At FMFT I like to make sure I’m covering the available options for North London mountain bikers. So recently many of you will know I looked at Woburn Sands, and in that vein, I wanted to make sure I had experienced all the “sands” centres.
On the way back form the Peak District I called in on Chicksands. Like Woburn this is most famous for the jumping, freeride and downhill that makes up the bike park. From what I saw it certainly deserves the reputation and the £5 charge to ride for the day. However, as ever, I was more interested in the cross country routes, as I am spectacularly rubbish at riding with my wheels in the air. I guess I wasn’t expecting much after my experience with Woburn.
Luckily Chicksands is a different package altogether. Rather than parking at the bike park with the brave guys, I stopped at the forestry commission carpark and headed into the woods to check out the trails. I was more than pleasantly surprised. There are seemingly endless trails snaking over the woods, some marked up as (tricky to follow) routes, and others that tempt you off the marked way into fun singletrack with berms and jumps. You could run laps of the red route that keeps throwing you up and down steep valleys, or get yourself lost exploring all that there is to offer in the area for hours, sessioning the fun bits.
In even better news, apparently the trails are due for rebuilding, so it could turn into a fabulous place for a blast, and all within something like 45 miles of London. Oh, and the XC trails are outside the bike park and so officially free to ride, although next time I might head back at a quieter time and give the freeride fun a tentative go.
There will be no post here tomorrow as I head off for a weekend with work, and I will attempt to return, hangover permitting, on Monday 5th September.
A
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