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Hi

I bought a mountain bike a few weeks ago and am totally new to it.

I went round Epping Forest, which was great, but I got lost a few times and wasn't sure really if I was in the best part of the forest.

I was at the Olympic MTB trail having some coaching and the chap running it said it can take a long time to learn suitable routes.

It would be really great if someone could create a very rough and ready map showing an approximate route round the forest. I know this might sound odd, but for someone like me, its better than nothing!

I've started things off by marking the car park at High Beach, which is where I assume most of you start?

You just need a Google account.
https://mapsengine.google.com/map/u/0/e ... 3TXf2uIgsM

I would rather get a bit of experience on my own before meeting up with others because I'd just feel I was holding them up.

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me out.

Rave

I will be heading up there tomorrow afternoon, but will most likely start out from a different spot. I have a few apps on my phone but it will be the first time using them, so see what I come back with first.

https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit? ... zJ7Wd1HE5Q

Some reason it didn't track the first section of the ride, so I have added a rough line for direction. Only took 50 min as I only had a little bit of time to spare today and its 15 years since I visited the forest on a bike so am breaking myself in slowly. The first part is pretty good if a little muddy in places. The second half was mostly spent on man made tracks and was uphill for quite a while, so I will most likely modify my route next time from roughly halfway through the ride.

Join Strava and i'll give you my route from the other week. It's only about 6 miles but has some good lines. It was the first time I decided to record a track.

That's great - thanks so much for doing that. I'm going to copy it over to my map so I can then add other routes that I find.

I was up there on Sat AM and found a good track but haven't worked out how to make it into a loop yet, but I loved going up and down it. Was great fun.



Great - thanks. I am on Strava but haven't used it yet. How can I get your map?

Thanks all.

David

Great - thanks very much.

It would be great if anyone can share any routes like this and I will put them all in one place.

May not much use for navigation but might give you an idea of what's about

Most of this was over the winter... as it dries out ( sometime in September ) there are more bits that are ridable

Ah ha. So I've done more research into mapping this week and I've ordered a Garmin edge 510.

I saw routes on garmin connect and thought a GPS device is going be worth getting.

Are they GPS routes?

If so, can you send links to the source file eg garmin connect or strava?

Thanks very much for helping out.

Hey Rave... It's a heat map of my rides around Epping made with this... http://www.jonathanokeeffe.com/strava/map.php

If you join the Essex and Herts group on Strava you can see every ones routes and download the gpx files.

I could be wrong but I think you might struggle to follow trails in Epping on a gps. The thing is none of the trails are built.. they get made by people riding them so they move about and change, trees fall down, the mud gets too deep... people ride a different route

The other problem is that often two trails will start of a fire road right next to each other... 100m later they're a 100m apart 100m later they've joined up again or they won't and you'll be on the other side of the forest you'll spend more time looking at your Garmin than riding

It's always the question asked about Epping... How can I find the trails? The answer is always the same.... go out and ride, if it looks good... try it, who knows Your other option is to join a posted up ride and get lost in a group

Good luck

Thanks for your help - much appreciated. BTW, here is Strava's equivalent of all activity, which I found on these forums:
http://labs.strava.com/heatmap/#13/0.03 ... /gray/bike

It would be great if I could choose some routes on that heatmap to save the GPS files. Seems its not possible.

I've just joined the Strava group.

Did you mean to get rides from the recent activity?

Could you send me your Strava profile link?

Its kinda quite hard to find routes from the activity list for just in Epping - seems a shame they don't allow us to search/filter rides.

I've also done an activity search for all riders matching 'epping' e.g. http://goo.gl/8alBir, but thought there would be more results. Anyway, hopefully I can find enough rides in these results to save to my Edge 510.

---

Well, I've been to Epping twice now and found one of the routes you show on your map (and been back and forth on it only).

I have used the footpaths and just dived off in search of similar off road tracks - I've done this quite a few times. I didn't ever expect to find a proper trail, but I do keep hoping to find well used routes, but haven't had much luck. Looking across the forest, its very hard to see the well worn routes.

I thought I could keep trying but I wanted a bike computer anyway.

I totally expect the first few times to be looking down more than up, and for it to not be much fun. But then I will know the routes for next time.

I was told by a coach at the Olympic Park (went for a skills session there) that it can take years to learn Epping Forest. I fairly sure I'll learn the routes more quickly this way.

Thanks again - I will let you know how I get on.

Sent you a pm

How is this for a rough route
start at tea hut
go behind tea hut keeping to right and bear to the right, few ruts and routes, go down the bottom turn left and come back up to the car park
go towards wellington hill now on your right and before you get to wellington hill turn right down singletrack/bridleway, you can go quick here with a few things to catch you out stop at the bottom near the pub.
come back up wellington hill and turn right into the woods BEFORE you reach high beech, in here there is a nice little loop bearing to the right, do this a couple of times coming back towards starting place.
after the 2nd time dont do the loop but turn right into woods BEFORE wellington hill, another not bad loop or use this to cross the road into the next woods.
when into this next woods there are some nice flowing ( if not too muddy) to the left and right and you can make these into some bigger loops.
after this, go into the next woods across the high beech road.
in this next woods you can play a bit, and do a few loops, then bearing slightly to the left follow the slope into a fastish descent, and on the left you will find a little stream to play near. carrying on down you will come into a break in the woods where you can turn left and cycle back to high beech ( ask if you arent sure)
when you are at high beech a nice cup of tea is in order and only one bit of cake as you havent earned 2 bits, you can buy 2 pieces but save one for later
this time you head the opposite way from the tea hut away from wellington hill. go along the road and past the turning on your right, you will then come into a white swing gated path on your right, turn in here for about 30 yards and turn left into the woods. here you should find some nice speedy runs with some bomb holes and some drop offs and after playing here a nice speedy twisty but short track to the bottom of the hill.
turn left and go back towards the tea hut up the hill ( some think its steep;-) turn right into a small car park opposite where you turned right earlier to go into the bomb hole woods.
keep to the left and you can either wind your way back to the tea hut area or filter to the right and have some fun in there.

this is part of the route i do, hopefully i have explained it ok, but please dont blame me, actually thank me for getting lost and finding new routes.
i know it isnt a map, but its confidential info so memorise it as this email might self destruct in five mins which is slower than i self destruct coming back up that steep hill.
you may want to go into your granny but thats a horrible thought and unless she takes her teeth out as well.................

Awesome - thanks very much. That's really helpful. Might have to keep checking route on my mobile first time but I'm sure I'll learn it soon enough.

Thanks again for taking the time to write that.

R

I am really keen on getting down to Epping Forest for a little run. Never been! Looks really good. Might give it a try this Saturday - weather pending!