We will be at Croft on Wednesday, but starting at the slightly later time of 6.15pm.
We will be doing a few laps of the trail, stopping to practice anything people want to along the way.
Meet in the car park at 6.15pm
You will need a helmet, but not lights.
As Dave is off sunning himself, Lee Smith will be leading this week’s Tuesday ride. The full route to be determined depending on the weather, but expect around 35k with 400-450 metres of climbing over 2 – 2.5 hours. Mud and puddles are a given at this time of year so dress appropriately. Lid, lights and jacket required.
The usual Tuesday night ride onto the Ridgeway. The weather forecast looks wet and windy yet again, so we will be riding harder pack trails and a bit of urban – all subject to change according what weather actually transpires.
You must wear a helmet, bring lights (strong enough for the dark of the Ridgeway) and appropriate clothing (warm waterproofs at the moment).
If you have not been on a club ride before and are not a club member, you are welcome to join us to see what it is like before joining. Details on the benefits of membership and how to join can be found by clicking here.
The Peak District is simple awesome for mountain biking – stunning scenery and brilliant riding.
I’ve done lots of riding up there and am putting together some of the best in one long weekend.
We will be based in the Hope Valley, which has a great selection of campsites, B&B accommodation, cafes and bike shops. Personally I’ll be camping and will make a recommendation for a campsite after sampling a few, but there are plenty of great B&Bs for anyone that doesn’t like camping.
For the riding, we have 3 days:
A scenic starter, along the Monsal Trail. Starting at Bakewell Station up to Blackwell Mill and back. This is a former railway line that has been converted into a bridleway, using all the old features, including a number of viaducts and 4 tunnels through the Peaks. This gives us the chance to soak in the gorgeous scenery along the route, as well as a stop to enjoy them with a drink.
Day 2 is an epic XC ride starting in Hope and heading over Mam Tor out towards Derwent Water and back. The views on this route are even more stunning than the previous day, but the riding will be amazing too, with some epic descents – this one isn’t flat! 😉 We will be doing 25-30km with 1200-1500ft of climbing (depending on the weather), but the pace will be relaxed.
The final day will be a trip to the brilliant (but short) Lady Cannings trails, which we will use to end a 10km loop of the local Blacca Moor, which is another Peaks “must do”. That should see us finish at lunchtime, on the Bank Holiday Monday.
If you are planning on coming, please register either on the Facebook group event or by sending an email to adrian@swindonmtbenthusiasts.co.uk – just so we know to keep an eye out for you before setting off anywhere.
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
Wednesdays are one of our #getintoMTB events, designed to help people get started, get back into MTB or anyone wanting a shorter, flatter ride. But there’s plenty of fun for all abilities.
The evening will be split into two parts:
6-7pm will be a Croft trail ride, laps of the trail (sessioning some of the features along the way)
7pm-8pm will be a local, fairly flat route, less than 10km in total.
PLEASE LET US KNOW BY POSTING BELOW IF YOU INTEND ONLY ATTENDING THE 7PM RIDE, so that we know to wait for you, as we leave promptly.
Under 18’s are allowed on this ride unaccompanied, as long as you have been out with us before. If you haven’t and wish to come, please drop an email to welfare@swindonmtbenthusiasts.co.uk so we can let you know the process for signing up to these rides.
As with all our rides, Helmets are compulsory.
Meet in the Croft Trail car park for both rides