Thetford Bank Holiday
Eager to blow away a busy week at work and before the weekend racing started, Chipmunk and I decided to hit Thetford. It'd been a good three years since our last visit, we both had new steeds and the trails had been tweaked/expanded.
The day started clear and bright but the bank holiday traffic towards our destination delayed our arrival. There were bikes, ankle biters and over weight grumpies aplenty but we were pleased to find that the trails themselves were quiet, eerily in places.
Unsure of the new grading system we opted for the Blue route which swung from High Lodge over to the Brandon side. The route was almost 100% bridleway which was great for soaking up the rays and checking out the views but not very entertaining. Chipmunk managed a decent tempo and before we knew it we were back at High Lodge gorging ourselves on the local offerings.
A few minutes lying in the sunshine, digesting our munchies gave us time to decide on what we might do next. As the Blue wasn't technically challenging we decided to give the Red a try which had a short loop option should we need it.
Leaving the centre we immediately dived into the tree line on weaving trails - looking up already me thinks. The canopy cut out the warm sunshine but kept the wind off us and our near constant cranking was keeping us warm. After our lunch we both took a few minutes to get going and my partner soon realised the early pace/distance had taken it's toll. The tight and twisty sections were new to Chipmunk but after calming the shocks and providing a few tips she soon settled down and began to get a good rhythm going. Much to my surprise the narrow trail dotted with awkwardly placed tree trunks didn't phase her and even with weary pistons she soldiered on. We decided to just opt for the short loop as time was ticking on and we'd probably get locked in if we took the longer trail.
All the trails were bone dry, well compacted, smooth and fast - ideal for the weekend's scheduled racing. The journey home was much easier and made even shorter recounting our antics and how much fun we had. We'll be sure to return before too long to give the Red a good thumping on fresh pins.
Trails; Blue, 10.6miles, 668ft ascending, Red 5.8 311ft ascending, official map, Tracklogs
Posse; Chipmunk (MotoLite), Farqui (5Spot)
Mechanicals; None
Weather; Clear blue skies, with a brisk cool breeze, 12c
The day started clear and bright but the bank holiday traffic towards our destination delayed our arrival. There were bikes, ankle biters and over weight grumpies aplenty but we were pleased to find that the trails themselves were quiet, eerily in places.
Unsure of the new grading system we opted for the Blue route which swung from High Lodge over to the Brandon side. The route was almost 100% bridleway which was great for soaking up the rays and checking out the views but not very entertaining. Chipmunk managed a decent tempo and before we knew it we were back at High Lodge gorging ourselves on the local offerings.A few minutes lying in the sunshine, digesting our munchies gave us time to decide on what we might do next. As the Blue wasn't technically challenging we decided to give the Red a try which had a short loop option should we need it.
Leaving the centre we immediately dived into the tree line on weaving trails - looking up already me thinks. The canopy cut out the warm sunshine but kept the wind off us and our near constant cranking was keeping us warm. After our lunch we both took a few minutes to get going and my partner soon realised the early pace/distance had taken it's toll. The tight and twisty sections were new to Chipmunk but after calming the shocks and providing a few tips she soon settled down and began to get a good rhythm going. Much to my surprise the narrow trail dotted with awkwardly placed tree trunks didn't phase her and even with weary pistons she soldiered on. We decided to just opt for the short loop as time was ticking on and we'd probably get locked in if we took the longer trail.All the trails were bone dry, well compacted, smooth and fast - ideal for the weekend's scheduled racing. The journey home was much easier and made even shorter recounting our antics and how much fun we had. We'll be sure to return before too long to give the Red a good thumping on fresh pins.
Trails; Blue, 10.6miles, 668ft ascending, Red 5.8 311ft ascending, official map, Tracklogs
Posse; Chipmunk (MotoLite), Farqui (5Spot)
Mechanicals; None
Weather; Clear blue skies, with a brisk cool breeze, 12c
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