Queen Elizabeth Country Park Mountain Bike Trails

Gavin:

Best in summer but still something special about drifting around in the winter muck. 

Fast when dry, slippery when wet, but always fun. Good 'natural' feeling trails with plenty of roots and loose stoney bits. Good climbs and some pretty sketchy descents, but nothing outrageous and everything is rollable. You might be disappointed if you love polished surface bike parks, or huge jumps, but fantastic xc style natural trails that are waymarked with good gradients.

Tom:

There's no such thing as bad weather conditions, just bad equipment. So although my first trip was underwhelming it's largely my own fault for not doing more research and knowing what the trails where actually like. I rocked up with a semi slick rear tyre and spend a large majority of my day conducting a hillside spinning class as mud and leaves filled my tyre treads with mulch. Can't say I enjoyed all of my ride around both blue and red trails but they both have some interesting features and the reds routes climbs were punchy and tricky as hell with all their roots which means you've got to concentrate as much on the ups and the downs (which I appreciate).My advice to any newbies is if it's wet bring mud tyres or prepare for some, er, 'interesting' situations! I'm really looking forward to going back when it's dried out as I think the red especially will be really good fun.Also if you have a fear of dogs this is not the place for you. I got chased around by many friendly but over excitable pooches!

Red route has really good variety of terrain. Good amount of elevation. Can't wait to come back next summer and try again in the dry!

Mat:

I'd love to see more decending tracks accessed from the blue uphill trail (one good uphill is enough for me; I'm still in it for the downhill!) - Ideally a long decent which maximises the length of the downhill, minimising the amount of braking needed and with a few optional jumps/rollers etc...1 track with optional lines and choices.

Having been riding mostly dh for the past 5 or 6 years I'm really enjoying 'mountain biking ' (riding up and down) at QECP. The blue climb is great and accesses some of the best tracks in the park. It's a great Hill too and coming from Southampton it's the closest Hill worth visiting ~ lots of climbing / decending can be achieved in a short time, there are some great fun sections too.

Mr Bump:

I can ride the blue trail in under 20mins on my cyclocross bike so if your slower than that, oh dear!!!! Ride the blue as fast as you can, makes for a very good trail, do it 5 times and its a lung buster. I love the traditional red loop, it has everything, evil climbs, fast decents, flowy sections, and in the wet the A3 section is a real test of rider skills with all the roots and off camber sections (I use my mtb for this, cx hurts lol). Don't just do red loop, blue loop, mix it all up for a more enjoyable ride.

All weather Blue trail virtually completed. Red trail is a great test of skill/stamina in the wet. Easy parking. You can ride some evenings and see no one else around. The park doubles in size if you know the locals trails. Even though it is advertised as a horsey area you will very rarely come across a rider. The cafe is as good as you find in a village, worth a stop. Water tap at the centre. The SDW runs through the middle so your riding a piece of history.

Rich:

QECP is my local trail centre. I ride there most weekends and usually an evening or two in the week too. It's no Afan Forest, but then you're never going to get that in this pat of the UK. The trails are a really good balance of fast, technical and fun.The recent addition of a blue trail makes it more accessible to less experienced riders, while also adding a bit of variety for local veterans.

Ongoing trail development, by a dedicated local group of riders. 3 well organised races a year, catering to a wide range of riders. Best trails in Hampshire - you'll have to travel a long way to beat QECP. Cheap parking compared to some places (get an annual pass if you're local).

Rhino:

Well worth a try and lots of other routes if you know where your going

Lots of work gone on in the last year many thanks to qe trail team and still lots going on trails have improved a lot and still more happening