Calendar

Mar
20
Wed
Wednesday GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail
Mar 20 @ 6:00 pm – 8:15 pm
Wednesday GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail

Wednesday rides are back with a new format.

The evening will be split into two parts:

6-6.45pm will be a Croft trail ride, laps of the trail (when it gets lighter we will also be sessioning some of the features)

6.45-8.15pm 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 6.45PM RIDE, so that we know to wait for you, as we leave promptly.

These rides are part of our GetintoMTB series, designed for anyone just starting mountain biking, coming back after a break or just wanting a shorter, flatter ride 😊

Helmets are compulsory and you will also need lights at the moment.

Meet in the Croft Trail car park for both rides

Mar
27
Wed
Wednesday GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail
Mar 27 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Wednesday GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail
Wednesday rides are back with a new format.

The evening will be split into two parts:

6-6.45pm will be a Croft trail ride, laps of the trail (when it gets lighter we will also be sessioning some of the features)

6.45-8.15pm 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 6.45PM RIDE, so that we know to wait for you, as we leave promptly.

These rides are part of our GetintoMTB series, designed for anyone just starting mountain biking, coming back after a break or just wanting a shorter, flatter ride 😊

Helmets are compulsory and you will also need lights at the moment.

Meet in the Croft Trail car park for both rides

Apr
3
Wed
Wednesdays GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail
Apr 3 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Wednesdays GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail
Wednesday rides are back with a new format.

The evening will be split into two parts:

6-6.45pm will be a Croft trail ride, laps of the trail (when it gets lighter we will also be sessioning some of the features). This week this bit shouldn’t need lights 😀

6.45-8.15pm 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 6.45PM RIDE, so that we know to wait for you, as we leave promptly.

These rides are part of our GetintoMTB series, designed for anyone just starting mountain biking, coming back after a break or just wanting a shorter, flatter ride 😊

Helmets are compulsory and you will also need lights for the ride out at 6.45pm.

Meet in the Croft Trail car park for both rides

Apr
10
Wed
Wednesday GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail
Apr 10 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Wednesday GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail
Wednesday rides are back with a new format.
 
The evening will be split into two parts:
 
6-7pm will be a Croft trail ride, laps of the trail (when it gets lighter we will also be sessioning some of the features). This week this bit shouldn’t need lights 😀
 
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.
 
These rides are part of our GetintoMTB series, designed for anyone just starting mountain biking, coming back after a break or just wanting a shorter, flatter ride 😊
 
Helmets are compulsory and you will also need lights for the ride out at 7pm.
 
Meet in the Croft Trail car park for both rides
Apr
13
Sat
Get (Back) Into Mountain Biking Part 1 – Ashton Court @ Ashton Court
Apr 13 @ 10:30 am – 1:30 pm
Get (Back) Into Mountain Biking Part 1 - Ashton Court @ Ashton Court
This the first stop on Mandy’s “Get (Back) Into Mountain Biking” series, going to Ashton Court in Bristol.

Ashton Court is home to the Nova Trail, a purpose built blue-graded trail that winds it’s way around the estate. At only 4 miles long and with only short sections of climbing it’s the perfect place to try a proper mountain bike trail. It’s recently undergone renovation and everything on the blue is rollable, there are some sections of red graded and more technical trail for those wanting to improve their skills but for those new to mountain biking or a bit nervous about getting out on the trails this an excellent place to begin.

We’ll meet by the cafe/toilets for a 10:30am start and we’ll spend the morning on the Nova Trail. We’ll stop and session bits if people want to and Adrian will be on hand to offer coaching.

After a break for lunch we can either pop over to the 2 mile long blue graded Yer Tiz trail just over the road in Leigh Woods (which also has a progressive skills loop) or head back on to the Nova Trail to perfect our skills.

There is more than one car park at Ashton Court, please make sure you head for the car park at Pedal Progression BS8 3PX, it’s through the stone archway just after the Clifton Suspension bridge. Parking costs £1.20 for the day.

Remember you will need a helmet, but there is a cafe for lunch.
Bike hire is also available at Pedal Progression – booking in advance is essential though.
Apr
17
Wed
Wednesday GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail
Apr 17 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Wednesday GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail

Wednesday rides are back with a new format.

The evening will be split into two parts:

6-7pm will be a Croft trail ride, laps of the trail (when it gets lighter we will also be sessioning some of the features). This week this bit shouldn’t need lights 😀

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.

These rides are part of our GetintoMTB series, designed for anyone just starting mountain biking, coming back after a break or just wanting a shorter, flatter ride 😊

Helmets are compulsory and you will also need lights for the ride out at 7pm.

Meet in the Croft Trail car park for both rides

May
1
Wed
Wednesdays GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail
May 1 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Wednesdays GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail

Wednesday rides are back with a new format.

The evening will be split into two parts:

6-7pm will be a Croft trail ride, laps of the trail (when it gets lighter we will also be sessioning some of the features). This week this bit shouldn’t need lights 😀

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.

These rides are part of our GetintoMTB series, designed for anyone just starting mountain biking, coming back after a break or just wanting a shorter, flatter ride 😊

Helmets are compulsory and you will also need lights for the ride out at 7pm.

Meet in the Croft Trail car park for both rides

Jun
5
Wed
Wednesday GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail
Jun 5 @ 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Wednesday GetintoMTB @ Croft Cycle Trail

Wednesday rides are back with a new format.

The evening will be split into two parts:

6-7pm will be a Croft trail ride, laps of the trail (when it gets lighter we will also be sessioning some of the features). This week this bit shouldn’t need lights 😀

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.

These rides are part of our GetintoMTB series, designed for anyone just starting mountain biking, coming back after a break or just wanting a shorter, flatter ride 😊

Helmets are compulsory and lights are advised for the ride out at 7pm.

Meet in the Croft Trail car park for both rides

Jun
22
Sat
GetintoMTB – Part 2 Swinley Forest
Jun 22 @ 10:00 am – 1:30 pm
GetintoMTB - Part 2 Swinley Forest

The next stop on Mandy’s Get (Back) Into Mountain Biking series will take us to Swinley. It’s a step up from Ashton Court with a longer trail, more climbing and steeper descents, but it’s a great place to get used to riding at a trail centre and everything we do will be suitable for novice riders.

We’ll start with a lap of the green trail to get everyone warmed up and then do a lap of blue. The blue trail is 9km (5.5 miles) with some moderate climbs, berms, and fun descents. We will take it at a pace to suit the group and stop to look at each section before we ride it. Adrian will be on hand again to offer coaching advice.

The car park at Swinley gets very busy so please arrive in plenty of time. We will meet at The Bike Hub ready to ride at 10am.

Parking is £2 for 4 hours or £4 all day. There is a cafe, toilets, and bike hire facilities.

Helmets are compulsory.

Jul
19
Fri
Ladies Exmoor Adventure @ Porlock
Jul 19 @ 7:00 pm – Jul 21 @ 4:00 pm
Ladies Exmoor Adventure @ Porlock
This year’s ladies away trip sees us heading to Exmoor for a fun weekend of fantastic views, great riding and bags of fun!
We will be based in the town of Porlock, near Minehead and we will head down there after work on the Friday, where most of us will be setting up camp at Sparkhayes campsite (details further down). For those that don’t wish to camp, there are a variety of B&Bs and pubs to stay in – comment below if you want that option and I can suggest some places for you.
 
Friday night we will be getting settled in and have a few welcome drinks in one of the excellent local pubs.
 
Saturday is the big ride – our Seaside big one! Don’t worry, it’s not huge, 28km in fact, but with a fair bit of climbing that will gives us some amazing views of the sea and surrounding hills. We head out up Bossington Hill, which you can see from the campsite, before taking the ridge to Bratton. The return takes us via Selworth Combe, after which there will be an opportunity to visit the fantastic tea rooms at Horner and we will finish at Porlock Weir for a drink by the seaside.
 
Sunday we have two shorter rides on offer. The first is our Dunkery Dabble. Just under 10km, it does have a couple of steep bits in it, but we will take these at a gentle pace. The rewards though are some amazing views back towards the sea and some really fun descents in an idillic setting, complete with optional water crossings!
After this ride we will stop at the Horner tea rooms for a spot of lunch. If anyone needs to head back early, they can at this point, or stay on for the afternoon ride. This will be a quick 15km route from Horner out to the woods of Wootton Common and back. The way out and back are relatively flat, with the bulk of the climb at Wootton Common itself – a great way to finish a great weekend of riding.
 
All of these rides will be rides will be led by myself, supported by other ride leaders from the club, who are also first aid trained.
 
For more information about accommodation or anything else on the weekend, send an email to admin@swindonmtbenthusiasts.co.uk .
 
Sparkhayes campsite costs £9 a night per person and has good facilities (real showers and toilets, even a fridge).
Please email if you want to camp at Sparkhayes, as I will be doing a group booking with all the tents together.
Let me know if you don’t have a tent and want to camp, as a few of us have big tents with spare rooms in them.
 
There are plenty of food options in the town and we will probably eat out both nights, but it’s entirely up to you.
 
It will be a fun weekend and can’t wait to see you all.