steve_sordy
Wedding Crasher
Following a query from another member, I thought I would test the water to see if there was much interest in another guided ride in the Sherwood Pines area. I say "area" because together with @Ontherail we have developed a great new off-piste ride. Ontherail lives very close to the boundary of Sherwood Pines and during lockdown rode 700 miles in the area and discovered all sorts of gems in and around the desert area and Vicar Water. The area is immediately adjacent to Pines. We included @myapes on one of the later test rides and he loved it. It was then that we decided we needed to shorten it overall. we probably need another test ride to confirm the route.
We reckon that if we start in the Vicar Water carpark, do what that area has to offer, then cross into Pines for some of what it has to offer and then return to Vicar Water we will have a varied and interesting total route, parts of which will challenge the best of us.
I haven't offered it as a guided ride yet, because I was waiting for the lockdown rules to ease a bit more. We could certainly ride around with six of us right now. But I have seen larger groups. They were all spread out though, acting like two groups of six that were actually one group of 12.
The bits that ontherail has discovered and linked together are loads of fun. There is one absolutely brilliant winding and swooping roller coaster through the woods that is 2/3 of a mile long. I defy anyone to finish it without a big grin. Then there is that long and winding singletrack climb across the gorse covered hillside, overlooking the old colliery winding gear. As for Pines, I will be including the much liked trenches area, the bike park and several other bits of off-piste singletrack to complete the route. Whether we include the 40' descent into the old track bed (via the two rock slabs) will depend up the trail conditions. The last time ontherail and I tried it, the bikes were sliding sideways down the hill and we both bottled it.
So if you have an interest in some socially distanced riding, put your name down here and I will get back to you later.
We reckon that if we start in the Vicar Water carpark, do what that area has to offer, then cross into Pines for some of what it has to offer and then return to Vicar Water we will have a varied and interesting total route, parts of which will challenge the best of us.
I haven't offered it as a guided ride yet, because I was waiting for the lockdown rules to ease a bit more. We could certainly ride around with six of us right now. But I have seen larger groups. They were all spread out though, acting like two groups of six that were actually one group of 12.
The bits that ontherail has discovered and linked together are loads of fun. There is one absolutely brilliant winding and swooping roller coaster through the woods that is 2/3 of a mile long. I defy anyone to finish it without a big grin. Then there is that long and winding singletrack climb across the gorse covered hillside, overlooking the old colliery winding gear. As for Pines, I will be including the much liked trenches area, the bike park and several other bits of off-piste singletrack to complete the route. Whether we include the 40' descent into the old track bed (via the two rock slabs) will depend up the trail conditions. The last time ontherail and I tried it, the bikes were sliding sideways down the hill and we both bottled it.
So if you have an interest in some socially distanced riding, put your name down here and I will get back to you later.
