Swinley Forest Social Ride
Hosted by SheRides Ambassador Claire 🫶
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What to Expect:
This is a social ride for blue and red level riders; we will explore whatever the group wants to ride- you'll never be pressured to do something you don't want to do.
We will meet in the spot listed below, get acquainted and head out for a bit of a warm up. When warm and ready, we’ll head up and check out some of the trails, then we can take it from there.
We will have a lunch break in the middle of the day where we can grab some food from the on-site cafe. Or feel free to bring your own packed lunch.
It’s a super loose structure, we won’t be rushing to get done, we won’t be pushing to tick off features; the aim is to have fun and ride bikes!
No pressure, just good times!
What We’ll Be Riding
Swinley is made up of 2 big loop trails, blue and red, the blues are a lovely mix of some peddling through the forest and some nice and flowly berms, which are great fun. Depending on the group we will look to either continue on the blue trails at the halfway point or we can break out and look at the red trails. The reds are super progressive, all jumps and drops are fully rollable and allow for great progression.
For reference, the reds in Swinley are often considered more of blue trails in forest of dean or Surrey hills for reference.
This ride is for anyone is comfortable on a blue or red.
Here is the link to the Bracknell Forest Council website:
https://www.windsorgreatpark.co.uk/explore/swinley-forest/activities/
The Summit
You may well know ‘The Summit’ at Swinley Forest, this is a purpose built skills area. Our rides will be outside of this area. If you would like to have a go in The Summit whilst you’re there, please be aware that it requires pre-booking online which costs £10 and requires a waiver to be signed in order to ride. You can find more information here. If everyone in the group agrees on the day that they’d like to ride in the skills area at some point, then our ambassador can look at getting signed up on the day - subject to availability everyone pays for themselves and signs their own waivers provided onsite.
Where to Meet Us:
Claire will be ready and waiting outside the Look Out Discovery Centre at 10 am (we’re not going to hang around too long, so try to be on time so you don’t miss the ride).
You can contact our ambassadors via the event page on our facebook group (link at the top of this page). If you are running late, please let them know.
The What3Words for our meeting spot:
Facilities:
There are great facilities at this meet this spot:
Parking (paid)
Toilets
Cafe
Bike shop
What Should you Bring?:
Equipment
It’s super important to note that we will not ride with anyone who is not wearing a helmet!
Other than that, the protective gear that you bring is up to you- we normally ride with knee / elbow pads and maybe gloves, depending on the conditions. You’ll also need a bike that is trail suitable, safe and in working order so we can avoid repairs at the start of the day.
It is possible to hire a bike from the Swinley Bike hub, but we strongly recommend that you do it well in advance.
Food
Snacks are always a good shout to keep you fuelled for the ride and bring plenty of water. We’ll have a lunch stop at the on-site cafe or feel free to bring you’re own pack up.
What Will it Cost?
The ride itself is totally free, we won’t be charging you anything for our company.
The car park is the Look Out Discovery Centre car park and is a paid car park. You can see prices and information on how to pay here.
We will have the entire day to ride, but there is no pressure at all if you need to dip out at any point. Our rides normally last around 4 hours or so, but the needs of the group will be taken into account and we are more than happy to go for longer!
The Summit
You may well know ‘The Summit’ at Swinley Forest, this is a purpose built skills area. Our rides will be outside of this area. If you would like to have a go in The Summit whilst you’re there, please be aware that it requires pre-booking online which costs £10 and requires a waiver to be signed in order to ride. You can find more information here. If everyone in the group agrees on the day that they’d like to ride in the skills area at some point, then our ambassador can look at getting signed up on the day - subject to availability everyone pays for themselves and signs their own waivers provided onsite.
Important Info:
Photos:
Our ambassadors may take photos or videos during the ride to use on social media or in promotions. It’s a great way to show others what our rides are really like and help those who might be nervous feel more confident about joining next time.
If you'd prefer not to be included in any photos or videos, just let your ambassador know at the start of the ride — no problem at all!
Disclaimer:
This is NOT a guided ride and there will be no coaching, we’re simply meeting you at the trail head to make some friends, push each other as a group, and get women and girls on the trails. We do not accept any responsibility / liability for any accidents, and we will refuse to ride with anyone who arrives without the correct safety equipment or an unsafe bike. All riders must sign up in order to ride and in doing so you are agreeing to these terms. All riders must identify as a woman and be aged 18 or above.
Want to join us?