Redlands Trails

Lookitthat!

  ...and if we napalm that bit... 
  Originally uploaded by ben.tudor.

Yesterday, a bunch of us were mostly standing around amid moist bracken, looking for places to put some sweeping switchback turns and lovely new singletrack for BKB. Yes, we're going to be re-routing the trail after the closure earlier this year.

I'll keep the details brief, because we're still working things out, but we will be getting rid of the straightline drop at the end of the trail. It is eroding at one hell of a rate, and it has caught out a few newbies.

Instead, we will turn the trail through 175 degrees before the last Bridleway crossing (hopefully getting rid of any trail conflict there) and swing back across the hillside away from Peaslake, before making another 175 degree switchback  turn and rolling back on towards the exit to the aforementioned bridleway.

This will do a bunch of things, but mostly it will make for a far less easily damaged trail, and cut skidding and erosion. We can leave the old last section of trail to regenerate and grow back over.

More news as we get it - or, if you're feeling curious, head over to our forum to have a look at the discussions over there.

Unauthorised building

I was out with a couple of friends this morning and found a jump built on Regurgitator, the climb up to the top of Waggle Dance. It was made from rotting logs and mulch. We pulled it down.

That sucks. But it couldn't stay. Firstly, it was built from materials that won't last. Secondly, it was built on a trail that people climb up quite a bit. Thirdly, unauthorised trail building on land owned by Forestry jeapordises the trails we have been building there for the past four years.

This is how it works; we design a trail or trail feature, talk it over with Forestry, and they give the go-ahead. Once built, they take a look, and if it's safe, they give the OK.

Why all this involvement? Well, Forestry is liable for the trails. If someone conks themselves and sues, Forestry steps up and takes them on. So when dangerous or unauthorised stuff is built on trails we maintain on Forestry land, we have to pull them down.

Simple, eh? And a bit of a pain.

In praise of climbs

  DSC_1412 
  Originally uploaded by onemanmows.

While the Surrey Hills are, well, hilly, they're not that big. this makes for short, steep downhills, long, windy downhills that don't lose height too quickly and short, sharp climbs. The Peaks is a bit different. Pictured is Colin. Here's an explanaiton of why he's gurning, and loads more pics. He helped build some of the trails at Cwm Carn back in the day, and has been a stalwart on the Dragon Downhill race scene for years. He rides most things - XC and DH - and he rides hard. Usually with a big wide grin plastered across his mug.

Anyway, that's beside the point. Climbing is something that anyone on a bike has to do, be it actually on the bike, pushing it or sitting on a chairlift, we all have to get up the hill somehow. It's also something we've not catered to.

Redlands has built five trails over the years, on Forestry land. We're maintaining one - BKB. Of all of those trails, only one, Regurgitator, is a climb. Everything else has a strong element of downhillishness to it and finishes at a lower elevation than it begins. Regurgitator is a pretty challenging technical climb - not as scary as the one Col is tackling here - but technical, steep and slippy all the same.

It's very easy to concentrate on making downhill trails - after all, it's what the current crop of bikes and new riders seem to like, over and above XC Jeyness. But that said, most of the people out on the trails these days will be out on the hills for a whole day - they won't be honeypotting around a few downhills and sessioning them.

Add to that the fact that planned, built trails can be a bit 'samey' and we're looking at made trails that go down, and bridleway that goes up. Maybe it's time to make a few technical uphill trails. Mail in, or post to the forum - would you like to see more technical climbs?

Dorking West this Saturday

This just in from Oli at Head for the Hills - he'll be taking a whacker plate to Dorking West this Saturday for some jump-smackin' action. Please help!

Just to let you know there is a dig day at the dorking west track 12noon
this sat, however if you are around and can help we should be getting a
wacker plate hired and have the MAMOUTH task of doing the whole track with
it so let me know if you can please please please please please help 

Dorking West - now with added fly tipping

Big thanks to the nice people who cut the chain on the gate at Dorking West a few weeks back and tipped a load of junk into the gap between the last two jumps at the pump track - you're true parasites. Especially going back and cutting the chain a second time to dump more rubbish - a real class move, that.

On a positive note, Oli reports that he's had a meeting with the council to sort this and a bunch of other issues out, including insurance and other works, bringing the
whole project closer to completion. Nice one, old boy!

Oli's also holding work parties on the track - which should make loads more progress now the ground is a little soggier. More details soon, or keep an eye out on the forums at Chocolate Foot or Singletrackworld.

BKB suggestions box

If you have any suggestions for the new ending at BKB, try posting them on the Redlands Trails forum - there's a brand new thread devoted to it.

We looked at the weather yesterday, and decided to chicken out of riding - and went for a wander in the Vineyard at Denbies instead. They make a mean bottle of red, and the sparkling wines are award winners.

BKB diversion

Well, its public knowledge now, as you can see from the Singletrack threads here and here.
Mark H and I nipped up there today to have a look and also to take a quick butchers at the S berms, which are starting to get a bit thrashed. Oh, and we also took a look at Summer Lightning, which we also have some plans for -more on that later.

There's some pics from our trip up in an album here.

The diversion was put in for a very good reason; all of us dropping out onto the road at the old trail ending made plenty of noise, and it was right underneath some very nice people's bedroom window.
Over the last year or so, we've taken a serious look at the end of BKB; the fall line was a quick hack by the original builders, and Bec and Jon put in the not-so-secret-now straightline trail that avoided the fall line.
We thought we could probably do better, given a bit of planning. so,the March, we worked out an alternate ending involving a big switchback. This was before Hurtwood came to us with the news that the ending of the trail was going to have to change anyway.
We then started talking to other people - chief among them a certain builder of very nice local trails, of which BKB was one. He had a much better idea, involving using loads more hillside and two - yes, two - switchbacks. He completely changed all of our minds with this plan.
It's ambitious, yes, but we reckon it's also completely and utterly doable. So, please bear with us until it's decent enough weather to dig again, and then come along and help out. it'll be a load of fun, we can guaruntee it.
Oh, and yes, we are going to have a pop at the S berms, slowing the entrance and patching up the ginormous holes that are appearing in the top berm. They are not pretty, and they are going to cause even more damage soon.

The other Redlands

Back last year, the Forestry Commission let us know that they were going to harvest on the last bits of Summer Lightning, after thinning out stuff on the first couple of sections.

It was all a bit worrying, but the thinning work was done very carefully and the trail was preserved, so we were fairly happy that the trail would survive. Then the contractor's wood yard burnt down.

That gave the trail a little bit of a reprieve, but sure enough, the Forestry harvesting range for the area came back at the beginning of this year with the news that the last two sections of the trail were in an area that was due to be clear felled. And lo, they were cleared right down to the itty-bittyest last toothpick.

About the same time, we were told that the other bits of Forestry property - Redlands woods and Bury Wood - would also be clear felled. We let Nirvana Cycles know that this was going to happen, as Jackie and Simon have been running some great grassroots evening races in the woods there with the agreement of the landowner for years.

Well, the contractors came in, and they did their job. We could write about it, but frankly this article over at Nirvana does a far better job of explaining why Redlands Wood is important to local riders than anything I could bash out. I went back there to have a look shortly after the felling, and was completely disoriented.

As Simon says, it's nothing that can't be fixed. Fingers crossed, the race series will rise again.