It's not just forks, then.

Downs Link

Way back in August I took some time off work to get in training for the Lemming South Downs ride, which was set to be my big ride of 2008.

I rode the Downs Link as the second of two days in the saddle as preparation for the Lemming, which was a two day event.  The first day, just for the record, was a classic North Downs mountain bike route over Box Hill, through Denbies and onto the Pilgrim's Way, across to and over Holmbury Hill and then on to Leith Hill.

Having done a good day on the hills I decided to ride from Dorking to Brighton offroad using the Downs Link. The Downs Link is a route which connects the North Downs at St Martha's Hill with the South Downs and then runs on to Shoreham by Sea, it mainly uses a disused railway line. For my ride, as it was mid-week, I rode the North Downs Way to St Martha's and then picked up (after a wrong turn) the Downs Link.

From St Martha's to Bramley the trail is heavily used by horse riders and, especially after the wet summer we had, very churned up by horse riders and difficult to ride at any great pace. There are however some good views back towards St Martha's and the church at the top of the hill does look dramatic and reminds you of the pilgramage journeys made in the past. From Bramley the route joins the disused railway and although less interesting and in no way really mountain biking, it is a pleasant ride. The semi-hard surface makes for very quick riding and because you've got no car worries you can really get your head down and ride fast. As a result the Downs Link is an excellent training ride. The scenery is nice. Don't expect a ride that will test your hucking skills, this is more akin to road riding, without the road and car hassles, but it is a good way to enjoy a solitary ride without having to refer to the map all the time and to put a lot of miles into your legs. 

Way back in August I took some time off work to get in training for the Lemming South Downs ride, which was set to be my big ride of 2008.

I rode the Downs Link as the second of two days in the saddle as preparation for the Lemming, which was a two day event.  The first day, just for the record, was a classic North Downs mountain bike route over Box Hill, through Denbies and onto the Pilgrim's Way, across to and over Holmbury Hill and then on to Leith Hill.

Having done a good day on the hills I decided to ride from Dorking to Brighton offroad using the Downs Link. The Downs Link is a route which connects the North Downs at St Martha's Hill with the South Downs and then runs on to Shoreham by Sea, it mainly uses a disused railway line. For my ride, as it was mid-week, I rode the North Downs Way to St Martha's and then picked up (after a wrong turn) the Downs Link.

From St Martha's to Bramley the trail is heavily used by horse riders and, especially after the wet summer we had, very churned up by horse riders and difficult to ride at any great pace. There are however some good views back towards St Martha's and the church at the top of the hill does look dramatic and reminds you of the pilgramage journeys made in the past. From Bramley the route joins the disused railway and although less interesting and in no way really mountain biking, it is a pleasant ride. The semi-hard surface makes for very quick riding and because you've got no car worries you can really get your head down and ride fast. As a result the Downs Link is an excellent training ride. The scenery is nice. Don't expect a ride that will test your hucking skills, this is more akin to road riding, without the road and car hassles, but it is a good way to enjoy a solitary ride without having to refer to the map all the time and to put a lot of miles into your legs. 

Summer Lightning - straightlines

We've blocked off a straightline exit to the end of the first section of Summer Lightning for the third time now.

It's a desire line - that is, an obvious line into the next section that helps riders carry speed. However, desire lines are not the only rule governing where a trail is placed.

The extra speed will likely increase wear to the next section - in fact, it's now apparent that that is begining. That'll take hard work to fix.

The exisitng twisty line is also there for a reason; it slows riders as they cross a bridleway. Horse riders also use the bridleway, and the intention of the twisty bit at the end of the trail is to give them time to see cyclists, and cyclists time to see them.

Which brings us to the main event; if people start shooting out of the first section into the second, there's a good chance that a horse rider and horse will get a shock (leading to all kinds of malarkey) and also that the trail will need a lot more maintenance.

If you are (or if you see) the person repeatedly clearing the straightline, please tell them to stop, and point them towards this site. It's really important that this stops, because it jeapordises the trail. If we can't manage it so it keeps rider riding safely, the Forestry will manage it - and that could mean simply closing it down permanently.

Singletrack inspiration for the weekend

singletrack
Originally uploaded by bent udder

These guys really know how to lay down the moves. Not that they held us up last weekend, you understand...

Trail condition report for 8th May

Morning over the vineyard
Originally uploaded by bent udder

It's hot and sunny (the mist in this pic from 8am this morning has burned off) and the trails are dry and crispy. At the moment, there's not a cloud in the sky.

A little bit of work, and a whole lot of learning

BKB berms
Originally uploaded by bent udder

Last Sunday, Ian Warby from CTC came down to show us a few trail building tricks - it's been almost four years since Ian was last down showing us how things are done, and lots has changed in that time.

With a small group, we learnt a whole lot of things about building and repairing trails. Ride down BKB/Golden Birdies/Reservoir Dogs and you should have a much better time of things - even if it's not immediately apparent what work has been done.

We also took a look at a new section of trail that's been in the works for a while. I won't say much here, because it's by no means completed yet, but the extra input will make for a far better trail once it's open.

Ian also showed us some pretty smart organisational chops, which should help us manage trail days and work with people who fancy a bit of building much more effectively. Some of it is blindingly obvious - once you've been told - but is fantastically helpful. One problem common to all volunteer trail building orgs is the issue of completely random numbers of people turning up on build days. It makes planning really difficult, from schedules of work through to baking enough cakes and making enough sandwiches for the builders. Ian showed us a trick that gets rid of this - something that's been one of our biggest headaches since the very beginning.

Big orienteering event on Leith Hill this weekend

This weekend, between 2,000 and 3,000 entrants will compete in a *huge* orienteering event in Surrey. JK 2008 will  include an event on Leith Hill on Saturday, and one checkpoint will be on Summer Lightning. If you're planning a ride this weekend, then please be on the lookout for runners, and please make sure you keep an eye out should you ride Summer Lightning.

A week is a long time

A week is a long time in politics, so the saying goes. It is also a long time on the North Downs and since last weekend the hills have had an opportunity to dry out nicely and yesterday the trails were in cracking condition and very quick.

Sadly this report is not all good news. The mountain bike route that sits to the right (as you are climbing towards the Tower) of Wolvens Lane has been used by a motorbike. The motorcyclist must have used the trail when it was still damp because it has chewed the line up pretty badly in places.

The worst damage is on the last climb onto the mountain bike trail you do from the main Wolvens Lane that then drops you into a plateau of yumps and ends at the four-way junction for dropping down to Billy is a Runaway. The biker has gone off the side, chewing up the little ramp.

None of it is the end of the world, it'll just slow you down a little.

Local farmer ploughs online

Manor Farm, on the outskirts of Wotton has launched a new website to keep farm users, visitors and locals up to date with what's going on, down at the farm. The farm backs on to the trails leading onto Leith Hill and many of us will cross its boundaries without really knowing it.

Manor Farm hit the headlines recently when there was a suspected Foot & Mouth outbreak, which thankfully was not the case.

The website has all the latest news and information about the farm, its activities, the history of the farm and its involvement in country stewardship. It’s a great looking site and will knock the detractors who see farming as backward.