www.trailrides-wales.com
www.trailrides-wales.com
well -- ive been!
we set out from stoke at 6.15am, stopped off at little chef to stock up on our favourite olympic breakfast, and headed on down to Ponterwyd which is a nice easy leisurely drive and easy to find.
the two of us were met by marianne at the visitor centre who rolled up with a big fiat van loaded with 4 bikes.
marianne ( around late 40's ) whipped the bikes out!! and set us up with all of our protective gear which we changed into at -3 degrees in the back of the van -- cold! but funny!.
so -- we had the choice of 2 suzuki drz 400's one in enduro trim which i took and one slightly more trail version which offered a bit more smoothness but not as responsive on the power.
we also took out a yamaha 250 (think a ttr) which my buddy glen rode first.
there was also a kx125 if anyone was feeling a bit gay.
so -- no messing about we hit the trail - and without giving it to you verbatum, we were in the most amazing countryside and forest areas your mind can imagine.
marianne was nothing short of fantastic, an amazingly competent, patient, and all round nice lady who gave us all the ride tips on stance, approach etc as we went along.
we hit tarmac sections, went through forests, ruts, gravelly banks, shaley descents, boulder hills, deep muddy tracks (( i got bogged down once! boo )) and pretty much all terrain that you would encounter on a green laning expedition.
one of the highlights of my day was second gearing mid power down a rutted track, attempting stupidly to cross the rut into the side, losing the front wheel and going over the top rolling about 20metres down a field doing about 12 roly polys! -- not even a bruise though thankfully!
after a third of the run we stopped off at a nice cafe for lunch and a fag!, a quich recharge of the batteries before we hit the trail.
it was 3.30 when we got back to the van and marriane suggested we hit the cafe for a drink then hit the trail again for another half hour --- drink yes, more riding - no thanks!!! we were both knackered!!!
so to recap. http://www.trailrides-wales.com was an absolutley fantastic day out for us, marianne was a great host, we swapped and changed bikes a few times to get a feel for them all. had a great lunch, a great fall off -- or 3, and a shed load of aching muscles this morning!
downsides??? -- farmers gates, theres quite a few of them which we took in turns to open and close, and to be honest sometimes its a nice breather! but if we all want to continue greenlaning then we have to respect the country way!
highly recommended experience, i'l be doing it again in a about 5 weeks if anyone is up for it. - i can get 5 people very comfortable in my cayenne if lifts are required.
i have a couple of phone photos that i'l upload but nothing too special im afraid as the cold killed my head cam batteries.. booo
cheers!
we set out from stoke at 6.15am, stopped off at little chef to stock up on our favourite olympic breakfast, and headed on down to Ponterwyd which is a nice easy leisurely drive and easy to find.
the two of us were met by marianne at the visitor centre who rolled up with a big fiat van loaded with 4 bikes.
marianne ( around late 40's ) whipped the bikes out!! and set us up with all of our protective gear which we changed into at -3 degrees in the back of the van -- cold! but funny!.
so -- we had the choice of 2 suzuki drz 400's one in enduro trim which i took and one slightly more trail version which offered a bit more smoothness but not as responsive on the power.
we also took out a yamaha 250 (think a ttr) which my buddy glen rode first.
there was also a kx125 if anyone was feeling a bit gay.
so -- no messing about we hit the trail - and without giving it to you verbatum, we were in the most amazing countryside and forest areas your mind can imagine.
marianne was nothing short of fantastic, an amazingly competent, patient, and all round nice lady who gave us all the ride tips on stance, approach etc as we went along.
we hit tarmac sections, went through forests, ruts, gravelly banks, shaley descents, boulder hills, deep muddy tracks (( i got bogged down once! boo )) and pretty much all terrain that you would encounter on a green laning expedition.
one of the highlights of my day was second gearing mid power down a rutted track, attempting stupidly to cross the rut into the side, losing the front wheel and going over the top rolling about 20metres down a field doing about 12 roly polys! -- not even a bruise though thankfully!
after a third of the run we stopped off at a nice cafe for lunch and a fag!, a quich recharge of the batteries before we hit the trail.
it was 3.30 when we got back to the van and marriane suggested we hit the cafe for a drink then hit the trail again for another half hour --- drink yes, more riding - no thanks!!! we were both knackered!!!
so to recap. http://www.trailrides-wales.com was an absolutley fantastic day out for us, marianne was a great host, we swapped and changed bikes a few times to get a feel for them all. had a great lunch, a great fall off -- or 3, and a shed load of aching muscles this morning!
downsides??? -- farmers gates, theres quite a few of them which we took in turns to open and close, and to be honest sometimes its a nice breather! but if we all want to continue greenlaning then we have to respect the country way!
highly recommended experience, i'l be doing it again in a about 5 weeks if anyone is up for it. - i can get 5 people very comfortable in my cayenne if lifts are required.
i have a couple of phone photos that i'l upload but nothing too special im afraid as the cold killed my head cam batteries.. booo
cheers!
.