Couple of XC routes around Louth area)

Thought there might be a few interested in these if you are over this neck of the woods. The first is pretty flat, and the second has some decent ups and downs (for Lincs anyway )

XC Cycle route â?? Manby circle.

Start Manby (Grid Ref TF395 870 GB)

Finish Manby (as above).

Distance Approx 12 miles

Surface: Minor roads, bridleways, small amount of major roads.

Disclaimer â?? the main route should be all on legal tracks, but I take no responsibility if you follow these routes. Around 50% of these trails are on tarmac â?? Lincolnshire sadly has few circular off road routes.

1. Start at the old Manby airfield. Plenty of free car parking at the ELDC council headquaters there. (The airfield also has a few areas good for a play as well, particularly over the back of the runways where there is a 4 wheel drive course which has some good areas for bikes â?? can be very wet in winter though).

2. Head right out of the airfield entrance up the road towards Carlton. At Little Carlton take the right turn signposted North Reston. After about ½ mile there is a bridleway on the left (marked as Craker Lane on O/S maps) â?? take this. This is quite a nice if mainly flat cut through to South Reston (2 gates and watch out for cows)!

3. At the end (back on tarmac), head right. There is a possible exension here on the left across a footpath which connects with other footpaths that head out to the coast. These are almost totally flat howeverâ?¦)

4. At the junction with the main Louth â?? Mablethorpe road head straght over towards Authorpe. Follow this road until the sharp left hand bend where a track heads off to the right. Take the track and keep going straight.

5. When you hit the woods, the track splits 4 ways. All of these are nice tracks, but for this ride we want to go right (parallel to the course of the old railway â?? in certain weather this might be a better trail to follow, but it is private landâ?¦.)

6. Follow the trail along the foot of the wolds â?? if you fancy a bit more exercise there are a number of small loops up one trail and back down the next â?? see the O/S map for details, or just head left up the hill, right when you hit a road, and back down the hill to the right at the next junction (road or bridleway).

7. Whichever way you choose, eventually you should get to Legbourne Wood. Follow the track until it hits the very small road and follow this into Little Cawthorpe. Where the road meets the stream and turns right you may want to go the short distance along the stream to the very nice Royal Oak pub, known locally as the Splash. This also makes a good alternative start point, and a possible double loop extension with the Splash and Hills trail.

8. Back on track, follow the road through Legbourne, turning right at T junction in the centre of the village. Follow the main road until you reach the Queenâ??s Head pub, and at the sharp right hand bend, take the road to the right.

9. This road will zig zag you back to the B1200 Louth to Manby road â?? go right at the end, and follow this to the traffic lights in Manby. Take a right turn and the entrance to the council offices is on the right after ½ mile or so.

XC Cycle route â?? Splash and Hills.

Start Royal Oak, Little Cawthorpe (Grid Ref TF359 840 GB)

Finish Royal Oak, Little Cawthorpe (as above).

Distance Approx 12 miles

Surface: Minor roads, bridleways, medium amount of major roads.

Disclaimer â?? the main route should be all on legal tracks, but I take no responsibility if you follow these routes. Around 50% of these trails are on tarmac â?? Lincolnshire sadly has few circular off road routes.

1. Start at the Splash , and head past the pub through the village. At the junction near the church, go right, and then immediately left. A few climbs here and there should keep you fit! (Note â?? part way along this road is a short length of singletrack footpath which follows the road on the right).

2. At the top of the hill where the road meets the main A16 (caution here â?? this can be a very busy road in summer) go right, and follow this road for a couple of miles.

3. Go past the pub in Burwell, and clim the short but steep hill to the hamlet of Walmsgate at the top. Here we can leave the main road and go left down an excellent bit of bridleway that plunges down the hill you have just sweated up! There is a good extension here halfway down the path â?? after the firs descent and rise there is another bridleway signposted off to the right which heads through Swaby and connects with Swaby Valley, which although gated is fun.

4. Anyway, if you carry on down the main trail, you eventually reach the (often very muddy) bottom. Head left on the road and left again back to the pub at the bottom of the hill if you want another go down the hill, or right along the road to continue the ride.

5. Go straight past the first turning off the road, and left at the cross roads. A short distance on the right is the start of another bridleway (this starts across a field so at certain times of the year can be a bit tough going â?? you can actually access the trail at the far end of the field as wellâ?¦)

6. Follow this to the bottom of the hill (again this can be boggy). Go left at the junction of bridleways, and follow this one (parallel to the course of the old railway â?? in certain weather this might be a better trail to follow, but it is private landâ?¦.) to the end at Legbourne Wood.

7. Follow the small road at the end of the trail into Cawthorpe. Where the road meets the stream and bends to the right, follow the short footpath along the bank of the stream (or if you are feeling hot, the bed of the stream is technically a road, so you could try riding along itâ?¦), and youâ??ll find yourself back at the splash, with the pub just on the right.


Ji

[fragy]

nice to see you put so much effort into yuor first thread, always ready to try new routes . pleased to meet you :O)

Cheers - nothing worse than a freeloader on a web forum (in my view).

Of course the routes could be crap .....

[Will]

Sounds Cool though i will try it some time when im not at ham. hill

[ji_]

Holy thread resurrection Batman!

Just to mention that I have just set up an MTB forum for Louth area riders at www.louthnet.com/LAMB . More XC oriented than here, and I will add more routes etc as I get a chance.

[fragy]

your site needs some work mate, nothing seems to be working!

[davehardy]

nice one Ji_ ive signed up

[ji_]

All working OK here -try again for me Fragy?

[swifty15uk]

:O thought i was pretty much only louth rider on this site
and site works for me fragy