Mountain bike holidays
& skills breaks

…mtb skills coaching in two of the best trail centres in the UK

In 2004 Scotland was voted best in the world for mountain biking & the 7stanes centres were a big factor. They still seem to be improved on every year. We’ll be riding at Kirroughtree & Dalbeattie – ideal for riders wanting to learn intermediate to advanced skills. The red trails have plenty to learn on & also optional black features for those with a bit more confidence!

Transport

If you don’t have your own transport do not fear! We will happily pick up & drop off at nearest train station for a small charge (please arrange this with us before-hand. Transport while we are there is included in the price (…in case you wondered)

Accommodation & food

Breakfast & packed lunches are included in the price

Although these courses are great value, accommodation is warm & comfortable – you just need to bring is a sleeping bag & pillow. A fridge, kettle, toaster and microwave are provided. Outside is a picnic/BBQ/camp fire area. The site has secure cycle storage …hide

7stanes dates:
 
8th-10th Oct 2010 £185.00 1st-3rd Apr 2011 £193.00 17th-19th Jun 2011 £193.00

Skills day

This one starts with a bike skills day, so if your confidence isn’t great no worries. You just need to be willing to have a go and you’ll suprise yourself with what you’re capable of. And if you already have some bike skills, get them up to the next level

Riding

Everyone has their own ideas, but North Wales has our favourite MTB route in the UK. So if you’re up for downhill measured in miles rather than metres, this may well be for you!

Snowdonia has climbs which can take serious skill to complete without a foot down, rewarded long technical downhills

The dates for this one are outside of the volutary ban on riding Snowdon, so the final day will be the North Wales classic. Don’t worry, it’s a ‘do-able’ ride, but one you have to tick off!

Transport

If you don’t have your own transport do not fear! We will happily pick up & drop off at nearest train station for a small charge

All journeys to & from rides are included in the price (…in case you wondered)

Accommodation

Comfortable B&B accommodation with cycle storage. Breakfast & packed lunches are included in the price, you just need to choose your own evening meal …hide

Deposit/Full Payment

Full Payment £392.00 Deposit £100.00 Balance £292.00

Miles of bridleways ranging from flowing singletrack to technical rocky descents to open moorland trails

The Moors are England’s largest area of heather moorland & have a great sense of space. There’s a definite old feel to the place, with standing stones, monuments and burial grounds. Village pubs and tea-rooms can be found for re-fuelling. Yey!

Guiding & support is included, so no need to guess at good trails & you can bring luggage with you without it weighing you down

Transport

If you don’t have your own transport do not fear! We will happily pick up & drop off at Scarborough train station for a reasonable cost

…and all journeys to & from rides are included in the price (…in case you wondered)

Accommodation

Comfortable B&B accommodation with cycle storage. Breakfast & packed lunches are included in the price …hide

Deposit/Full Payment

Full Payment £273.00 Deposit £100.00 Balance £173.00

If you’re a mountain biker, high on the list of priorities is always the quality of the riding, so we’ve chosen a route from St Bees to Robin Hoods Bay as we reckon it has the most exciting trails. We head through the Lakes to the Dales then the North York Moors. And yes, it’s compulsory to dip at least a toe in the water on each side of the country!

We hit trails like Black Sail Pass, Garburn Pass, the Pennine Way, Swaledale & the superbly named Fryupdale. As well as great trails, the route goes takes in some stunning scenery. We’ve not gone for a flat out pace, so there’ll be time to soak in the surroundings. You’ll need to be OK with averaging nearly 60k a day (about 35 miles). Bear in mind that off road miles are more strenuous than road miles. Coast to coast routes inevitably include some road riding as well, but wherever possible we’ve kept away from the tarmac

Guiding & Support

Fully guided, so if you usually only ride trail centres but fancy something different, you can experience miles from nowhere riding without needing to look at a map. And if you’re usually the navigator, take a break & enjoy the riding…
The trip is supported so all you’ll need to carry each day is your Camelback type pack with your usual stash for a day’s riding. Your evening/overnight stuff will magically arrive at the end of day accommodation. We do lots of skills coaching, so although that’s not the focus of the trip, you can still expect to pick up some riding tips if you feel the need to improve. There’ll also be repairs available at the end of the day if needed (hopefully not!) – all you’ll need to do is aquire the parts if it’s something major

What bike will be suitable?

Although a nice bike does make a difference to your speed, fitness & skill make a bigger difference. If you’re an older MTBer you might remember way back when a certain Mr Peat won the British DH series on a bike with no suspension & skinny tyres! You do need a genuine mountain bike though, which as a rough guide is usually something that retails at about £400 or more. If you want some advice please get in touch, and if you need a bike for the trip we can provide something that will do the job nicely

Transport

There’s a train station at St Bees, but if you’re nearer to Scarborough we can provide transport to the start. Transport from Robin Hood’s Bay to Scarborough Station will also be available at the end of the trip if you’ve not got a willing volunteer to pick you up

Accommodation & Food

4 nights of B&B or higher end bunkhouse accommodation is included. Breakfast & packed lunches will be provided every day. You may well want to bring along whatever energy food/drink works for you – if the price of branded stuff hurts a bit, fig rolls are great, flapjacks are pretty good and Haribo are a favourite of many! If you want to spend a few more nights in North Yorkshire, check out the links page for accommodation links …hide

Deposit/Full Payment

Full Payment £448.00 Deposit £100.00 Balance £358.00

Dark Peak gritstone. Amongst the grippiest stuff around! It’s hard to believe the Peak District is overlooked by some, it’s up there with the best of the UK and has some classic routes…

…a variety of world class descents – fast, loose, rocky, and rutted. There are climbs in the same league – technical and rocky with some real leg burners. Singletrack tends to be in shorter sections than elsewhere but makes up for it in technical difficulty, and the double-track has to be ridden to be believed

Tour

It’s a fully guided tour. As this is one of the shorter breaks, to keep the cost down there’s no luggage transfer. However, the last day is a loop, so there’ll be opportunity to collect fresh supplies for the last day if needed

Transport

If you don’t have your own transport do not fear! We will happily pick you up & drop off at nearest train station for a reasonable cost

Accommodation

Comfortable B&B accommodation with cycle storage. Breakfast & packed lunches are included in the price …hide

Deposit/Full Payment

Full Payment £285.00 Deposit £100.00 Balance £185.00

*This one is Monday to Friday in school term time to avoid the usual Lake District trail traffic…

Lake District riding

Four days of oh so sweet fully guided riding! The Lake District is famous for stunning scenery & has mountain biking to match

Epic rides, challenging technical downhills, and the advantage of lots of hard-packed & rocky trails rideable whatever the weather. The man made forestry routes seem almost unnecessary with the wealth of stunning wild trails on offer

Day of rest – did I hear right?!

That may sound a bit odd – no biking?! You can use the day to bike on your own, but we’d recommend a day to rest those biking muscles and explore the area

There are loads of things to do and see, sailing, climbing, fishing, ‘Go Ape’. Windermere, Coniston, Esthwaite Water & Hawkshead are all close

Transport

If you don’t have your own transport do not fear! We can pick up & drop off at nearest train station for a reasonable cost

All journeys to & from rides are included in the price (…in case you wondered)

Accommodation

Comfortable B&B accommodation with cycle storage. Breakfast & packed lunches are included in the price …hide

Deposit/Full Payment

Full Payment £399.00 Deposit £100.00 Balance £299.00