The time is swiftly approaching where the annual rufty-tufty boys mountain biking weekend is to be arranged. The general format:
- 5+ middle aged men
- a selection of tents and a campervan
- arrive Friday afternoon/evening. Mutual pi$$ taking, pub
- big ride Saturday. Pub (food)
- possible smaller ride Sunday
- go home
So far we've done the Peaks, Brecons, Chilterns, Quantocks, Cotswolds, Long Mynd, Lakes and North Pennines, so a range of landscapes and levels of gnaar. Looking for ideas for this year, ideally somewhere in the middle-ish of the country as we have potential attendees from Bromley to Edinburgh and a few places in between.
So, what are your recommendations for this years foray? It doesn't have to be somewhere 'classic', just somewhere with a campsite, a good pub and a good days worth of riding.
North York Moors
Which bit(s) of the Lakes have you done?
Not middle of the country, but Surrey Hills?
South Pennines/Dark Peak?
Take your pick of 'centres' really. Sheffield, Hebden, Glossop, somewhere more remote in the hills, East Lancs for Gisburn Forest.
How about the Isle of Man. Lots of great singletrack, and a few people offering guided rides now, to get the best out of it.
Black Mountains. Come to Hay Bike Fest at the end of the month - www.haycycling.org - or look me up at www.wild-rides.co.uk!
Calderdale obviously. 🙂
Marcus not sorting....!!!!
Isle of Man is a great idea but I suspect the Kent contingent may not approve for a weekend!!!
Yorkshire isn't a bad idea, malam is ment to be good, as is appletreewick apparently..
Anyone able to confirm or deny!!
so you have "done" these areas? are you really sure that they are "done"?
calderdale +1
Isle of Wight
How about FoD? Organise an all day (or suitably 'big') guided ride for the Saturday of back-country stuff and then arse around at the trail centre on the marked trails and DH tracks on Sunday? There's a couple of places that do guided rides :
Malham is indeed great. Campsites, pubs, great riding. Little further north there's Hawes, Sedbergh and the like. Further east there's Rosedale valley, great natural riding and close to Dalby for trail centre rdigin just to upset nettles
the ridgeway.
some natural stuff near degla then do degla on the sunday with hangovers. Lots of wild stuff near llangollen, which is a great little town for pubs and food and close to degla.
South Pennines/Dark Peak?
Take your pick of 'centres' really. Sheffield, Hebden, Glossop, somewhere more remote in the hills, East Lancs for Gisburn Forest.
North Yorks Moors plus one. Pub/cafe to square mile ratio is excellent, quiet trails, wonderful scenery. Various good campsites dotted around, if you want to be somewhere cosmopolitan the one up above Robin Hoods Bay is great (Hill House Farm I think?) and walkable down to the pub (uphill the way back, but drink plenty and you'll be fine). Also good for post ride fish and chips on the beach, and some good rides straight from there.
The Yorkshire Dales and the North Yorkshire Moors seem to be the obvious gaps in the list of locations you're ridden so far.
[i]so you have "done" these areas? are you really sure that they are "done"?
[/i]
We've 'been' to these areas and it's always nice to try new areas. There will of course be loads of stuff in those ares that we've not 'done'.
Yorks Moors are an option (although there was a breakaway tour the other year that stayed at Reeth).
I'd thought about the South Downs (to give the Bromley contingent a break for once). Or even somewhere random in Herts/Bucks/Northants to be in the middle.
Cropton North Yorkshire for the Moors
Stay near the brewery. plenty of good food beer.
Sat: Natural trail ride out onto the moors via the forest, poss up to hole of Horcum.
Whitby short drive for nice food/nightlife/beer etc
Sunday either short natural ride from there or a lap of dalby which is a few miles away.
I know you say you've done the Chilterns, but Stokenchurch is central and just off the M40. Aston Hill is nearby and there is some good natural stuff.
Calderdale (More than enough to keep you busy all weekend)
or Sedbergh (Calf & Bowderdale or High Cup Nick from Dufton)
or more Lakes, (you can't possibly of even scratched the surface of the place)
If you find somewhere good in Northants let me know! I live there and local riding is pretty tame and we ALWAYS have to drive a couple of hours to get to a decent trail. Happy to be proved wrong. Btw
SSShep has my choice too. Or possibly Northumberland, but where? I dunno 😆
Shropshire - Eastridge, Hopton, Bringewood and Mortimers forest all within half hr of each other.
If you go for the South Downs option, you can easily link into Friston, or Stanmer Park for a bit of extra fun on the second day?
*ponders logistics of doing SDW in two days*
Don't come to Calderdale, there's nothing to see here...
[i]*ponders logistics of doing SDW in two days*
[/i]
Use the YHA.
[i]Use the YHA[/i]
Which one(s)?
I'm thinking more cars/trains at each end to get back to the start.
Swindon. You know the location.
I'm looking at it out of the office window 🙂
Appletreewick is nice though the riding isn't over exciting (there is the classic route round scar house not far away at patley bridge mind and a seriously gut busting climb back up greenhow hill to get home), further North towards hawes, reeth etc it gets much better (significant lack of bridalways south and east of grassington)
North York moors is ime very hit and miss, some excellent riding to be had and some looks very promising on a map but actually rather dull in practice stuff too, with seemingly little inbetween. Most of the better stuff in nym also tends to be very susceptible to the wet, so I'd check with locals immediately before heading over there.
Hebden bridge/calderdale area has some great riding too.
I'm based out Harrogate and as a "somewhere" to be its no more than an hour and a half from all the above and has a plentiful supply of pubs.
Just my opinion mind.
North York Moors. But agree with DB above, very susceptable to the wet. If its dry its ACE.
Dales Bike Centre in Swaledale is a great base. Loads of trails from the doorstep.
SDW easy within 2 days, you could wheelie all the way..
Start Winchester, pick a BnB/Hotel (loads to choose from. Easy trains out of London, bit tricky from West unless link in Soutampton Central, East easy into Sooty Central again then link to Winny.
Then wheelie all the way to somewhere on route, loads to choose from not far from the trails then into Eastbourne for afternoon delights of Tea n Cake and Tartan blankets then catch train back to Brighton for links back to Sotty Central or London or just catch the trian back form Eastbourne..
TaDah!
Job done.
Loads of info on the SDW site but I'm useless with linking things from work but searching here will bring up about 1000 threads with the same questions/answers.
I did it over two days back in 09' (and done it a few times since in one day) but can't remember the pub we stayed back then.
Dartmoor????
[url= http://www.forestry.gov.uk/kielderforestpark ]This Place[/url]
Middle of country / nowhere, Britain's largest forest, can ride to trails from campsite, barbeques allowed, walking distance to pub, amazing skies at night.
Norfolk?