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Bicyclemania

 

Bicyclemania

 

 

If it's rained all week, what will it be like on differing terrains at the Wkd?.
 Will the water run off immediately or collect in pools of stagnant stinkers?.
 You'll probably know how the weather affects your local stomping grounds.
 Where is it worth going when you need a change!.
Info On
'ONE MINUTE IT'S BONE DRY &
THEN THE NEXT
IT'S 6" DEEP IN
SHITY WATER '
 'It Was Bone Dry Here Last Week!'
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The Excellent Adventures Of Kidder & Chiefy

 Scottish Highlands Central S. W. Scotland Wales Midlands
Terrain Mainly high
steep and exposed		 Best riding
in forest complexes
some at altitude		 Steep
wet intricate		 Flat
limited off-road biking
Surfaces Mainly rocky
but peat in hollows		 Forest, grouse
& drove roads		 Rocky
often uneven		 Lots of mud,
even on tow-paths
Drainage Good
often flash flooding		 Good
usually controlled		 Good in some places Poor
ages to dry out
Trails Long
often long tarmac links		 Way-marked in forests, many of the trails
well trodden		 Confusing status
changes in many places		 Limited
not all tow-paths
open to cyclists
Signs Fair/poor
map skills essential		 Fair/good
Main through routes fine		 Fair
but always take
a map with you		 Poor over-all
Best Time Apr-Jun, Oct-Nov Apr-Oct May-Oct May-Oct
Pit
Stops		 Spares
And well spaced out		 Ample places to stay Quite spread-out,
sparse in some places		 Ample places
to stay

The Excellent Adventures Of Kidder & Chiefy

 East Anglia Home Counties N. E. England The Lake District
Terrain Flat,
agricultural land		 Surprisingly hilly
intricate		 Rounded, often confusing hills
and forests		 Very hilly
mainly steep
Surfaces Sandy
muddier in Suffolk		 Clay
often very wet		 Peat and sandstone Mainly rocky
occasional bog
Drainage Fair in north
slower in south		 Only fair Mainly good, lot's of peaty wheel stopper's Good
water run-off's
worn- tracks
Trails Mainly good
many see little use		 Lots of shortest
bridleways		 Way-marked
in the forests,
good through routes		 Well defined
Signs Poor
map skills essential		 Very good
but will need a map		 Mainly good Very good
should not get lost
Best Time All-year
but best in the summer		 May-Oct All year round All year round,
summer very busy
Pit
Stops		 Sparse
apart from the coast		 Ample
very busy in the summer		 Plenty,
busy in the summer		 Ample places
to stay

The Excellent Adventures Of Kidder & Chiefy

 North York Moors The South West South Chalklands Pennines & Dales
Terrain Exposed plateau Low-hills
rolling farmland		 Impressive ridges, Wiltshire-Kent Very hilly
long hill climbs
Surfaces Peat, sandstone mix Mainly soft
peaty mix's		 Usually compacted chalk, some flint Lots of peat
otherwise stony
Drainage Mainly good
big pools in places		 Poor to hopeless! Most wet disappears leaves some big pools Good but
lingering pools
Trails Mainly straight lines, tarmac links Variable in the extreme Most, well defined
heavy use in summer		 Mainly
well defined
little used
Signs Reasonable
good in popular places		 Only fair
map skills essential		 Generally very good, Kent is excellent Good
plenty of
national trails
Best Time All year round
subject to weather		 Apr-Oct
windy in winter		 All year round Within reason all year summer is best
Pit
Stops		 Ample places
to stay		 Good
very busy in summer		 Book ahead for the summer months Well spread
book ahead in summer
 

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Different terrain around the U.K.
HARDCORE GROUND AREAS:
 Hard rock means big hills, occasional mountains and spectacular riding, and that includes most of Wales, the Lake District, the Central and Western Highlands of Scotland and many of the offshore islands. It also means hard going on steep climbs and lumpy descents, which is why you tend to find that riders from these parts are in a league of their own when it comes to the really rough stuff. In fact, they don't even think it's rough. Good route-finding is essential in these areas, because coming down in the wrong valley can involve a lot of extra work at the end of the days ride, just as you through you'd finished that epic trail, take it from the Bicyclemania.co.uk team they know..!.
   
Different terrain around the U.K.
SANDY GROUND AREAS:
 Sandy ground is a rarity. Norfolk and Suffolk spring to mind, but there are long sandy patches, such as the Lancashire Mosses, Romney Marsh with its pebble-strewn tracks, Tentsmuir in the kingdom of Fife, and Culbin on the South side of the Moray Firth where a whole agro region, complete with villages, was buried by windblown sand in the 17th century. These are strength-sapping areas, apart from the main agro pistes, where the sand has been compressed and often creates huge road-width puddles. These areas may be pretty flat, but are certainly not easy.
   
Different terrain around the U.K.
PEATY GROUND AREAS:
 Peat is part of the hard rock scene too, but usually figures large where an ancient layer has covered granites, Volcanic rock or the great glaciated slabs of the Highlands, like Rannoch Moor. But it's not all at altitude. Along with the Pennines, Cheviots Moors, there are considerable deposits as well as in the Somerset Levels, any of the south-western Moors and the Norfolk Broads, which were in fact peat pits before they flooded. The only times that peat approaches anything near reasonable riding are when it's bone dry or frozen solid, and even, good wide fresh tyres are a must.
   
Different terrain around the U.K.
STICKY GROUND AREAS:
 Clay is sticky, (Under statement of the year!)
It mostly derives from chalk, but the best stuff has an adhesive quality that makes most trail tracks through the Midlands or dare I say 'mud lands' Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire almost out of bounds between November and April. It takes ages to dry out and all we can do is offer our sympathy to mountain bike riders living in the heart of England and suggest you look for trail opportunities out of your district, like Spain......!.
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