THE BIG RIDE
With its long, ield-side straights, wooded singletrack and fast technical descents, this is a perfect place to blow away the winter cobwebs
We head over to the rolling downland hills of the Berkshire Downs, and ride the trails around the historic Ridgeway, Britain’s oldest road
This issue’s Big Ride finds us slap-bang in between Oxford, Newbury, Reading and Swindon. Our starting point is a spacious hilltop car park in the middle of nowhere. Fortunately, it’s a stone’s throw from the A34, just north of junction 13 of the M4, so it’s easy to get to, even with us all coming from different directions. We’re in the stomping ground of the fun and popular ‘Uptonogood?’ MTB event, and also a round of the 2018 Scott MTB Marathon Series, so we know there’s some good riding here on the Berkshire Downs. But Russell, our photographer, doesn’t look impressed.
The rolling hills show some promise for good pictures. But as we stand huddled behind his van, sheltering from the strong, cold wind that’s giving us a good whipping, the wide-open countryside and lack of visible woodland are causing him to worry. Are we going to spend the whole day exposed to the wind? And what are the ground conditions going to be like? I’ve ridden here a fair bit over the years, so I know that a lot of the trails run between the fields within lines of trees, which give good shelter. I also know they’re long and fast – when dry. Thankfully, today the ground is good and firm, despite it being the middle of winter.
Nick Sanderson has joined us on this chilly morning. Living in Abingdon, he’s not come far, and had conveniently (for us) already accidently
EARLIER VISTAS OF OPEN COUNTRYSIDE WITH VIEWS OF ROLLING FIELDS HAVE TURNED INTO MILE AFTER MILE OF TRAILS THROUGH ENDLESS TUNNELS OF TREES
booked a day’s leave off from his scientific work. He’s off to the Strathpuffer 24-hour race in Scotland soon, so this cold, overcast day should be good training for him. Despite Nick only recently getting his hands on a Transition Smuggler full-sus, he’s sensibly opted to bring his On-One Maccatuskil carbon hardtail, which is ideal for the fast cross-country riding around here, and is kitted out with a Shimano Di2 electronic drivetrain, no less. Russell’s on his Specialized Turbo Levo e-bike and I’m on a 150mm-travel Whyte S-150, so I’m concerned about being able to keep up on the fast, dry trails today.
Ridges and roots
Santa brought us a few new toys and gadgets to admire and discuss, mine being the new Ordnance Survey Trail GPS unit. Today is its maiden voyage and I’m eager to put it to the test. I’ve not yet discovered how to switch off the far-too-regular beeping though! It’s too cold and windy to stand around while I fumble with the buttons and unfamiliar menus, so we set off along the rolling Ridgeway track, bleeps and all.
It’s dark and cold and we’ve got a large distance to cover, so we crack on, staying with the Ridgeway for a little longer before crossing the Gallops; like an open-air velodrome, but for horses. We follow the narrow, rutted tracks down between the fields, for a fast-as-you-dare descent to the village of East Ilsley, and after few quick jinks in direction, we’re back out the other side of it. A singletrack trail leads us between the fields once more for a short-lived descent, before we’re grinding up the hillside again. We’re actually quite thankful for the climb, because we’re finally warming up and are sheltered from the bitterly-cold wind by the trees.
Soon, we’re passing under the A34 once again and slicing our way across the grey, monochrome landscape. We’re thankful that the conditions are so dry and fast, because it means we’re quickly ticking off the miles and keeping warm. Russell is getting concerned that even with the bright colours on Nick’s bike and socks, there isn’t enough to liven up the pictures. He’s also bemused at how the earlier vistas of open countryside with views of rolling fields have turned into mile after mile of trails through endless tunnels of trees.
We head off the main route for an additional loop, which starts with a long, fast descent through – you guessed it! – a tunnel of trees. Nick and I race down, carving our own lines and leaping off protruding roots. The next section, being a byway, has seen some motor-vehicle use, but because it’s so dry we’re treated to fun, rollercoaster undulations that test our pumping prowess. With several byways in this area, there are metal bollards at the start and end of some of the bridleways to avoid confusion and keep vehicles off them, so stay alert – especially as some are painted green, so are effectively camouflaged.
After a short section on the tarmac, we head back up the hillside on a field-side trail, finally out of the trees and with views of the world around us.
WE’ RE ACTUALLY QUITE THANKFUL FOR THE CLIMB, BECAUSE WE’ RE FINALLY WARMING UP AND ARE SHELTERED FROM THE BITTERLY COLD WIND BY THE TREES
Then it’s back to singletrack weaving between the trees, and we’re soon retracing our earlier tyre tracks before continuing on the main loop. After wending our way through a small wood, we join a lovely section of downhill singletrack, for a long, uninterrupted descent. We fly along the snaking path, winding down the hillside of Old Down to Land’s End cottage. Obviously it’s not the famous Land’s End, but it does feel pretty remote here, until a car being followed by a police van shoots past us – off-road – as we climb the hillside.
At the top we rejoin the Ridgeway, this time heading west. From the car park, we head through a gate and across an open field, downhill on a narrow, well-worn trail, which is more defined as it joins alongside the Gallops. This requires some pedalling, but is a good, fast descent, which eventually tapers out into a farm track and leads to the village of West Lockinge. Along the road from here is the Grocer Chef cafe in Ardington, which is a good place to refuel, not just for the climb back up to the Ridgeway, but also so you have enough energy to enjoy probably the best singletrack descent in this area, ‘The Ginge’. The climb back up is along a good track, and before you know it you’re tearing back down the same hillside, but this time on a nice singletrack trail.
Beards and barrows
After a zig-zag, the trail opens up to the right and we head into the trees to the left of the main path, which is a good way to avoid other trail users. There are some fun jumps and berms, which we ride a few times, and another track on the right that’s worth a run too, before our weary legs can take no more. It does mean we finally take the time to inspect the fluffy white seed heads – known as Old Man’s Beard – that we’ve seen in the trees and hedgerows all day. We can’t put off the final climb any longer though, so we haul our way back up over Knob Down to the Ridgeway trail once again. Heading east, we’re homeward bound, but not before nipping into the woods, where a nice bit of singletrack wiggles through the trees.
Well, it’s nice until Nick collects a dog egg on his tyre, which is then flicked into the air for those of us riding behind him. The grins are soon back on our faces though, when we stop for a picture of Scutchamer Knob, aka Scotsman’s Knob, where Russell falls over backwards into a ditch while snapping some pictures. Fear not, this landmark isn’t a Scottish flasher, but an early Iron Age round barrow, the ‘Knob’ being the location of a market. The last stretch is fast and easy with the wind on our backs, which is no small miracle, as there seems to have been some meteorological anomaly here today and we’ve suffered with a constant headwind.
Whatever the reason, it’s nice to finish with a helping hand, and we’re all chuffed that we’ve managed a long and reasonably fast ride. And to top it all off, our bikes are still nice and clean! So if you’re ever looking for a big, wide, open space to ride in that feels free from the congestion that plagues most of the South, this area has some nice tracks hidden within it and is surprisingly quiet. It’s certainly provided us with a great start to the year, warmed our soul and blown away those wintry cobwebs.