Swinley Forest Cycling

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Swinley Forest is an area of Windsor Forest, owned and managed by The Crown Estate, comprising of 2600 acres of mainly Scots Pine woodland. It is located between Bracknell and Bagshot to the west of the A322. Cycling is permitted on hard tracks and within a specific expert mountain bike area. The wide variety of trails is suitable for everyone from families to cross country riders, freeriders and downhillers.

It is a condition of cycling within Swinley Forest that you must hold a cycle permit if over 16 years of age. Children who are under 16 do not require a permit as they are deemed to be their parents or guardians responsibility whilst riding in the Forest.

As times are changing, it's now essential to comply with the requirements of English Nature, whose powers are far reaching, by showing that cyclists can act as a responsible cohesive group to enjoy all the benefits Swinley Forest has to offer.

» Learn more about the Permit Scheme

When can you ride?

The forest is open 24 hours a day 7 days a week with access available from a number of entrances. The car park at The look Out Discovery Centre is open in the summer from 8am to 8pm at which time the entrance barrier is raised but you can leave after this at any time. The Discovery Centre building including Day Permit purchase, toilets and cafe is open every day except Christmas and Boxing Day from 10am to 5pm. Wellington Trek Bike Hire is open at weekends from 10am to 5pm (last hire starts at 3pm) from end of February to end of October plus it is open during the week during school holidays.

Swinley Forest Map

The area available for riding is approximately 2600 acres with many miles of tracks. The forest map shows the boundaries of the areas available to ride. If you are not familiar with the land it is recommended that you purchase this full colour detailed map from The Discovery Centre. The purpose built singletrack trails within the Expert Mountain Bike Area are not marked so find a likely looking track and ride it. Just be aware that there maybe oncoming cyclists.

» Map to the Look Out Discovery Centre

And finally...

Quite simply, we want to improve the forest for cycling. So as funds become available we intend to improve the signs and work on the trails in the Mountain Bike Area to withstand the rigours of foul weather making them more rideable all year round. With the aid of this site and e-mail we want to better communicate with you all. The trail maintenance is carried out by volunteers from Gorrick and Berks On Bikes.

You can contact us by e-mail at .

MBUK Trail of the Year

Olympic mountain biker Oli Beckingsale and photograher Steve Behr visited Swinley Forest in Summer 2004 to write an article for the MBUK Trail of the Year competition. We were invited along to show them the trails, drink tea and eat cake.

» Download the article [1.7MB PDF]
courtesy of MBUK Magazine

Other forest activities & handy links

» The Look Out Discovery Centre: the centre is ideal for families with many facilities such as a hands on Science and Nature exhibition, gift shop, cafe, picnic area, children's play area, and 2600 acres of Crown Estate woodland with walks, nature trails and orienteering adjoining the centre.

» Wellington Trek Bike Hire: based at The Look Out Discovery Centre they provide a range of bikes for you to hire from standard front suspension and child bikes to full suspension and tag-a-long bikes for kids. The price of hiring a bike also includes a Day Permit.

» Go Ape: also at The Look Out Discovery Centre, Go Ape is a high wire forest adventure. Wearing a safety harness, particpants trek through the forest canopy across 35-40 varied activities for an exciting, challenging and surprising experience.

» Bracknell Forest Borough Council cycling: a guide to mountain biking and leisure cycling in the area.

» Bracknell Forest Borough Council leaflets: downloadable maps and guides to cycling in Bracknell, Crowthorne & Sandhurst.

Swinley Forest isn't just about cycling,
it's picturesque and nice for walking in too,
shown here is Rapley Lake