Righto, there’s a bank holiday looming and Northwind’s got nowt to do… So I’m thinking I might do a quick border raid… Looking for interesting, reasonably challenging riding- proper blacks, or at least dark reds. Doesn’t have to be trail centres, but I’ll be solo I think and I don’t have a great sense of direction so if I’m going off waymarked routes it has to be damn good 😉

Lee Quarry and Dalby are the two places that have got my attention most… Newcastleton and Kielder I can do from home easily enough. Lake District I’m sure has what I’m after in spades but I expect it’ll be busy?

Oh, will be staying off more extreme stuff on this trip as I’ll have nobody to pick me up or drive me home, so no outright DH but everything else goes.

So… Tell me what to think o internetz

Peaks is good for amount of riding in a relatively small area. Just have a look at cavedale or the beast to see how tough it gets, cavedale is the most difficult i reckon.

Lee Quarry is good fun but even if you combine it with the neighbouring Cragg Quarry, it is only 3 hours worth of riding at the most.

Loads of good stuff around the Peaks – I am riding Jacobs Ladder today which is a quality ride. Lakes will be busy but a few of us are riding Helvellyn on the day of the Royal Wedding cos we imagine a lot of the ramblers will be glued to their sets!

planning to avoid most of the “Lakes” over the week probably hitting the westers trails and maybe the Penrith side a bit everything in the middle seems a bit pointless in full on B/hol school hol conditions, just no fun doing slalom all day!! Northumberland has some out there riding, Hamsterley is apparently worth a day on the way past