Brockhampton & Whittington

Winchcombe mtb – take 2

 

Distance:            31km
Climb:                 1500ft
Duration:            3 hrs
Rating:               Red
Grade:                4/5

This route is a classic. In general, it passes through Sudeley, Brockhampton, Whittington and Cleeve Hill in an approximately 31km long loop through atypical Cotswold scenery. There are 3 ‘climbs’ and 3 ‘descents’ and plenty of winding singletrack in between. Skirting the escarpment of the Oolitic bed that is the Cotswolds, there are superb views on offer, in almost every location and direction. There are also some deep ravines, offering that feeling of seclusion, of absolute and complete remoteness.

The trails are well defined but not heavily used and so fair well during all seasons. However, there are places, as with any natural trail, that can suffer under prolonged spells and struggle to recover there after.

Generally, as with most XC trails, the single-track is linked together by a selection of road sections. These come in the form of quiet lanes or track (no main roads) so aren’t that bad and represent a very small percentage of the route too. The longest section being the climb out of Winchcombe.

There are other ways to tackle the climb, of which a number are of road. But the hill is so steep and long that it makes sense to conserve energy by utilizing the road.

The trail shares the first section with Winchcombe mtb (take 1), however, upon emerging from Sudeley wood, instead of heading in to Farmcote Estate, riders should take a right and follow the Bridleway across the open ground towards Hawling. Pass through the church and nip across the farmland to the style at the roadside. Here, cross the road and follow the twisting single-track as it shadows the dry stone wall. This leads all the way to another road and emerges approximately 100yards in front of a left hand turn on to a By-way that leads to Syreford (passing the red phone box - in the middle of nowhere). This is approximately 3km long and is predominantly downhill, it is relatively smooth but there are hidden rocky bits. Hit it fast and hold your speed all the way and it can still be fun.

Pass through Syreford and head towards and straight through Whittington following the brook as it heads in to the woods. This section is a reasonably pleasant climb. The gradient is not that steep and the traction is pretty good. Watch out for the old mine entrance on your right as you pass the quarry (noted by the incredibly steep hillside).

Pass through an open field, following the Bridleway signs as it navigates around the hill (keep the hill on your right) and you eventually arrive at a gateway. What follows is, unfortunately, more often than not, pretty sloppy. It’s only 150 yards though so stick with it. A pretty technical climb follows up a fairly steep incline. The loose rock make traction sporadic, technically minded riders will find it all too easy but ace it and you’ve done ok.

The route eventually arrives at the gallop on Cleeve common but heads back towards Brockhampton and in to the valley. It snakes through some superb singletrack that swerves through the wood around the trees before opening out and heading straight down the steep sided hill. This descent gets very fast very quickly and the terrain is seriously loose. If you have the bottle for a full on assault it can be great fun. My eyes are usually streaming by the time I get to the bottom.

A gentle spin through the wooded valley and a steep but easy climb at the back up precedes that fastest of the descents, the final descent. This passes Bellas Knap before heading down through managed woodland in to the Sudeley estate. It is incredibly fast and enough as a result. Not many corners just flat out across open field and tall pine forest.

A quick blast across some simple, flat (essentially) bridleway through Sudeley estate brings you back out on Vineyard Street in the middle of Winchcombe. Time for a well earned cake. There are plenty of tearooms that welcome bikers.

These are not as flowing as a manicured trail centre, but who cares this rocky, technical, fast and natural. Therefore I like it and I’m sure so will those who try it!