So the other half has mentioned the alps and I’m unsure if it will just turn into an expensive whine fest.
She is fine with the majority of Welsh red/black trail centres but not great with rocks and drops.
I’ve never been so don’t really know what to expect. Or which places to look for.
Is there anywhere in the UK or Scotland that would be similar? As a tester.

Did some great days out with the White Room
http://www.whiteroomchalet.com/sumhill.htm#.UsndavQW3IU

Did some long rides with some great moments of meeting the van for a little lift up the hill 🙂

Scotland is in the UK 😉 Plenty of guided route companies in Scotland which may help reduce whining. I follow a chap on Instagram Go-where.co.uk

How about Wales? Some big ass mountain trails there.

Is there really any back country in Europe? I guess it depends what you mean by back country. The alps are pretty heavily populated, as are the Pyrenees. Probably parts of Scotland are more “back country”.Some parts of the pre Pyrenees are pretty out there, with old abandoned villages and big swathes of wilderness. I wrote an article on Pinkbike about that very question, or tried to. It’s here: Backcountry Pyrenees

Edit: Go-where do long weekend trips too which could be the ideal introduction.

Probably should of used flowing singletrack rather than back country.
The black mountains spooked her when she first started riding.lol

Yeah, in my experience the further you get out there, and the fewer people use the trails, generally the rougher it all gets! Lots of flowing singletrack all around Europe though, you have load of choices. Scotland too. I heard once that there might even be some in England 🙂

Thanks for the Go-Where tip. Will look into that.
Think that’s a nine hour drive to Scotland anyone know ballpark figures of how much it would cost to fly up to Scotland including bike bag hire?

Think that’s a nine hour drive to Scotland anyone know ballpark figures of how much it would cost to fly up to Scotland including bike bag hire?

If I was looking at getting on a plane I would be going south for better (or more consistent weather)

Sleeper is ace if you are from way down south! Get on in London, hit the bar and wake up in Scotland the next morning. Or don’t as I once did and the guard only just found me, still asleep, just before the train left Inverness again!

Flying to Scotland from where? Airports tend not to be too handily placed for the best riding so you would end up hiring a car for getting around.

Bristol based, so not sure if the train is viable.
The idea of flying is to give the other half and me an idea of what’s involved in holidaying with a bike.
I would imagine most first time visitors to Europe’s mountains are way out of the league on what is rideable and what is required.

I would imagine most first time visitors to Europe’s mountains are way out of the league on what is rideable and what is required.

Not sure what you mean here?

I see what you are getting at. I’m not sure a trip to “backcountry” Scotland would be that similar to a mainland Europe holiday though.

If you’re flying from Bristol, go to Nice then take the train beyond Sospel into the low Alps, lots of singletrack there.
Or browse this: http://www.vttour.fr/sentiers/

trailaddiction’s second place in destination x/areches beaufort is the best place of many I’ve been to in the alps for trail bike riding. You need the local knowledge to get the best of it though.

Is there anywhere in the UK or Scotland that would be similar? As a tester.

From Bristol, just go to the Brecons, Black Mountains or Snowdonia. Find some big rocky descents and some enclosed, steep, rooty stuff.
Truth is though that the trails don’t go up in technicality in proportion to the mountains. Alpine trails tend to be much longer, more wild and exposed and can be committing but you’re either happy/experienced in big mountain areas or not (or with a guide). I’ve ridden with a chap who’s happy enough in wales but got a bit spooked by riding up into a long, empty valley with what looked like nothing at the end. Somewhere at the end was a col and a descent into a ski resort but it seemed like a thread of a trail and a bit exposed generally.

The idea of flying is to give the other half and me an idea of what’s involved in holidaying with a bike.

A f-load of hassle and a minor risk to expensive kit, why fly any more than you need to! ) Driving to the alps with a boot full of kit and spares is a much better trip.

If you’re flying and want excellent trails with a high probability of better weather than the UK, you could do a lot worse than the Alpes Maritimes. Get in touch with Ash @ Trans-Provence or Greg @ 1001Sentiers for guiding options.

St Foy area in the Alps. Or Maritime Alps in Italy.

As my bike buddy says above, St Foy with The White Room have taken me on probably the best single track trails I’ve ever ridden. Hence why I’m going back for a 4th time.

Can I rename this
Recommend me and my GF a singletrack guided holiday in the Alps for150mm trail bikes.
Some great bits of advice to mull over. Thanks

Some pics of the holidays we’ve had over there. Mixture of trails. They will adjust where they ride if you tell them what your looking for if some of it looks too much/rocky etc. They are a superb company and you’ll have a blast if you choose to go with them.

2009 http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevemilne/sets/72157620506140969/
2010 http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevemilne/sets/72157624659000105/
2012 http://www.flickr.com/photos/stevemilne/sets/72157630370125634/

She’d probably enjoy the evenings in Chamonix, and the riding’s pretty good too!

Same goes for Lake Garda, plenty to do off the bike if things dont go as planned….

I’d agree with JamesO – avoid flying if possible.

Otherwise Spain has a relatively low population and is the most mountainous country in Europe per square mile (seriously!) Otherwise talk to Ash – I’ve ridden in his neck of the woods and there’s some lovely ‘back country’ there without the crowds. Have a look around Morvan region too; it’s well set-up for le VTT although there’s no-one English speaking based there I know of.

Any good guide should cater the riding in your holiday to suit. Go with a reputable company and you shouldn’t have a problem. It could be worth booking a skills course beforehand to get the confidence up too.

As an aside: I guided in the Alps, but every time I go there now it takes me a few days to get my head around the exposure / size /scale of everything. I’d advise taking it easy on your first few days. 😉

Pimpmaster – Andorra is more mountainous, and has great riding! 😉

As a laydee and of a similar standard (obviously I NEVER whine) I can recommend the Basque country with Doug. Some nice beaches and food and places to visit if you don’t want to ride every day. Fantastic trails and amazing views and not all downhill.

evh22 have you got a bit more info on this? Who’s Doug?

This dude?http://singletrackworld.com/members/doug_basquemtbcom/

Some nice piccys on instagram, would like a drive down there myself.

Thread hijack….

Doug – what time of year is good for your neck of the woods? The question is really would I be a beetroot coloured sweat dripping englishman hiding under a tree/rock/bar during the summer?

You are a lady evh22! I don´t think I have heard you whine… maybe I didn´t make it hard enough for you?! Thanks for the mention.

I´m Doug by the way 🙂

MrNice, the best times are between end-ish of April and October. May can be stunning or a bit temperamental. Temperatures here are a bit more mellow so you are looking at 25degC in August, i.e. the height of summer, with the odd day of 30degC. We are lucky because we have a few different climate zones within an easy drive, so we can seek out the right weather normally. Not always, as some from here can testify 🙂

SOAP – Member
Can I rename this
Recommend me and my GF a singletrack guided holiday in the Alps for150mm trail bikes.

[video]http://vimeo.com/album/1988585/video/44634547[/video]
[video]http://vimeo.com/album/1988585/video/44791598[/video]
http://vimeo.com/album/1988585 My selection of vids from my trip, St Foy is a great base. I’d be back again if it wasn’t a 24hr flight….

Cheers. I was looking at your website last year and planning an early autumn trip but then had a biggish off (OTB and landed on my back in a lot of rocks). Now getting fitter again and your combination of fine trails and good food is calling me. Looking at second half of summer probably but I’ll follow up by email…

The White room and Basque look fantastic but our only concern is the accommodation.
How dose it work? Is the only private space your bedroom or is there a self catering option?
Sometimes you just want to chill also what if your stuck with a bunch of bell ends..

The White room and Basque look fantastic but our only concern is the accommodation.
How dose it work? Is the only private space your bedroom or is there a self catering option?

Best wait till someone comes along who has been to White Room since they moved chalets..

In the old one you had a private bedroom, there were also some next door places that were self contained for people but everyone ate together, it worked really well with the 2 groups we were with. Also the food was as good as the riding (if not better)

Sometimes you just want to chill also what if your stuck with a bunch of bell ends..

Just make sure with a post in here before you book 🙂

You usually get one or two people who yiu dont get on with (bellends)
But just steer clear of them and have a great time with the rest of the people there, if you cant spot the bellends thats when its time to worry, cos it will be you 🙂

@SOAP – the guided mountain bike holidays are generally about mixing in with a group during the day and for dinner. I’ve skied with White Room and their food and accommodation is excellent. I’ve also been to Destination-X where the riding was fabulous and you stay in a small and friendly hotel in an unspoilt mountain village. I am not aware of a guiding company that does self catering/private apartments although you might like to double check someone like Bike Riviera.

As for the riding the Alps are big, there’s nothing really to compare in England or Wales that’s I’ve ridden. It’s generally steep rocky and rooty. I hope your wife is ok with that

SOAP, you should speak with the companies to see what they offer, there is a bit of variety and some places can tailor it to what you want. On our Basque Coast trips we use a house, like a posh B&B, with an area for self catering, garage and a pool looking out over the sea but we don´t have evening meals there so people are free to head out to the local bars and restaurants for dinner. Other companies do the same and some places have meals included and you spend that time together. Our Backcountry Pyrenees are a bit more like that.