Sunday, March 18, 2012

Mountain Biking in Chachoengsao

There is a great mountain biking track in Chachoengsao province, just 1 hour from Eastern Bangkok at Wat Suwankhiri (วัดสุวรรณคีรี) in Thai language.  Wat Suwankhiri is located on highway 304 and can be approached from various points depending on where you are.  The general location overview is below.


As you turn into the Wat there is a nice restaurant to park the car and buy refreshments / relax, as you go up the hill towards the Wat itself if can be a bit confusing where to go as there are several unmarked routes, however the monks are eager to assist should you need help.  We took the trail furthest to the left which followed a short dirt trail before ascending steeply to the top of a hill with a few buildings, then came a further hill which was pretty brutal and finally ended at a small shrine.  (pictured)
From here things were a bit confusing, after a short downhill there was the option of going straight, left or right, again with few markings.  We made the mistake of turning right which ends the ride quite quickly but after trying again we turned left to follow the ridge of the hill where there is a single track trail for several km through a mix of rainforest and bamboo forests, the cycling is really nice with a good mix of terrain and technical sections.


Towards the end of the trail (or start depending on where you started the ride) there is a great temple on top of the ridge with great views of the surrounding countryside and a few old buildings and buddha statues.  This is followed by a steep downhill section before entering the grounds of Wat Suwankhiri.



Cycling in Thailand is becoming very popular amongst locals and foreigners and this mountain biking track in Chachoengsao is just 1 of the many tracks featured on Action Sport Asia.