Holmbury 23rd January 2014

Barry has been found.

A further foray into the unknown with Bob and I piecing together a route to take in some of the best Holbury has to offer.

Despite some concerns that the remote carpark we were parked in would be locked while we were riding, or that we would return to find it full of doggers, we set off for the summit of Holmbury Hill, the clear night affording a chance for some star gazing. At this point the only injuries sustained during the ride were incurred by me as I fell off my bike whilst stopped taking in the view.

Nursing my pride we set off for Yogurt pots, also known as Rollercoaster. The latter is an apt description as the man-made trail twists and turns through bermed corners with sharp rises and depressions. A great start to any ride. It was quite tricky in the dark without a knowledge of the trail, but we both managed to stay on the bikes.

Next was Telegraph Row, wet and slippery over roots in places, this trail starts slow but picks up speed over the second half, leaving you with a grin at the end.

The plan after this was to take some of the main trails to the reservoir and find the trail that had alluded me on Sunday 'Barry Knows Best', my previous error being that I was no where near the reservoir when searching for it. Having located the reservoir at the end of the last ride, finding the correct trails was a doddle and soon we were enjoying the best trail I've seen  this side of a Welsh or Scottish trail centre (how right you were Barry), rather than fizzling out at the end, the trail became steeper and turned in a section of switchbacks as it went down the side of a very steep hill. We can testify to how steep the hill was when we tried to get back up it a little later taking the direct route. Cycling wasn't an option and I'll wager ever Greg wouldn't make it even half the way up.

Back at the reservoir we took a trail through the trees, this was rooty and quite soft, no where near as technical as the others, but having to be taken at a slower speed due to the trail conditions, still good fun though.

We took a main double track back to the car park to find our exit unimpeded and no strange car park antics in evidence.

I wish I had realised how good the trails were years ago. Looking forward to revisiting and discovering more of what Holmbury has to offer.

This is the approx. route, I did map it as a GPX, but then failed to save it correctly.