We have another new area coming to MTBO this year, Swynnerton and Hanchurch Woods, near Stone in Staffordshire. A Potteries Orienteering Club Area, they have all but given up on it for foot orienteering, the brambles and undergrowth completely overwhelming the map, but for MTBO it’s perfect for a middle race.
I have spent a few Saturday mornings out both on bike and foot working on the map which is very out of date, with huge tracks now gone beneath brambles, and lots of new MTB tracks appearing all the time. I spent today surveying the trail-fairy made downhill areas. It’s got my mind working on how to map some of it. Great sweeping single-tracks but with, eerrrrrmmm, well just say the odd obstacle, built by, eerrrmmmm, nutters!
At present I think I will probably map them with a pink bar across the track but I think a few of them need an exclamation mark or two as well.
without us trail fairy’s there’s no where local for us to ride, but im working on it!
Keep up the good work, some brilliant MTB routes through the woods and i’m only just starting to find some on my 6th visit. lots of fallen trees blocking some good ones. i always try and clear what i can and make alternate routes round the trees when i go but its not easy without a chainsaw on some of those big old pines!
Hi, just started out biking and desperate to find the fun parts of hanchurch.
Can anyone point me to the jumps and downhills.
Currently we have just been sticking to the perimeter of the woods really.
There’s a few around that are worth a look, easiest way is to have a look on strava, most of the decent ones at hanchurch exist as segments on there so can be found on the map.
My favourites are a downhill through the woods from the far end of the fire trail that starts at the logging cabin, plus the route around the perimeter that starts near the bottom of that one. J trail has a good XC that runs parallel to it just into the trees and there’s a really good section with burns in amongst the bracken on the top that ends in a nice twisty section over a couple of logs and rock gardens.
steer clear of the “scratchy single track” segment that runs parallel to the one mentioned above as a downhill, i did that at 30 mph in april and it ended badly with a visit to A&E, broken ribs, bust shoulder and a lot of pain, its too loose ground to do at speed, go challenge as an uphill though!!
If you’re close enough delamare has a lot to offer too that most people don’t spot, tonnes of unmarked routes there.