MILTON KEYNES
It’s not the irst place that springs to mind for mountain biking, but just south of Milton Keynes we discover some rooty new trails and have a grand day out
M ilton Keynes’ location – slap bang between London and Birmingham off the M1 – was chosen for excellent access purposes when it was designated a new town 50 years ago. But, as our snapper Russell has discovered, it’s not so convenient to reach from the south-west of England. We’ve arranged to meet Phil Corley, owner of Corley Cycles, at the start of the new Longslade Trail in Aspley Woods. It’s southeast of the town, near Woburn, and Russell arrives muttering expletives about the traffic.
Phil is the 1978 National Road Race Champion and has been selling bikes in Milton Keynes since 1981. With a gorgeous spring day forecast, he and his swish-looking Trek demo bike are pulling rank and leading the way. We’re doing a full lap of the trail to start us off, and it’s straight in along a fast and rooty section with a few braking bumps and pits. I’m quite glad to be aboard my full-suspension Whyte T-129, while Russell is sailing sedately along on his Lapierre Overvolt e-bike. Rooty rollicking The ride gets off to an easy start, navigationally, as we join the Longslade Trail. With sunny skies and dry, rooty singletrack flowing off into the distance through the pine trees, it’s the ride we’ve been waiting for all through winter. We charge off with overexcitement and fresh legs, skipping over
roots that no longer threaten to throw our wheels out from under us. We carve around dry, dusty corners with this new-found grip at a pace we’ll never sustain. Our legs are complaining but we’re not – we’re just wheezing and heaving for breath all too soon.
Aspley Woods has over 800 acres of privately-owned woodland and is managed by the Greensand Trust, who have embraced riding. It’s always been quite a well-known riding spot, because of its dirt jumps and sections of singletrack, but it was only last year that the 11km waymarked Longslade Trail was opened. Now walkers, horse riders and cyclists can all enjoy the area – although mountain bikers require a permit to ride off the bridleways. Nearby there’s a Site of Special Scientific Interest (Wavendon Heath Ponds) and Iron Age hill fort (Danesborough Camp), so there are access restrictions to be aware of and adhere to.
Power failure
After charging our way through the pine trees we tackle a tighter, twistier section through a silver birch plantation. Then it’s back into more pine woods. To our disappointment, we have to divert due to some tree felling that’s obliterated the excellent Chase Porter trail, but we’re soon back on track and busy winding our way around Spooky Wood. Russell has something else on his mind, though, when his e-bike motor packs up. “At least we’re not up a mountain in the middle of nowhere,” I try to console him, but I don’t think it’s much comfort when you have a dead, heavy e-bike on a tight twisty trail like this. At least now we can enjoy the muffled sound of our tyres on a soft, dry bed of pine needles as we rip through the woods, rather than the whirr of his electric motor. As added entertainment, in our new bike-ninja stealth mode we also keep creeping up and scaring the bejeebers out of tree rats (squirrels), which sends them scurrying off in a comical frenzy.
Added trail goodness
While Russell struggles gamely on, I make the most of some short little out-and-back loops that offer slightly more technical, steeper and narrower trails for riders who desire the extra challenge. After a good range of great singletrack riding, we eventually arrive at a trail crossing where the waymarked route finishes. By keeping ahead here and then bearing right we soon arrive at the excellent dirt jumps. It’s serious stuff here. The trails are marked out, but tree felling over the winter has closed the jumps for the time being. As we go to press, sections are already reopening, and it’s worth the diversion just to look at them.
We retrace our tracks and follow the route back to the start of the trail, planning to drop down the hill and up past Woburn Golf Club to Little Brickhill. From here there’s a cycle path that runs parallel to the A5 before dropping away and back into the lush green countryside. With Russell having to drag his e-bike around, though, we take pity and
decide to load up the van for some proper motor assist over to Stockgrove Country Park.
There’s no cycling in this park, but we rejoin the planned route near Stockgrove House and head into Rushmere Country Park. This 210-acre park was privately owned until it was purchased by Bedfordshire Council and the Greensand Trust, who then opened it to the public in 2011. It’s now home to a 4km permissive mountain bike trail and a small play area. With the ferns all having died down at the moment and rather minimalist route signing, it’s quite a tricky trail to follow, which adds an element of adventure.
Hidden gems
After finally finding and joining a faint trail at the northern end, we’re able to fumble our way around. We’re following old tyre tracks and the odd marker post, and being repelled by the more regular ‘No cycling’ signs. It’s a slightly odd feeling, being welcomed one second and then warned off the next. The riding in here is more flowing than it is technical, and we enjoy the fast-paced blast through the woods. Well, apart from Russell.
At a junction with a large wooden chair sculpture, we turn right to the Treetops Cafe for some much-needed rest and refreshments. With coffee, cakes and Cokes ordered, we sit out back and gaze across the valley to Lord’s Hill and Shire Oak Heath, where there are plans to extend the current 4km of bike trails with another 3km. There’s even talk of plans to create some downhill trails in Oak Wood, too, which should dispel any worries that mountain bikers aren’t welcome here and provide even more reason to visit this area.
With caffeine and calories consumed, we’re ready to taste more of the trails on offer here, so we wind our way back to the giant seat sculpture and bear off right to try the short pump tracks. The first of four (unsigned) trails here has a series of superb berms that ride really well, dropping us down to a stream at the bottom. After making our way back up to the top again, the next two trails are short but fun. And the last trail – hidden in a bush to the right – is a great rollercoaster of a ride, ending by the middle two, so it’s pretty easy to find. Back on the circular trail we make our way back to the trail crossing where we first joined the singletrack, and where the downhill trails will be built on the left.
Russell and Phil bid their farewells and head for their vans, while I make my way back to mine at the start. The last few sandy trails and hills sap the remaining energy from my legs, until I finally roll back to the car park, shattered but very happy, in the last rays of the evening sun. It may not have been the most rugged or wild of rides, but even on a perfect spring day in good conditions, it’s taken its toll on our legs. Milton Keynes is celebrating 50 years of existence, and mountain bikers have the birth of some great new trails to celebrate too. I for one will be happy to come back to see how they grow and develop over time.