Strengths: Last 2 sections are great fun. Nicely fills a Kent MTB void
Weaknesses: Some areas extremely muddy, however I believe improvements are planned
Overall: Some good and some very good singletrack. As a relative beginner I found most of the trails were challenging enough without being too hard to put me off. Of course the faster you go the harder they become! Some good uphills and the last 2 sections were excellent downhill fun, so much so we went round these bits 4 times :D The freeride area looks great although i can't say i really did it justice - just a couple of runs of the dirt jumps. Some of the linking fireroads were almost impassible today due to the mud but i think these are temporary sections due for improvement. Overall - well worth a visit whatever your level. The guys i went with today were experienced riders who all love the place
Strengths: Some good flowing sections and technical parts due to muddy conditions
Weaknesses: Not long enough and ignorant riders going wrong way through sections..most annoying!!
Overall: Really cool place for experienced riders to use as training ground, all be it a bit muddy. Also I take my 10yr old daughter there regularly to use as a good marker place before the bigger things yet to come..even some lovely short climbs thrown in!
[Update 16/04/07] Much work has been done to eliminate the wet/muddy sections on the singletrack & the signage has improved greatly.
Weaknesses: Signposting & mud
[Update 16/04/07] Eejit dog walkers on singletrack & MTBers insisting on riding it the 'wrong' way.
Overall: Considering this was built from scratch it's pretty impressive for the S.E. The surface needs more tyres on it to bed in properly especially, as we found last weekend, if it's been raining & you venture off line. Felt longer than 13km but that was probably due to the weather & missing signs - it would appear that some clever person(s) has been removing large numbers of waymarks. Apparently the freeride area's decent but can't comment as we didn't find it.
The shop's okay & the coffee & cakes are good. Bike wash & shower facilities are a bonus.
Strengths: Surprising fun downhill sections No Ramblers :)
Weaknesses: Very sticky clay between singletrack sections, but only after it's been tipping it down.
[Update 19/02/07] Mud, Mud and more Mud
Overall: Got to say a big “Well Done” to every one that must have worked very hard to carve out a piece of bike only trail in overcrowded Kent. It needs a bit of time to bed in, but on the whole it’s the best place around to get your singletrack fix. The signage needs sorting as it is possible to get lost if you don’t grab a map from the nice people at the bike shop, might be why we met a lady walking her dog up a fast downhill singletrack section (thanks to whoever invented disk brakes!)
Only strange thing is the lack of other mountain bikers……… been there on a couple weekends and its been empty.
[Update 19/02/07] Ok, I know it’s the time of year to expect a bit of damp weather, but I went to Bedgebury this weekend and large sections of the singletrack were just un-ridable due to the amount of deep mud. I was expecting the tracks that link the singletrack sections to be bad (and they were) but even actual singletrack was underwater in some places. It would have made sense if some re-routing had been done to help people avoid the worst of it. I don’t mind lugging my bike and having my shoes full of water, but you could see that many people that seemed like first time visitors had a look of disbelief when faced with their first wade through a bog It’s a shame that the drainage and surface has become so bad (there’s no way you could describe it as all weather!) as the trails are great in the summer, and the current condition is just going to drive people away.
On a positive note – the new jet wash works great – thank goodness!
Overall: Really good. Been a few times now, plenty of parking (though not cheap at £5). There's even somewhere for you to wash your bike, which is just as well. And you've got to check out those hand dryers!
Overall: This was my first visit and I was pleasantly surprised. I think the sign posting must have been improved since the earlier reviews as we had no navigational problems at all even though the light was fading at the end. It's not long or particularly demanding but is challenging enough, a good ride for an hour or so where you can concentrate on just riding - unlike most XC in these parts. It was a nice autumn day and the car park was full to capacity when we arrived. Some sections need better drainage or surface treatment as they were very boggy, but other sections were a delight. A bonus is the hose available for bike washing at the visitor centre.
'GREAT FOR BEGINNERS (LIKE ME) ALTHOUGH FEELS A BIT DISJOINTE'
Strengths: Great all-weather surface, nice descents, fun to be had in the quarry section.
Weaknesses: Some sections get really muddy after heavy rain. Signs are still confusing (although they're better than they were). Probably too easy for experienced riders.
Overall: Being fairly new to mountain biking, I think this place is well suited to me. It's not too difficult, but still presents some challenging climbs and some tricky corners (no berms!). It's also great value if you buy a yearly pass for £30. The guys in the shop are also really helpful if you have a problem with your bike, and they have some great hire bikes (albeit they only stock Giant!). Unlike some other reviewers, I DID find the North Shore section, and it's too damn hard - whilst I was there I saw 2 guys crash badly - beware the see-saw - it seems to catch everyone out!
Strengths: one of only a few places in the south east
Weaknesses: the trail surface feels sluggish and v sketchy on fast corners.
[Update 22/09/06] could do with more challenging sections to entertain more experiened riders.
Overall: good could be brilliant with some berms and all the big muddy puddles drained. Also I felt the family trail was a bit tough for families (got lost and ended up on it for quite a while.
Strengths: Good all-weather surface. Has a bit of everything, twisty sections to get you moving around on the bike, climbs and of course descents.
Weaknesses: Signs, got lost after completing one section, found the next by mistake after some dodgy map reading and following another group of riders. I would have liked it to be a bit longer.
Overall: I managed to ride this about 5 weeks ago when I stayed at my in-laws(7 miles away)on a hired Giant Trance 3. I had just purchased one of these myself and riding it around here convinced me that I had made the right decision. It's a great set-up and I'm sure it will improve as time goes on, I just hope they get the signs sorted soon as it interrupts your flow. I wanted to find the freeride area but didn't get chance - maybe next time!!!
Strengths: Fast. All those twists with no berms sort out the riders. Plus the loose nature of the surface certainly gives it an on edge feel.
Weaknesses: Signs are almost no existant (kids nicking the temp laminated signs), although they say they're putting out wooden ones. To short.
Overall: Good, fast XC type course. Not very challenging, but if you hook it up right, it will reward you. Not very long though and is easily done under the hour.
Beginners
80%
Intermediates
60%
Experts
100%
Overall Rating
80%
MY REVIEW
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Average Rating: 3 out of 5
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