About Mudtrail

Mudtrail is here to help new riders and visiting riders to the South East

When I started mountain biking a couple of years ago I didn't really have a clue what to do or where to ride. All I knew was that now I lived in the country again and decent bikes seemed a lot more affordable so I should make the most of it. This site is intended to give useful information about where you can find some fun places to ride in the South East. At this stage I only been able to cover what I know. Due to the wet summer of 2008 I've only managed to cover places I know will be well drained for freeride.

About the author of Mudtrail
My first MTB was a 2005 Specialized Rockhopper which I reckoned (ill informed, I know) that I would probably be able to do any kind of riding with. I had a vision of riding down steep bumpy slopes and maybe doing some jumps. I purchased the Rockhopper for £380 from a local second hand bike shop and started riding single track at Bedgebury in Kent with it. My first ride was a total blast as I went with a mate who already knew the route and kept the pace. When I was a kid, I lived on the edge of the Ashdown forest and used to do short rides across there which I loved. I'd never heard the term 'singletrack' before I had the Rockhopper after my first ride at Bedgebury, I just wanted more. I searched the web for 'Singletrack Kent' but couldn't really find much else than Bedgebury. After about six months of riding the Rockhopper, a bit of extra budget came my way and I decided to fork out for a Specialized XC Comp which is an entry-level full suspension bike. The Rockhopper seemed amazing at the time but steering the XC comp around the singletrack for the first time was something else.

At that time, I'd spent £1000+ on a full susser but didn't actually have anywhere else to ride other than Bedgebury. Fortunately a mate who was also into biking had discovered Friston Forest in Sussex. We arranged a visit in spring 2007. Friston Forest proved to be a little more interesting than Bedgebury in that it had some interesting DIY freeride features such as some small drops and the old downhill trail with some small doubles at the bottom.

After a year of riding Friston and Bedgebury (we'd tried PORC but just weren't up to it at the time), the Bull Track opened for the 2008 season. During the winter I'd been tempted towards freeride by further interesting trips to Leith Hill. The Bull Track proved to be a lot of fun. I spent the first month after it opened practicing the easiest line and getting the hang of some of the doubles. As predicted by some of the other riders, the Spesh XC was knackered so I picked up a used Freeride/Downhill bike and continued with that.

Photography: Jason Wain and J.A.B