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Any south-eastern
riders who have not yet sampled the bittersweet
delights of Swinley Forest, known better by strangers
as Bracknell Forest, have not completed their journey
to discover the best biking in their backyard. No,
it’s not the North or South, East or West Downs,
but take a look at those tight little contours,
and do not be misled by the strait-jacketed appearance
of the forest roads. For Swinley Forest is an extraordinary
mountain bike diamond, with as much difficult singletrack,
stiff forest road climbing, and twists and turns
as you could wish for.
Reach the high points at the southern end, and you
look over nothing but pine tree tops for almost
as far as the eye can see Plus, there’s the
Lookout, a large and occasionally bustling visitor
centre, where all types mix from scarified downhillers
to cute kids and parents. So if you are blessed
with the golden chains of family, bring them here
and they’ll be well entertained in the adventure
playground and hands-on science centre while you
think of nothing but your screaming thighs and gear-changes.
The caff’s all right too, with an outdoor area
for sunny days.
To bike here, you must buy a permit at the Lookout,
costing £1, and/or a map for 50p, which gives
some help, but is no orienteering map.
There are three angles to riding here. One is to
go mad on the freeriding dedicated MTB area which
the owner, the Crown Estate, has given over fully
for our use (see map pullout). There you can ride
off-track as well as on it to your heart’s
content through woods, up and down banks, round
corries and down scary-steep sides and drop-offs.
Beginner or expert, it’s great fun. The second
angle is simply to ride round the hilly and infinite
forest roads (giving way to walkers and horses,
naturally), and try to keep your sense of direction
(a compass could be quite helpful here). This could
easily occupy several hours and burn several hundred
calories. One of the best bits lies beyond the MTB
area; head for the Wall (a big roller-coaster) and
Deer Rock Hill (126m). The dedicated MTB area was
opened up and is much ridden by the members of Berks
On Bikes MBC (www.bobmbc.com), a particularly dynamic
local mountain bike club with loads of members and
up to four guided rides a week. On weekends the
car park’s full of bike-racked autos, the café
with Lycra louts. Out on the trails you feel like
you’re out in the wilderness, but you’ll
meet bikers every few minutes.
If you are heading for the MTB area, see estimated
directions (on the map pullout section), but, with
so many tracks and trails criss-crossing the forest,
you’re probably best off studying the map then
following your nose, or taking a Swinley old-hand
with you. The mountain bikers have actually extended
their off-track sphere of influence well outside
the official area, and no one official seems to
mind. The point is, ask bikers you meet where the
other juicy areas are, these include a full off-track
route between the Lookout and the MTB area, and
you will be satisfied all day. (We tried to follow
the off-road track back and got hopelessly lost,
and then it got dark…)
The third, most conventional, and least interesting
way to ride here in Swinley Forest – it’s
best get to know the forest first, by riding our
other suggested routes, then start exploring its
surrounds – is to use the directed route we’ve
mapped, which explores part of the forest, then
heads out to the scenic Blackwater River nature
park and back in by another direction.
On the way out, on the Devil’s Highway/Roman
Road that runs through the heart of the forest,
you’ll think it looks flat but actually it
isn’t, and then you’ll find yourself careering
down to beneath the 3095 A-road itself. After that
go and tyre-tickle the banking alongside Broadmoor
Hospital – this part of Berkshire and Surrey
is riddled with famous institutions, there’s
also Sandhurst Royal Military Academy, which uses
parts of southwestern forest, and the Road Research
Laboratory at Crowthorne. In National Trust woodland
west of Crowthorne is a very tranquil Lady Of The
Lake-type lake, then there’s a natural break
crossing Blackwater River. So if you live anywhere
within 40 miles of Bracknell, go there next weekend.
People do come from far and wide, because the density
of tracks there are probably unique. It’s not
ridgeway or downland, but Bracknell’s got what
it takes.
Route
info
1 0.00km (0.00 mile) From the car park head
round the Lookout westward. Follow tracks to make
up your own route, perhaps via Caesar’s Camp
(but observe no cycling signs), maybe on the Rambler’s
Route (Three Castles Path, blue line on the forest
map), to reach the Roman Road, the Devil’s
Highway, a
20 mile broad straight line that runs
W-E through the middle of the forest.
2 2.4km (1.5 miles) Go right on
the Highway, and continue, swooping down beneath
the A-road bridge, past Broadmoor Hospital on your
left,
to reach the road, the B3348.
3 4.3km (2.7 miles) Go left here,
and continue for 2.5km, through Crowthorne, staying
on the B3348 as far
as the roundabout junction with the A321. Take the
bridleway at 2 o’clock that goes off in a straight
line between the roads, into woodland. Continue
for 1km to the second main track junction. Pause
to appreciate the peaceful lake just beyond, then
go left (a bridleway does continue straight ahead,
but at time of writing it was barriered for improvement
works at the far end). Continue to the B3348 road.
4 8.5km (5.3miles) Go left, and after 400m,
see the bridleway track (it’s actually a RUPP
(Roads Used as a Public Path, another legal biking
track) on the far side of the road, cross carefully
and dive down that. Continue on that downhill to
the lane near Hall Farm. Go right, then after 400m
take the bridleway track left, to head off across
the watery plain. Use the cycling/horse-riding path
if there are walkers on the parallel track. Continue
past the lakes, kink left, and take the bridge right
across the Blackwater River. After another 300m,
reach gates, where the bridleway stops. Walk the
bike for the next 250m, as far as the lane, with
housing. Go left, at Yateley Green go left, and
left again staying on that side of the green. At
the end, go left on the road that crosses back over
the Blackwater. Continue to the junction with the
A321 on the edge of Sandhurst, and go left. Take
the first right, stay straight ahead after the bridge
(the road curves round right to the pub), and pick
up the Three Castles Path bridleway, now it’s
simply straight ahead into woods.
5 13.2km (8.3 miles) Continue on that as
far as the yellow road, and straight over into Edgebarrow
Woods. Continue to the main A3095. There, go left,
and ride 2km as far as the bridge that goes over
the Devil’s Highway, previously passed beneath.
Pick that
up and return to the Lookout.
Total distance 16.7km (10.5 miles)
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