Jez's guide to local MTB hotspots

1 Jan 1995

Local Rides
As the more astute of you may have noticed, Cambridge is 
a tad flat, like just a bit. The only decent riding is a good 
thirty miles away, but there's some bitty stuff around to 
keep you sane. Alternatively, here's some of Cambridges 
alternative downhills.


    * The Quarry
    * The Roman Road
    * Other Local Bits
    * Thetford and Brandon
    * Epping Forest
    * Eastway and the Essex scene 

The Quarry
...is private property and I'll tell you exactly were it is so 
that you don't accidently stray onto the best riding in 
Cambridge. So

   1. Get a map
   2. Learn to read a map
   3. Its on the Cherry Hinton end of Lime Kiln Lane
   4. If you're wandering around the nature reserve by the 
crossroads, then don't accidently wander up the steep 
worn bank which used to have a large "Keep Out" sign at 
the top. 

If you're in there then, apparently, its a total airhead 
paradise, with lots of well sculpted pop-up ramps, some 
little dropoffs, lots of bigger ones and several near-vert 
monsters. Here's some photos. No one knows who any off 
these naughty people are.

One word of warning, it is a tad out of the way, so if you 
hurt yourself and you are on your own, then you're in shit. 
So if you are planning on any serious airtime excursions, 
please take either a friend or a phone. Having recently 
been in the 'lying there at ten at night when its getting dark 
and you've a broken leg' situation, I can tell you its not a 
laugh, and worse if its a quarter mile crawl to the nearest 
help.
The Roman Road
Hurrah! 10 miles of uninterupted off road track. Mind you, 
being a roman road, its straight, flattish and there's few 
tracks back so its hard to make a decent loop.

It can be improved by trekking approx 2 metres east, 
where there's often some dinky through the trees 
singletrack, following bits of the road.

It starts at Fulbourne Hill and goes SE till its in the middle 
of nowhere. Well, it stops near Haverhill, where there's a 
few decent BMX boys, but lets face it, not the centre of the 
universe when it comes to aggro off road riding.

There's an amusing, sensible length loop to be done if you 
break right just before it crosses the A11 (you'll notice this). 
Go along the lane, into Babraham, over the bridge and 
past the nearly hidden cricket ground, then take the dirt 
road/track back to the Shelfords.

Other Local Bits
Are there any? No. Depression time!

But seriously, there's a few bits if you look hard. In no 
particular order:

    * Take the bike path from Burnside in Romsey Town to 
Orchard Estate in Cherry Hinton. About half way along is a 
scrappy bit of wasteland with a few jumps. At least, I think 
that's how you get there.
    * Around there is the Cement Works quarry, which 
you're not allowed in. And anyway, there's not much 
decent riding in there.
    * Just down Fulbourne Hill from the start of the Roman 
Road is a little nature reserve. You're not allowed in there 
either.
    * To get out of town on the west side, take Burrels Walk 
then Adams road leads to a passable cycle path. As you 
go further west, there's some passable bridlepaths, but its 
hard to make a loop without more than some tarmac. Get 
your O/S maps out.
    * The bike path down the Cam is very mellow. Not quite 
hardcore mountain bike frenzy 'tho. 

Jez