Calendar

Feb
18
Sat
Ladies of (Cannop) Valley @ Pedalabikeaway
Feb 18 @ 10:30 am – 1:30 pm
Ladies of (Cannop) Valley @ Pedalabikeaway | England | United Kingdom

This ride is for any ladies wanting to spread their mountain bike wings a bit further and visit a truly great trail centre with a fantastic atmosphere and excellent riding.

There’s lots to do – the scenic Green family trail takes in the sights of the forest and the excellent Blue graded Verderers trail is jewel of the south west, with its showcase final descent that’s guaranteed to put a smile on anyone’s face.

A lap of Verderers will be the main event, but depending on the preferences of the group we can take in some of the family trail first, or the super fun Launchpad downhill run after.

Meet outside the Pedalabikeaway cafe at 10.30am

Apr
29
Sat
FoD Downhill Practice @ Pedalabikeaway
Apr 29 @ 10:30 am – 2:30 pm
FoD Downhill Practice @ Pedalabikeaway | England | United Kingdom

This is the day before the first Root1 race at Tidworth and that will be closed off, so I’m off to FoD to session some downhill tracks as a bit of final practice.

The plan is to push up and start with Ski Run, followed by some others that offer a bit of rooty corner practice 😊

All are welcome, but bear in mind the level of the tracks will be riding, which are basically Black+, so you will need to be experienced.

Meet outside Pedalabikeaway Café at 10.30am

Ladies Day at FoD @ Pedalabikeaway
Apr 29 @ 10:30 am – 2:30 pm
Ladies Day at FoD @ Pedalabikeaway | England | United Kingdom

The Forest of Dean is one of my favourite places to ride, as not only does it have some of the best trails to be found, but it also has the warmest of welcomes and the best atmosphere that I’ve been too.
If you’ve been before you’ll know that already, so here’s another chance for you to go and if you haven’t been, you need to!!! And here’s your chance.
Join me on the trails for some shredding fun!! Everyone is welcome and the trails provide something for all abilities.
If you are new to mountain biking this is the perfect opportunity to see how much fun it can be! 🚴‍♀️

Meet outside the Pedalabikeaway cafe at 10.30am

Jul
9
Sun
Cwmcarn if you can @ PS Cycles, Cwmcarn
Jul 9 @ 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Cwmcarn if you can @ PS Cycles, Cwmcarn  | Wales | United Kingdom

Time for another visit to Cwmcarn.

This is a great Welsh trail centre, with 2 XC trails and some downhill tracks, with uplift available.

The main ride is 10am on Sunday, but we’ll be there the whole weekend if you want to join in on Saturday too.

Plan is to camp over Saturday nigh, ready to do the main day ride on the Sunday.

We will meet at 10am at PS Cycles on the Sunday for the main ride.

Aug
6
Sun
FoD for All (Happy Andy Day) @ Pedalabikeaway
Aug 6 @ 10:30 am – 4:00 pm
FoD for All (Happy Andy Day) @ Pedalabikeaway | England | United Kingdom
One year on from a cracking (if eventful!) trip to the Forest of Dean, we’re going back again 🙂
 
This is a general day with several ride leaders, with options for everyone.
 
We will do at least one lap of Verderers, check out the skills area and at least a run down Lauchpad, with some other DH runs if people want too.
 
Davinia will be leading a ladies group too and we will do some skills practice on the great facilities at Cannop.
 
Meet outside the Pedalabikeaway Cafe at 10.30am
 
Helmets are a must (if Andy’s coming he’ll show you why!)
Nov
4
Sat
FoD Family Ride @ Beechenhurst, Forest of Dean
Nov 4 @ 11:00 am – 2:00 pm
FoD Family Ride @ Beechenhurst, Forest of Dean | England | United Kingdom
We’re going to do something a bit different for the next family ride – an away day of sorts.
 
Just down the road from Pedalabikeaway in the Forest of Dean, is Beechenhurst, the activity & picnic centre with a child’s playground and sculpture trail amongst other things.
 
So we will park/start at Beechenhurst and pick up the Green family trail (which is on former railyway lines, so nice & flat), out to the Cannop ponds, looping back to Pedalabikeaway for a go on the family skills loop and pump track (& visit to the cafe), before returning to Beechenhurst.
 
Total route is 5 miles, but with the option for as many loops of the pump track as desired – it always seems to be the kids’ favourite!
 
The ride will be lead by our Welfare officer, Davinia, who is also a British Cycling qualified ride leader and Breeze champion.
 
Whilst on the ride your children must be accompanied and are your responsibility at all times.
 
Meet out the front of the Beechenhurst lodge at 11am.
Jun
9
Sat
Exmoor Explore – the accommodation @ Sparkhayes Campsite
Jun 9 – Jun 10 all-day

We’re going to be camping down at the excellent Sparkhayes campsite in Porlock – just round the corner from both the town and from the beach.

The campsite has electric hook ups, a shower/toilet block with washing up facilities, a kettle and small microwave. There is also a communal fridge and freezer.

The cost is £9 per person per night, with an additional £4 a night for the electric hook up.

Let us know if you want to stay and we’ll do a group booking – we will be there from the Friday night to set up as well, but people are welcome to join on the Friday night or Saturday morning.

Don’t forget the Saturday and Sunday rides that are part of the weekend.

Exmoor Explore – Lets go to the sea @ Porlock Weir
Jun 9 @ 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Exmoor Explore - Lets go to the sea @ Porlock Weir | Porlock Weir | England | United Kingdom
This is a warm up for those coming for the weekend, and will have a choice of gentle or mental!
 
We will be starting from our base at the Sparkhayes Campsite in the centre of Porlock and making our way to Porlock Weir, the port to the west, where there is an excellent pub, refreshments and the sea!
 
The choice will be:
A gentle pootle out, relatively flat, just taking in the scenery to the pub essentially.
Or the mental option – making our way part way up Porlock Hill (which has the steepest A road in the country!) and making our way down through the technical bridleways in the woods to the weir.
 
The choice is yours 🙂
Aug
27
Tue
All Inclusive Tuesday Short Ride @ Croft Cycle Trail
Aug 27 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm
All Inclusive Tuesday Short Ride @ Croft Cycle Trail

Next week’s Tuesday Short Ride is a special short ride and we will be leading a ride that will include parents and children under 18. This ride will be about an hour and a half and children must be capable of riding 20-25k and be confident riding up hills and off road. We will be going up onto the Ridgeway, so this is a great chance for those that have been to Croft to go for a longer ride up into the hills.

This has been a long time in the pipeline and we thank you for your patience whilst we have been trying to arrange evening rides to include kids.

The All inclusive Tuesday ride will hopefully take place every 6 weeks, so keep an eye out for the next one.
Please note: children under 16 MUST be accompanied by a parent, children aged 16/17 can be unaccompanied, but written permission and contact details must be e-mailed to :
welfare@swindonmtbenthusiasts.co.uk

As with all rides, helmets are compulsory and lights and suitable clothing are also required.

We will start and end the ride at Croft, however I will be parking at the Bayberry pub and will ride over at 6.45pm. If any others who don’t have kids with them want to join me, I will then be riding back with a slightly detoured route from Croft to the Bayberry for an after-ride beverage.

Everyone is welcome on this ride and you don’t need to borrow a child to attend!! This is the short ride for this week and it is designed to include everyone, as it has been very much requested.

Myself and Adrian will be leading the ride and we are both DBS checked and hold outdoor first aid certificates. I am also a primary school teacher and Adrian is a MIAS Level 3 Ride Leader.

May
23
Sat
May Weekender 2020 – Exmoor @ Porlock
May 23 @ 10:00 am – May 25 @ 2:00 pm
May Weekender 2020 - Exmoor @ Porlock
Our annual May Bank holiday trip will be to the fabulous Exmoor in 2020.
We have 3 days riding planned and you can do all or just some of them.
 
Day 1 – the big day out. Starting from Porlock we will do a 28km loop of some of the best hills and scenery Exmoor has to offer, including Wootton Courtenay, Ranscombe and Horner. There will be amazing views of the hills, sea and Wales, epic descents and glorious woodland. There will be options on the route as well, including a cut off near the end to remove 300m of climbing, to enable more people to have a go at the route. For the “adventurous” there will also be a chance to take in one of the tracks from the Southern Enduro champs along the way (that is optional and the alternative is still a great descent, just firewood instead).
 
Day 2 – lazy Sunday. Well sort of! We will start with a considerably shorter ride (9km) to the top of Bossington Hill, for the epic view, on our way to Horner. After a lunch at the excellent tea rooms we will then do 3 uplifted descents. First we will take in a long run from the top of Dunkery Beacon, followed by an epic singletrack run from the top of Porlock Hill. Finally we will return to Porlock Hill and take a super fast fireroad route down to Porlock Weir for a pint by the sea. Up to you if you do all 3 descents or 2 or 1, but the final one is suitable for all and takes us home, so if you’re only going to do 1, it should be that 1!
 
Day 3 – Big trees. To finish off on Monday we will decamp to the outskirts of Minehead (about 15 minute drive) to Dunster Castle. Here we will ride a nice woodland route out to England’s tallest tree and back.
 
Accommodation is DIY, but I would strongly recommend Sparkhayes campsite (which I will be at). It has excellent facilities, and lovely relaxed atmosphere and great views of the hills and sea. It’s also on a few minutes walk from the pubs and shops.
There are many B&Bs in the town if you would prefer a solid roof though.
 
Outside of your accommodation and food, the only cost will be the uplift, which will be around £10 per person in total. Exact price will be confirmed nearer the time.
 
All routes will be led by qualified ride leaders, who are also first aid trained.