Woburn Sands

Living in London makes mountain biking difficult. It’s a great city in many ways but definitely lacks much flowing singletrack and exciting downhill challenges. For this sort of fun you need to head out of town, and luckily there are a few places not too far away that aim to fill the gap.

I’ve talked before about Aston Hill, which definitely does the job, as long as you mostly like a bit of downhill fun. Almost as close, to the north of London, is Woburn Sands, which also makes a stab at being a mountain biking centre close enough for those of us who want a bit of off-road action. Ever in the pursuit of information for you, I headed out to what is basically the roundabout-central of Milton Keynes, to check it out.

Woburn Sands trails are in a bit of wood and heath-land that has been opened for mountain bikes with agreement with the landowner and as long as you buy a permit. So, should you bother? Well I would say if you’re a rider like me, that is to say a not-very-brave cross country hardtail rider who likes flowing singletrack but gets a bit nervous when the drops are over about three feet high then maybe not. There are some nice bits that you’ll enjoy, and officially there are marked trails you can use, but they are tricky to follow and not all that coordinated. You, like me, will find yourself repeating the same routes and exploring the slightly less supposedly legal trails where routes have been cut down between the official ones. They were all fun, but are they worth the drive of over an hour form London? Well probably not.

Mind you, if you are the sort of rider who makes me feel inadequate as you huck a massive drop and pull huge gap jumps then definitely pay your money and make the trip. Woburn Sands has some of the biggest lines I have ever seen and a superb jump area which is something out of videos you’ll spend your rainy lunch hours watching. If you like to push climbs and rip up some of the best and most insane trails I have had the humbling experience of standing at the top of and realising I am just not that good, then this must be one of the best places anywhere in the UK, let alone just in reach of London. You’ll also be like the guy I saw walking with his dog and girlfriend pointing out the line that put his right arm in a cast. I didn’t hang around to chat for long, but scuttled off down another bit of singletrack,

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