A leisure ride from North Swindon to Marlborough and back with two start points – Asda Orbital Centre and the Esso Garage in Chiseldon.
Leaving from the first start point at Asda Walmart at the Orbital in North Swindon at 10am, we will head out through Shaw Forest to John Lewis at Mannington. From here we will join the old railway line up into Old Town and then through Coate Water, over the curly bridge up into Chiseldon.
We will meet people at the second rendezvous at the Esso Garage for approx 11.15 / 11.30.
From here we ride the old railway line into Marlborough. Beer and lunch for approx 1 to 1 1/2 hours before heading back with a possible pit (pint) stop in Ogbourne St George.
It’s a 40 mile ride start to finish but only a couple hills so relatively easy. We will ride at a steady pace and nobody will get left behind. It’s a fun ride, not a race. Helmets are a must.
Look forward to seeing you all.
Its been 3 years since i was last there and now its time to visit again. This is an awesome place to visit with some serious trails worth riding. Some tough hill climbs, but with rewarding descents.
Current weather forecast is for showers, but this is Wales, so make sure you bring waterproofs! A helmet is also essential.
This will be an uplift day and starts at 9.30am, so be there early to get prepped, sign in etc
This is about 1 hour 30 min car drive (from swindon), so if you’re lift sharing allow time for pick ups.
Uplift ticket price is £36, but you can a pedal up ticket for £6.
You will need a helmet – they are compulsory at Bike Park Wales, and if you are fancying the rocky reds or black runs, a full face helmet is advisable.
Tickets sell out months in advance and you will need to book your own, so get in quick on the link below.
As the last ladies day at BPW was cancelled due to snow , we are heading back to the lovely Welsh hills for a mixture of push ups for training, pay as you go uplifts and what ever trails we fancy !!! Starting with blue and some reds, with the option for those that are completely mad (Claire!!) to try a black !!!
If anyone can offer to share lifts, then let me know and we can arrange to share the toll costs as well.
We might have a photographer travelling we us too, to take some action shots !!!
A huge gathering at lunch will set us up for an afternoon of yet more trail fun!
Please note….. Helmets are compulsory at BikePark Wales and Full face helmets are advisable.
Debbie had this great(!) idea to ride over to Avebury to see the the Summer Solstice sun rise, in order to do this we have undegone the club ride leader training as we’re the only two barmy enough to want to do it at the moment. Excitingly this will be our first event as ride leaders so more than a good enough reason to get out of bed and join us 😀
The plan is nothing more than to cycle to Avebury to see the sunrise and then back (always maintaining a group), the pace will be slow and steady to suit those in attendance and suitable for all abilities and fitness levels. It is approximately 15 miles out and a similar distance back (the exact route will be reccied Thursday 6/6 and once done this event post will be amended to suit so stay tuned for further details).
Due to the start time and off road nature of this route you will need lights, a bike in good working order and of course a helmet. It would also be a good idea to bring water and something to eat, there may be food/coffee for sale there but this isn’t guaranteed.
Sunrise times…
London 04h43
Stonehenge 04h52
Following on from the success of the previous Get Into Mountain Biking events we’re heading to Afan in Wales!
This will still be aimed at improvers/intermediate riders but will be a progression from the previous trail centres we’ve visited.
Meeting at Afan Lodge at 11am we will take a short ride to the start of the trails and begin our day on the blue-graded Blue Scar. At the top of the Blue Scar climb we can then decide whether to climb a bit more and do the first part of the red-graded trail Penhydd or continue straight to the Blue Scar descent. There is a fair amount of climbing at Afan but most of it is on fire roads and there will be plenty of opportunity to stop and admire the stunning views.
After lunch those with the energy can climb back up and do more of Penhydd or Blue Scar again, and there is also a small skills area and lovely scenic route with short section of blue-graded trail along the valley.
Those that are really feeling energetic and brave may be tempted to give the red-graded trail Y-Wal a go, but be warned, Wales trail gradings are harder than English ones.
Afan is roughly two hours drive away from Swindon so we will meet at Afan Lodge at 11am. Afan Lodge is further up the road past Afan trail centre, you’ll see the trail centre on your right and Afan Lodge is on the left. There is plenty of free parking here and a lovely cafe, and an old railway line cycle path links the two.
Since we’ll be in Wales it would seem rude not to stay a bit longer and go to Bike Park Wales on the Sunday! This won’t be an official club trip as such but there is a bike-friendly Premier Inn 5 minutes away from BPW which I may well find myself in that night 😀