Llyn Crafnant and Llyn Cowlyd, Snowdonia October 2013

With a free weekend to play with, our eyes were on the weather reports. It was decided we would be riding wherever the weather was best.
It turned out the weather wasn't good anywhere in the UK and with a flight to southern Spain out of the question we opted for Wales.
As the forecast was for heavy showers, a campsite near a pub was in order to offer us some respite from the torrential weather and to maybe participate in a few of the local brews.

 

Even though showers were the order of the day, we kept to our plan and headed away from the trail centres into the Snowdonian hills.

The route we devised conveniently started from the campsite in between Betws y Coed and Capel Curig, but with a car rally taking up most of the forest some deviations were made in the forests around the area.

The first leg took us on the road to Capel Curig where we took a bridleway north up to Llyn Crafnant.

The trail climbed up over rocky, technical terrain to the high point of 330m where a short gnarly descent awaited us.

 

 

The saddles were dropped and we started down the steep rocky slope. It wasn't long before the

gradient eased and the rocks turned to grass.
This didn't mean it got any easier, after the rain and the continued showers the grass conjured up a few skids to keep us occupied on the tight switch backs.

Once at Llyn Crafnant, we took the northern track to lead us to the road. The tarmac descent soon took us to Trefriw where a café allowed us to fuel up for the tarmac climb up to Llyn Cowlyd.

The climb isn't for the faint hearted, 500m over 5km all on the material mountain bikers fear, the dreaded black stuff. But it does get the job done, you soon find yourself staring up the reservoir.
It is best to take the trail before the water pipe that leads to the dam at the reservoirs head, the follow the trail on the north side of the water.

The trail is rocky with some spots of pushing unless your trail skills are up to scratch, with a carry out at the head of the valley.
As we reached the high point of the ride, the clouds came in and squalls crept in around us.
We found shelter amongst a small crag and hunkered down. After a little rest and a few snacks we donned the waterproofs and headed out for the final descent in heavy rain.
The trail splits, both head down to the A5. We took the trail heading south as it took us closer to our finish spot.

Even with the muddy, boggy parts, the descent was all rideable down to the road. The boggy puddles even offered up some interesting riding and a couple of over the bar moments.
The road soon had us back to the campsite where we cleaned up and had a few well deserved pints in the onsite pub.

Stainburn Trail Guide

The guys at moredirt.com asked me to write a trail guide to the routes in Stainburn.
Seen as though its my local stomping ground, I was happy to oblige.


Stainburn forest has long been a Mecca for the mountain bikers of Yorkshire for quite sometime. But even with its location, nestled between the suburbs of Leeds, Bradford and Harrogate the trails never seem busy.

Location -

From the South. Take the B6451 out of Otley, past the reservoirs at Lindley. After 2 miles the car park is sign posted on your left.
From the North. Take the A59 from Harrogate towards Skipton. Take a left before Blubberhouse, on the B6451. After about 5 miles the car park is on your right.
There is no specified post code for the car park but LS21 2RA will get you near.

Facilities -

If you are planning on making a day of it, be sure to bring a packed lunch and be prepared to visit the bushes for any convenience stops as there is nothing regards facilities.
By taking a left from the car park, The Sun Inn is a couple of miles up the road, which caters for the many motor and road bikers that converge on the area. Serving quality pub grub and real ales.

Trails -

There are three manmade trails all starting from the car park and lots of natural trails in the woods on the other side of the road. Plus a small pump track, which was one of the UK's first.

The routes from the car park consist of two short red loops and the black Warren Boulder trail (possibly Britains hardest black route?).
Its a good idea to start out on the 'lil' ole red loop, which is only 2km in length but packs in everything and more expected from its red grade, in its modest distance.

Follow the red arrows straight onto the singletrack, it leads round to the right where there is a steep, rooty section that could bite riders new to mountain biking. The trail leads towards the woods, with some technical rock features that are designed to be ridden but can be bypassed. Once at the top of the climb the 'Descent Line' comes in to view on the left. To continue on the loop, follow it round right where it drops away steadily but gathers speed through the trees. If hitting it hard the corners are fun taken at speed, but watch out for the table top that seems to be getting bigger with every visit.

 

On exciting the trees there are some skinnies to test your balance, before some more rock features and a couple of drops, (again all can be avoided) that lead back to the woods for the climb. At the top either repeat or head left for the 1.5km Descent Line.

 

 

As the name suggests the Descent Line drops to the lowest point in Stainburn. However this is not a DH run and can quite easily be ridden on the lightest of XC machines. But with plenty of jump and drop options, plus the infamous 4ft Boulder Drop half way down, a DH bike and gear doesn't look out of place. If riding hard, a full-suss AM bike would be perfect. At the bottom there is either a push up path or if you have the legs, a trail winds its way up parallel back to the car park, that can be ridden.

Once you've sessioned what the red routes have to offer and have built up some confidence, then its time to head for the Warren Boulder trail . Graded double diamond black and in contention for the toughest, most technical route in the UK, the route demands respect. With steep, rooty, rocky sections to descend and climb as well 6ft high north shore and other wooden features, including a seesaw, it is advisable to walk some of the sections first.

Once familiar with this foreboding trail, riding some of the many features is highly rewarding and will lure you again and again.

There are trails to be discovered in the woods on the other side of the road at "Norwood Edge" Building is banned by the Forestry Commission, but they have opened it up for exploration by mountain bikers. It is worth a trip over on a dry day and following your nose/pushing up whatever trails you happen to spot.

Who's it Good For -

The trail builders never stop, the trails are constantly repaired and improved and is a credit to the volunteers at SingletrAction. The guys and gals have created trails that can be ridden in loops, for stamina training or sessioned to improve on skills. Making Stainburn ideal for all abilities and riding styles.

A donation is always welcome and they are very welcoming to anyone interested in helping out on a dig day.

Make a Weekend of It -

If travelling from further afield, it is possible to make a great weekend full of mountain biking. Either by heading to the natural rocky trails of the Yorkshire Dales, the singletrack of the North Yorkshire Moors or the excellent trail centres at Gisburn and Dalby.
There is plenty of accommodation nearby in Otley, Harrogate and Pateley Bridge from campsites to B&B's and hotels.

Useful Links -

www.singletraction.co.uk
www.forestry.gov.uk/forestry/EnglandNorthYorkshireNoForestStainburnForest
www.thesun-inn.com/

Solo Sutherland (August 2013)

With only 13,000 people living in an area covering 2,300 square miles, Sutherland is one of the remotest places in Europe, and with a further 6 hour drive from Glasgow and Edinburgh it isn't on everyone's list as a mountain bike destination.
However the area is littered with ancient trails amongst the mountains and moors making this little piece of Scotland ideal for some real wilderness riding.

The family and I booked a cottage in the small village of Tongue and in between watching the wildlife and sand castle building on the fabulous beaches I planned a couple of rides.
With Ben Tongue overlooking the cottage and a landrover track all the way to the top, I set out for the 302m hill on the first evening. It was worth the climb just for the views. The sun was setting and the shadows of Ben Hope and Ben Loyal were lurking over the vast moorland, they looked like two sentinels guarding what seemed to be the entrance to the unknown. With the light fading I headed back down on the ten minute, rocky, technical descent back to the cottage.

The next morning I was up early and headed out towards the two giants.
Following the road along the Kyle of Tongue towards Kinloch Lodge at the head of the Kyle. I took a track south climbing into the hills surrounding Ben Hope with fantastic views of Ben Loyal and back down the Kyle, the hard packed trail soon turned to singletrack and wound its way up to about 400m. From here the trail became less defined, so I turned around and headed back down the way I came, making it back to the cottage in time for breakfast.

After the little taster of what Sutherland had to off, I pondered the maps, planning a circular route around the famous hills of Arkle and Foinaven.
As I was alone and riding in some of the remotest mountains in Britain, I made sure I had food and supplies to be self sufficient in case of an emergency, packing a bivy bag alongside my usual riding tools and equipment for a bit more security.
The forecast was good for the next few days, so leaving a detailed description of my route as well as an expected return time behind, I set off for the short drive down the shore of Loch Hope.
There wasn't a car seen down the singletrack road, emphasising the remoteness of the area once again.

After parking up at the head of the trail and one more final check over the bike and equipment I set off towards Glen Golly.
It was only a few kilometres to the small farm at Gobernuisgach lodge on a fast landrover track through a thick pine forest. After the lodge, I turned north west up Glen Golly itself, the track quality remained far after the farm and good progress was made up the glen. The remoteness started to creep in, when the track became less maintained and the hills loomed up around me.

I climbed up the ridge line of Creag Dubh with little pushing. The size of the views deserved more time to soak them up and the rest would do anyone good after 450m of ascent.
The trail dropped down slowly on some nice singletrack, speed had to be restrained as the peat hags created big drops.
Crossing a small stream at the bottom I joined a good stalkers track leading up from Loch Dionard which took me on another steep climb to the top of Bealach Horn.
Arkle was in fine form showing its shattered, quartzite curving ridge.

The descent down to Loch Stack was fast and quite technical in places, I covered the 6km drop in what seemed like seconds, with the dramatic Ben Stack drawing nearer every time I took my eye from the trail ahead.
The drainage curbs along the trail, added optional jumps but caution had to be taken with the remote location. A mechanical would mean a long return walk.

It was now just a question of heading back to the van, all that stood in the way was another 450m climb. Again the track was good and all of it climbable, if you are fit enough that is.


I didn't waste anytime and headed straight for the high point, especially with the prospect of the descent on the other side. From the top, singletrack threaded its way down the glen and into the tree line a good few kilometres in the distance. This turned out to be the descent of the day, steep rock features at the top lead to sweeping singletrack once in the trees. The brakes were off and hardly a pedal was turned. Back down at Gobernuisgach the farmer was the only face I saw in a full day of riding and judging by the lack of tyre tracks, I was probably the first mountain biker he`d seen in a while.
Back at the van the clouds slowly rolled in while packing away. On the drive back on the winding roads, I reflected on what had been one of the best routes and day out in the mountains I`ve ever had.

Going solo on a route as remote as this, requires a bit more planning than the usual trail centre jaunt and with no café at the end, plenty of food is needed to stay fuelled. It is always a good idea to let someone know your exact route plus possible escape plans as well as an estimated return time. If you haven't anyone to leave this information with, then the local mountain rescue or police station will keep a record of your details. Just be sure to ring them when the route is finished, the volunteer rescue team wont take too kindly to been called out in the middle of the night for a missing biker, only for him to be found tucked up in bed with a Horlicks.
Map, compass and the knowledge to use them is essential, as well as basic trail side repairs should you need to adjust gears or fix a puncture. A bivy/survival bag or emergency shelter are valuable pieces of kit in the event of an emergency, plus an extra layer and waterproof. And of course a mobile phone, even if you have no reception it is worth giving the emergency numbers a try, as they use any of the mobile providers masts. Its worth noting that a text message requires much less data and reception coverage, but to send a text direct to the emergency services, the phone been used needs to be registered. This takes seconds to do and could turn out to be literally a life saver. More details can be found at http://emergencysms.org.uk/.
Also ride within your capabilities, breaking your bike or body could mean a long walk or worse. Its a lot easier to prevent and accident than it is to deal with one.
Riding with friends is obviously safer and more fun, but with a bit of planning and preparation going solo can be very rewarding.

Morzine Holiday

The accommodation was booked, the travel sorted and the bikes were in the best condition they have ever been in, since brand new. So it was a bit of a blow when the Morzine and Les Gets council were talking of putting the opening of the season back by a couple of weeks, due to the excess amount of snow still lingering. Adding to this the news of Le Pleney lift been closed for an overhaul, it might have been a mistake booking so early on.

With the departure date getting closer, we all had an eye on the weather, snow reports and also the various websites for the area.
It was a relief to read all was going ahead and the chair lift that runs parallel to Les Pleney had been adapted for bikes, as well as numerous shuttle buses between Morzine and Les Gets.

The last worry on my mind was fitting seven bikes, plus riding gear in my (what seemed to be getting smaller by the day) VW Caddy Maxi.
To keep costs low I had volunteered to drive the bikes down while the rest of the group flew from Leeds to Geneva. While everyone dreamt of riding the perfect trail, I headed out in the night for my Channel Tunnel crossing.
Everything went to plan and I found myself in our pre-booked apartment in a little over 14 hours.

The digs were way too luxurious for the rabble that were going to call this place home for the week and with the fridge stocked with beer, it was only polite to have a couple before settling down for an early night.
An early start had to be made to get the bikes and gear out of the van and into the garage, setting the rear seats up for my meeting with the lads at Geneva. After picking everyone up, plus the hire car we were all soon settled in with beers in hand admiring the views from the balcony.

The next morning saw us rushing down to the ticket office for the nine passes we needed. Seven bikers plus a couple of mates had joined us for the crack and a bit of walking/para gliding.
Seen as though Le Pleney was on our doorstep we decided to sample this chair lift first and even with the Pass`portes du Soleil in full swing, the lift didn't seem that busy. Turns out the reason for this could have been the time it takes to get to the top, with it been and old lift it was a little on the slow side. But we didn`t mind, we didn`t care, we were on our first chair lift in the Alps.
After regrouping at the top, you could feel the anticipation in the air. Even though we all agreed on a nice little descent back down to Morzine, to accommodate every ability in the group, there was still a little bit of anxiety towards the unknown.
The sun had been shining all morning but it was still a very muddy descent after the torrential rain the resort had before we arrived.

It wasn`t the best route to whet our appetites and a few of the riders chose to experience french culture or should I say drinking holes in Morzine once at the bottom. The remaining riders jumped on the dawdling lift and headed over to Les Gets to see if the other side of the hill was any better.
We were glad we did, the conditions were much drier. There seemed to be endless amounts of trails leading from the top of the chair lifts and apart from the odd wet patch in the trees, appeared to be dry. For those who have been to the Portes du Soleil, you`ll know the quality of riding to be had here. The trails are really well built and the red and blue graded ones are more than adequate for the average British trail centre rider.

This was a relief, after seeing the endless French and German riders, all doing their best robo cop impression at the top of the lifts, then mounting their DH monsters. We were a bit intimidated on what to expect.
All our fears went out the window when we found ourselves overtaking the mass of American football players on bikes and concentrated on the flowing trails in front of us. At the bottom it was just a question of how many rides on the lifts we could squeeze in till the end of the day.

Over a few beers and a hearty dinner we discussed the day and the days ahead. With more sun forecast it was decided that we head over to Les Gets once again, to get to know the area and the trails even better. The next morning we packed our full face lids and this time headed to the bus stop. Ten minutes later we were in the lift queues in Les Gets.

The morning was spent finishing up where we left the previous day, just going up and down familiarizing our bodies and bikes to the steeper terrain. After a late lunch, Stuart and myself headed over to the Mont Chery lift for a circumnavigation of the mountain. After exiting the cable car we left the DH boys behind us and carried on up, only this time we were pedalling. The views started to open up with Mont Blanc dominating the skyline and showing us why its called the white mountain,. This was what I had come to the Alps for.

A steady ascent above the treeline lead to a long, sweeping, singletrack descent back into the pine forest. This pattern of steady climb with a long descent repeated all the way back to Les Gets, where we washed our bikes, but couldn't wash the smiles from our faces. On the road ride back we planned on getting out the maps and seeing where else our bikes could take us.
The next day, with a route planned into Switzerland and a number of the group volunteering to join us, (after our tales of off piste adventure) we headed to the Super Morzine lift on the other side of the village. All seven bikers from our group congregated at the top. We said our goodbyes and five of us left the remaining two to sample the tracks and trails on this side of the valley.
What greeted us was needle carpeted trails opening up to high alpine vistas leading to a rocky descent down to Les Brochaux. We hooked our bikes on yet another lift and headed out on what seemed to be the longest chair lift in the Alps. Upon reaching our highest point on the route, without any effort at all (thanks to the bump) we cruised down into Switzerland at blistering speed on high refuge service roads before taking a rocky trail towards our climb over the pass and back to Morzine. Even though the descent was thrilling, in the back of our minds was the fact that the more we dropped the more we had to climb back over the Col du Coux.

We headed for the small holding at Lapisa just in time for the goats to be milked. The herders wife was more than happy serving us coca-cola, coffees and Swiss cheese on toast.
With our bellies filled we headed out for the climb. Aston, the youngest and fittest member made it the top of the col fifteen minutes before the rest of us and what we found on the other side was swooping singletrack, leading towards Morzine heading down into the trees.In the trees things began to get steep and gnarly, with switchbacks and roots adding interest.
In no time at all the trail spat us out on the valley floor, where we followed the river back to town, wishing we could re-ride the last five miles again and again. Rain the next day gave us an excuse to rest our bodies and get the bikes back up to scratch.
With our feet itching to get back on the pedals a couple of us braved the muddy conditions and headed over to Les Gets once again the next morning. The goggles became redundant after the first run, collecting most of the mud on the slopes, but this didn't stop us. So with goggles in the pack we carried on regardless, grinding our eye ball's down with the grit accumulated in them. In the conditions there was a couple of falls on the slippy roots, but no major brakes to bikes or bodies.

With only one more day of riding left, we planned on another all mountain epic.
Heading up Le Pleney once again, this time grabbing a couple of croissants and a 600 page novel to keep us company on the slow lift. The nice relaxing ride eased our way up the mountain in the pleasant morning sun. After Le Pleney we climbed on towards the top of the lifts at Les Gets. When we got there it was too tempting to ride on past the runs, so we took in a couple while we passed on through.

We eventually regrouped and headed out for Le Ranfolly. Again Mont Blanc was with us as we climbed and descended on more technical terrain than our previous excursion.
We all had more of an urgency to us, wanting to get back and try out the trails at the top of the Super Morzine lift before heading home. So on we went, dropping into town on steep, rooty tracks all the way through the forest.

After a quick burger for lunch, we changed helmets took the lift up and crammed in as many runs as we could, in fact we were on the last lift up for the day, so made sure we made it a good one. Still had the prospect of dismantling the bikes and packing up the van for the return journey, which all of us were reluctant to do, so met up with the rest of the group in what had come to be our local away from our local for a few well deserved beers.
We still had the prospect of dismantling the bikes and packing up the van for the return journey, which all of us were reluctant to do, so met up with the rest of the group in what had come to be our local away from our local for a few well deserved beers.

Tour of the Cairngorms (April 2013)

After the 6 hour drive from Leeds to the Cairngorms, we found ourselves parked up down Glenfeshie. The bikes came out of the back of the van and after the obligatory once over they seemed just as keen to get out in the hills as we were.
Our rucksacks seemed suspiciously heavy with the food and equipment for two nights out in the wilds. But we still managed to squeeze a little bit of port in there to keep us company in our over night bothy stops.

At about 6pm we set off down Glenfeshie for the 4 mile ride to Ruigh-aiteachain, our first stop over. The track to the bothy has only just been resurfaced and was a nice surprise after been cramped in the van for the trip up. With only one major river crossing giving us wet feet we soon found ourselves at our over night lodgings.
As bothy standards go, they don`t come much better than Ruigh-aiteachain. Running water, a fire roaring as we arrived and even a toilet are to be found. It was rude not to share a dram with the other residents and pass around our port by the fire, but we had to keep reminding ourselves we had a long day of riding the following day. We found three empty bunks and layed our sleeping bags down for the night.

The next morning we woke to sunshine streaming through the windows and for once the weather forcast seemed to be right. So knowing we had a chance of rain in the evening we packed up and headed out down the Glen.

The riding started out great as we picked our way through the ancient scots pine forest with only eagles for company. As we followed the river Feshie the pines began to become sparse and the track rougher. Steadily we climbed upto the water shed at about 550 metres, crossing the odd burn along the way.

Unfortunately it wasn`t all rideable, with bits of singletrack been too rocky to ride. Little did we know, but the riding (or should I say carrying) was to become worse on the next high pass. Eventually we managed to get on our bikes and pick out a route amongst rocks and boulders untill we hit the landrover track to take us at warp speed to the Linn of Dee. After a brief visit with civilization we headed north into the heart of the mountains and with just a few more miles under our tyres decided to re-fuel at Bob Scotts bothy. We fired up the camping stove, cooked up some noodles and had a good old brew. None of us wanted to leave, but with a 400 metre climb over 6 miles we knew we better make tracks. At least the weather was still holding up as we found ourselves steadily climbing through the forest and once again the singletrack was great if a little steep in places. Even the drainage ditches added a little interest, pumping in and up the other side.

The track soon began to become less maintained the higher we found ourselves and leaving the shelter of the pines the wind began to whip down the glen from the pass. The mountains also seemed to close in around us as the track became too steep and rocky to ride.

Mounting our bikes on our shoulders we trudged up to the high point of the Lairig an Laoigh. Disapointingly the track down the other side to the Fords of Avon was not the best and with some spring snow still lying around, care had to be taken on our line choice. As we reached the river Avon it was clear we were not going to make it across with dry feet, so into the rushing snow melt we went, using our bikes as a brace in the fast current. Luckily there is a refuge on the other side, so we crawled into the rock covered shed to change socks, check the map and of course have a quick brew. The day was getting late and on now knowing the terrain we were dealing with, it was going to be close to dark on reaching our planned bothy stop of Ryvoan. Plus in truth, the refuge at the Fords of Avon was more welcoming than we thought and once the gas stove got boiling water for drinks and food it got surprisingly cozy. So the three of us settled in for the night, it would have been a tight squeeze if anyone else turned up looking for refuge.
The wind and rain battered the shelter most of the night, but with the door closed and our head torches hung from the rafters we were oblivious to the elements outside, plus the port we carried round helped to pass the night.

The next morning the rain had cleared so after a quick breakfast we headed out. The track was again rough and some carrying was required climbing up and over the shoulder of Bynack More. Two hours from the refuge and we had reached the highest point.
The track ahead looked too good to be true after what we had been riding for the last 35 mile. Smooth, flowy, singletrack snaked its way down from 800 metres all the way to Loch Morlich at 300 metres. So we dropped our saddles, turned on the suspension and let go of the brakes. The bunny hopping skills got a serious testing, while trying to clear the drainage ditches, some of which were 4ft wide with a 2 ft curb to clear at the other end. Arm fatigue got the better of me and I managed to clip my back wheel and burst my new tubeless Nobby Nic. But after quickly putting a tube in we were soon sat in the cafe with smoked salmon and scrambled eggs on toast in front of us.

With our bellies full and the rain outside starting to fall, we did contemplate on getting a taxi back to the van. But the lure of the Rothiemurchus won us over and we headed into the forest. We were glad we did. The sun came out as we picked our way through back to the van, on some amazing tracks and trails. Plus with the ever changing view into Coire an-t-Sneachda and the Lairig Ghru we almost forgot about all the toil of yesterdays route.