mountain biking

Been riding my mountain bike to work now for 7 months and im really getting into pedal power so im looking into doing some off road / woodland trials. Been on the net and found a place called deers leap in sussex - has anyone been to this place? Or can you recommend a trial centre that has a good mix of easy/medium and hard trials would like to do some downhill trials.

Where are you based?

Berkshire

What about the look out at Bracknell?

Look out map

Don't know how far you're willing to travel but I can recommend going over the bridge and riding some of the south Wales trail centres. Have a look at Afan and Cwmcarn (slightly closer) if you want a man made xc loop with fun downhills. Also if you're happy over that way there is also the Forest of Dean with 2 xc loops, plenty of riding over that way.

Afan in particular has a good selection of graded trails and "skills" areas for playing around on jumps etc. Cwmcarn has 2 main loops, both with fairly length climbs.

Done the look out a few times with my kids - its more of a family ride out and your surrounded by dog walkers. Just watched a couple of vids on afan trails and they look spot on. Need to hit the gym, build up my fitness and work on my shoulder injury and get myself down to Afan Wales.

If you haven't been to the Lookout for a while(a few years) then things have changed. The "family ride out surrounded by dog walkers" is true if you use the main fire access "roads" (wide forest paths) through Swinley Forest but the true MTB stuff used to be all the bits in-between.

The map that bockers posted shows the new "official" trails, created on the understanding that if you go "off piste" then you can't come crying to the Crown Estate and sue them for you falling off your bike, as used to happen. No need to buy the little yearly tags any more.

The green trail is for kids, I've even seen people jogging round with their toddlers and I've done the blue trail several times with the kids, and with me on my cyclocross bike it's a little bit challenging in places (I've not got an MTB). I've not tried the red trail, I suspect that will be more up your street, it crosses my commuting route through the Forest a couple of times. And you can still go off piste, I suspect that many of the old tracks are still there.

Worth a look if you haven't been for a while.

Its been a few years since i've been up the look out, if i get the all clear from the hospital next week then i will give the look out a blast.