MegaSack DRAW - 6pm Christmas Eve - LIVE on our YouTube Channel
now then, i'm getting married at the end of next year, which is nice!
obviously at some point before that i will be expected to have some sort of stag do. i am all for going out on the piss and all that business, but i really don't find the idea of an orchestrated night or two out for a stag appealing at all.
i would much rather go away for a weekend with some mates and force them all to go biking, with a simple pub session in the evenings.
on the basis that i don't want to demand people spend lots of cash, and not all of my mates are into biking, though most are a bit, what are people's thoughts on good destinations which would offer some alternatives to bikes if people refused and wouldn't cost too much generally? i'm thinking maybe a wales/scotland type arrangement.
anyone who's done similar who can offer pointers feel free to chip in!
Go and do this 🙂
Lucas off of here had a stag similar to this. He organised it even though I was best man....but anyway, we bikers went a few days early to a very nice bunkhouse in Dolgellau. Spent a few days biking with the highlight being Cader Idris. Then when non-cyclists came we planned to go rafting nearby (this didn't work out as the river flooded and was apparently to dangerous - typically it was the one thing I did plan). The pubs in Dolgellau were very accomodating too.
I am in exactly the same situation (got till August though). I hate the get drunk, have curry, strip clothing, more drink type affair.
I was thinking of hiring a place in northern wales, selfishly because I've never had a good enough reason to drive past the south wales trail centres....
Let me know what you do in the end - I might copy!
ps. where did you get bikes for your non-biker mates from? Hiring from a trail centre seems to be quite expensive (£50-100)
I went to Afan for a mate's stag weekend. We stayed at the L & A outdoor centre. Not luxury but it was dry, warm and cheap. We had a large chalet and there's no problem taking bikes and dirty kit into them. If you want an evening out a taxi into Swansea was pretty cheap. The L&A owner organised it and we got a fixed price and the driver didn't mind picking us up whenever we stummbled out of the club!
BikeStag in Machynlleth is a fine night out. I've done two of them there now. Great stuff!
Dalby Forest have some nice short routes, bike hire and also have a huuuge zip wire park so you have something else to do.
Also not too far from Whitby if you fancy a few hours boat fishing (then take the fish back to BBQ it).
Or you could canoe downstream into the sea.
We did a stag do staying at the Glentress Hotel. Rode Innerliethin on Saturday. A mini-bus into Edinburgh on Saturday night, the were collectively barfing up on the climb up to the Glentress Black on Sunday after getting absolutely trollied on various single malts
Bloody great fun!!
Try [url= http://www.lochrannoch.com/ ]here[/url] if you fancy somewhere a bit out of the way (just past Pitlochry).
It's a great house in the middle of Kinloch Rannoch. I've stayed there three or four times over the last few years, and yes, had my stag do there too!
It'll sleep 12 at a push - they also have other larger chalets up the loch a bit. Pub and hotel over the road (very nice, pool table too) and an outdoor adventure centre type place offering various activities for non-biking mates if needs be...
Fantastic riding straight out the door, and mindblowing scenery.
www.dalesmountainbiking.co.uk
Just get to this place, you'll be looked after, guided rides if you want it with good pubs near.
very good suggestions so far, chaps - cheers!
you should most probably go here.
am i the only who didn't get married yet!
Theflatboy hasn't. Nor has DT78. Yet.
😉
sponging machine done his in afan, followed by beers in glyncorrwg then on to fluid nightclub in maesteg (interesting) was a good beery weekend with no real trouble apart from a few glyncorrwg locals taking a dislike to one of our group having a quiet 5mins on his own outside our guesthouse (mistake on their part, he is a double hard b'stard with lightening quick instant bursts of phenomenal violence)
i'd go there again for a stag do, it was a real hoot.
sorry about spelling couldn't be arsed to look up how to spell the welshy names
I had my stag do in the dales, stayed in a couple of B+B's in leyburn, did some riding round Hawes which was quite ok for most (mixture of riders and non riders). Got a bus from leyburn that took us to a night club in northallerton, stopping off at every village on the way just for long enough to run to the local and down a pint. Picked us up and brought us back after a kebab at 2.30am. Top night.
This was back in 2000, so before most of the trail centres had been thought of. I think we got someone to deliver bikes to the B+B for them that didn't have one- wasn't too difficult then, must be easier now. If I was doing it now I'd prob got to GT/inners and try and stay near to e'boro for the night time activities.
Here's the pics from my stag do in the house at Kinloch Rannoch. Gives an idea of what the place is like (well, mostly the pub.....).
Hope the link works
[url=
up photos[/url]
We went to Fort Bill for mine. In the end, the stinking weather ruled-out the gondola and DH course (which was the plan) which might have been just as well as I was struggling to persuade my dad that the World Cup DH track might not be the best intro to mountain biking for him!
Much more viable option now with the new red trail open.
As it turned out, we rode the XC trails for the day and I ended up getting my photo in MBUK, which was cool (snapped by a pro photog for their World Champs preview article).
If you fancy a weekend at Glentress or similar, you can also capture the moment on film by contacting this guy...
http://www.coppermango.com/index.php/action-photo-shoots
[img] 
[/img]
...would be a good memento for everyone.
Polar bear suit, mountain pub and a pink Hustler?
[img] 
[/img]
Or is that too clichéd for you?
As whippersnapper says we had lots of fun in North Wales. Few days camping in Betws y coed for the bikers then a couple of nights in a bunk house in Dolgellau. Did 4 good rides, one dressed in ladies pajamas, went swimming in my pants, drank a fair amount of beer, had a couple of currys, played pub golf and spent a day dressed in Lederhosen!
Was a good time!!
For my mates, we did a 30 miler in the Purbecks then a night of dog racing at Poole stadium. One of the lads won £200,jammy ba****d!
We went [url= http://www.marthrown.com/roundhouse.htm ]here[/url] for my stag do. Was very cool place to stay, riding right on the doorstep and bike hire is not too expensive at the shop int forest.
We just got loads of beer, did the ropes course and canoeing and got some riding in as well. Cracking weekend. (From what i remember) 😀
don't step in to the metal fire surround when its on as i still have a beaut of a scar from this. (and no doubt will for many years to come.) 😯
these are all excellent suggestions, and giving me some very good ideas, thanks!
ssd, that place looks good, very interesting, doug basque - maybe all except the polar bear suit! everyone else, nice one - good info.
loving the pics as well!
Singlespeeddan, any pubs close by? How far is this from nearest train station or edinburgh?
machyntlleth and a night on the seafront in aberystwyth will see you right
getting frisky with students at pier pressure the club on the pier
that took us to a night club in northallerton
Good god, no.
I hope you tried the Black Bull and The Tythe (sp) Bar though.
Er its about 5 miles from the nearst station in dumfries. I took the train from aberdeen and then just rode up. My mates all took cars. It is pretty much that distance from the pub too but we just got a truly disturbing amount of beer and a few other horrible drinks (blue blueberry vodka anyone) and got totally shitfaced. Oh and try not to drink vodka and sambuca shots before yer dinner. not good.
