East Anglia

Thetford is easy to dismiss, with is complete lack of contours. However, the trail builders have been clever, and built some trails that are hard if you ride them fast. And you will ride them fast, leaving you more knackered than a day in the Peak! The black route is the original and is still good, although is getting worn and in the winter can be very muddy. It also features the infamous bombholes, where you ride down and up the other side. Some of the drop-ins are worthwhile technical challenges. So far we’ve only found one that we don’t dare do. The Beast goes trough a series of smaller bombholes, and it is a challenge of gear selection to maintain momentum throughout. The return route is even harder! The red trail has been recently upgraded, with one section of woodwork - drop offs and a skinny section that for once is low enough that you can risk falling off. They’ve also built some small table tops, which give you sufficient speed to make the subsequent berms fun. They’ve invested in a weatherproof surface as well. The lesser known gem in the vicinity is Brandon Forest, over the road from Thetford. This forest often hosts races, so has a well developed network of singletrack which is open access. Brandon also provides a free alternative to parking at Thetford, which is pricey, and only necessary if you need to visit the bike shop first (e.g. for hire). Assuage your conscience by stopping half way round your ride instead to use the café.

Chicksands/Rowney Warren was our summer evenings destination, which inevitably meant we didn’t get there as often as we’d hoped. The bike park has some fun features, and some scary looking ones. It costs 5 quid per day at weekends, but is free midweek. We were kept mostly entertained by the Dual Descender, and the 4X course – both of which can be rolled all the way through. There’s also some cross country loops advertised, although locating these on the ground is a different matter. In reality it’s easiest to make up your own – the wood is quite small with well defined boundaries so you’re not going to end up miles from home. The cross country riding is characterized by some steep uphills. Sadly there’s only really one made downhill trail outside the bike park. There’s also a fun bit of windy singletrack along the wood’s SW boundary.