Swinley Forest Review
Here is an article I found on the internet about Swinley Forest. It's nice to see other people appreciate the trails you guys have created.

This hilly outcrop is riddled with fantastic singletrack. During the F & M closure some of the more worn tracks have been repaired so you can see where your £1 entry is actually being spent. The rest of the forest is open for fire-road riding except a small area around the Swinley Lake, this is very boggy most of the year anyway and never worth the visit unless you like ducks.

There are numerous new singletracks appearing all over the forest although it is often difficult to ascertain which are officially inside the mountain bike area so we ride them unless told otherwise. The western end of the forest also includes the Crowthorne Woods race circuit, another favourite venue but unfortunately great swathes of the forest have recently been cleared so it's a bit of a mess.

We kept ourselves amused for 2½ hours trying to remember how to ride again off road at race pace. Somehow we all managed to stay on despite the two month lay-off although we were a bit rusty and we all chickened out on some of the stream crossings.

It is possible to ride here all day and not cover the same trails but on the other hand it's easy to lose your bearings and ride a big loop and wonder how you got back to where you started. There are many areas in the forest even on hilltops where trees are visible as far as you can see, with no sign of civilisation.

There is something for everyone here from beginner to expert so check it out soon. With free parking and just £1 to ride it's a great day out, and there is even a café on site for when you return with an aching belly. Check it out on your road atlas - it's the great big green bit with no roads on between Bracknell and the M3. Use junction 3, just ½hr drive from London, or M4 junction 10 and A329M and follow the brown tourist signs for 'The Look Out.' It must be the best concentration of singletrack in the South.

Steve Jones

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