Rally Sites and Rocky Trails, the PIctures

Post up pics of you and your bike. A place for members to get all arty farty, creative and, er, post up snaps.
Sprockette
Posts: 1462
Joined: Sun Nov 21, 2010 7:34 pm

Rally Sites and Rocky Trails, the PIctures

Post by Sprockette »

As mentioned in my ride report here, I went to The New Forest to get a picture for the Nature Rally today but I decided to try to cram as many green lanes in as possible. Total trip mileage was 82.4, 18.5 miles of which was off-road on Byways Open to All Traffic.

From my house to the first trail was 5.9 miles along back-roads. This is the trail that I found a short while back which runs alongside the dual-carriageway. The trail itself is 1.4 miles long and is hard-packed mud with a few ruts every so often but relatively fast:

Image

It was then onto some more back-roads for 2.1 miles and onto the second trail. This one was 0.9 miles long and signed as a byway. The road that leads to the byway is signed as prohibited to cars and motorcycles except for access and I wanted access to the byway so I went down there. It was a nice gentle gravelly trail that went over a bridge across the previously mentioned dual-carriageway:

Image

This trail lead onto some more back-roads for 1.6 miles then onto the 3rd trail. A fast wooded section that was 1.6 miles long:

Image

The next section of road was quite long at 8.2 miles but did go through the ford at Clappers Farm Road (a picture of which I've posted before). As with all the roads so far this one meandered through some really nice countryside...

Image

...before turning off to this one, the 4th trail. Overall it was 2.8 miles in length and started as a slightly rutted and bumpy field-side track:

Image

Carried on up quite a steep hill through some woods and became a bit rooty:

Image

Levelled out to a very rutted and bumpy more technical section between some fields:

Image

Then across an A-road:

Image

On the other side of the road it was concreted for a short way then turned into a very sticky and slippery chalk track:

Image

It then went into another wood with the surface changing to gravelly, stick strewn mud, crossed another road and onto a gravelly section, met a group of mum's with their off-road pushchairs on this section:

Image

Back onto the road for 1.4 miles then another trail, the 5th. This one had some big ruts and some sections with lots of big pieces of flint but was otherwise quite fast being hard-packed:

Image

A short section of road, 0.7 miles, and onto the 6th track and one of my favourite of the whole day. This one was signed so that its legal status was obvious to all who can read:

Image

Has an imparting knowledge sort of vibe with a slight undertone of warning, does it not? I approve. The trail was twisty, with lots of deep gravel and had many small steep hills and drops, fantastic fun, so much so that I never got any pictures of it, oops. You'll just have to come out and look for yourselves! It was 2.9 miles long too, and had a frankly quite scary drop-off at one point.

The next bit of road was a long one, 18.3 miles, but there was suddenly a lack of trails so I headed west a bit in order to be able to go south and find many more trails. I passed close to Andover so thought it would be rude if I didn't nip up to Thruxton and take a picture of my RXS near their fancy sign:

Image

Ahem, back to the ride. Just south of Thruxton Circuit and indeed, Thruxton Village, now and onto a short trail, the 7th, of 0.4 miles length. It passed between a field and a wood. This deposited me out onto another section of road for 1.7 miles before hitting trail 8. This one was 1.6 miles long and started as a very pretty, rutty, bumpy trail:

Image

Very quickly turned into a hardly even walked upon trail for a good half mile:

Image

It then crossed a road and was a fun gravelly track for the rest of its length:

Image

It eventually came out onto a road which lasted for 5.9 miles and took me past the Army Air Corp at Middle Wallop and off on a picturesque route through some lovely villages. Turning off at Broughton the 9th trail was a very steep rooty, rocky and rutty affair (the three Rs again, the best type of trails in my opinion):

Image

The picture here doesn't do it much justice, it was very steep, you can see how far off the ground the front wheel is as it's leaning so far back on its centre stand. This trail eventually went back down hill where it became very civilised for a while before reverting to the three Rs:

: Image

At the end of this trail I became a bit confused as a farm appeared out of the woods as if by magic and the trail split in two. Avoiding the signed footpath I took the other trail and on through the farm's “yard” and out onto a short section of road (0.2 miles). Missing the next (10th) trail completely due to the world's biggest horsebox blocking my view of it from the road I doubled back and found it once I'd realised what I'd done. It was only a short one but was on a very steep incline down, very bumpy, covered in roots and rocks. Great fun, if only for 0.7 miles:

Image

Along some lovely twisty back-roads for 4.6 miles and I came to the 11th trail. This one was really hard-packed dirt, was very fast and was great fun, sweeping through some gorgeous scenery as it ran alongside the top of a valley for 2.4 miles and was the quickest trail of the day:

Image

Onto the road once more for 5.2 miles again through beautiful, twisty back-roads. These roads took me to my favourite trail of the day. It started off as a road just disappearing into a gravel trail through the first Rhododendron wood I've ever seen, there literally were hundreds of the things (very pretty and very invasive):

Image

It then got very sloppy and a lot more slippery:

Image

Before turning very civilised and, in my opinion, very beautiful:

Image

This lasted for 1.2 miles until I came to a closed gate that lead to one of the stunning B roads through the New Forest, many ponies and foals alongside, and even in, the road. From here it was a nice 8.1 mile ride into The New Forest Visitor Centre for my Nature Rally picture.

I had a brilliant day and will be taking the route again soon as its one I want to familiarise myself with more. I'm thinking start early, walk around New Forest for the day and then back again along the same route in the evening.

Take care peeps, hope to see you out on the trails.
Louisdut
Posts: 412
Joined: Sat Nov 06, 2010 3:06 pm

Re: Rally Sites and Rocky Trails, the PIctures

Post by Louisdut »

Cool

Great pictures & report thanks for posting

Louis
900Fantrider
Posts: 1464
Joined: Sun Aug 08, 2010 4:41 pm
Been thanked: 2 times

Re: Rally Sites and Rocky Trails, the PIctures

Post by 900Fantrider »

That was great for waking up to! Thanks :)
Too many Cagiva Elefants, Gran Canyons and Ducatis!
Azzalin SP and various others.
snaphappy
Posts: 1355
Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 6:59 am

Re: Rally Sites and Rocky Trails, the PIctures

Post by snaphappy »

Great report, have you fixed the stand??
For more info click on the Dambuster Signature banner

Alun
Moderator
Posts: 4799
Joined: Fri Oct 03, 2008 8:54 pm
Location: Stratford upon Avon
Has thanked: 254 times
Been thanked: 387 times

Re: Rally Sites and Rocky Trails, the PIctures

Post by Alun »

Fantastic report and pics, that looks like a great day out you had there Sprockette. Proof that all you need is the right spirit and a 125.
Phil
Posts: 1205
Joined: Tue May 31, 2011 6:46 am

Re: Rally Sites and Rocky Trails, the PIctures

Post by Phil »

great report and pics,looked great fun. Is that a KTM 250EXC? :laugh:
Orlando_Orange
Posts: 1044
Joined: Mon Mar 14, 2011 1:00 pm

Re: Rally Sites and Rocky Trails, the PIctures

Post by Orlando_Orange »

brilliant ride by the looks of it sprockette. thanks for sharing. you wouldn't happen to ahve that route on google on anything would you? would be interested to see it

cheers
Chris



G650 X-Challenge

'91 XTZ750
Browndog
Posts: 270
Joined: Fri Jan 14, 2011 1:26 pm

Re: Rally Sites and Rocky Trails, the PIctures

Post by Browndog »

Now that is the way to tick the National Parks off the list :) :)

Looks like you had a brilliant day.
Thanks for the report.

I'll take a leaf out of your book when planning rides in the future :)



Tony
MidnightSerenity
Posts: 557
Joined: Fri Apr 23, 2010 9:13 am
Been thanked: 1 time

Re: Rally Sites and Rocky Trails, the PIctures

Post by MidnightSerenity »

Hi Sprockette

Thank you so much for that inspirational report and photos! :)

I'm going to have some breakfast and then I'm on ebay....I'm so excited about getting a bike so I can do just what you did yesterday! :)
beddowsm
Posts: 3459
Joined: Sat Mar 12, 2011 4:01 pm
Has thanked: 11 times
Been thanked: 50 times

Re: Rally Sites and Rocky Trails, the PIctures

Post by beddowsm »

Good report and Photos Sprockette. And good on yer for getting out and doing them!!!! Especially on a road biased bike.
Post Reply

Return to “WE LOVE PICS”