Straight into the action
This trip kicked off in style with a trip straight to Lagan Wolftrax on day one. Loads of fun on the jump lines and laps and laps of riding, and everyone getting to know each other.
Fast
The youngest rider on this trip Fergus was quick to get up to speed and by speed we mean FAST.
& Furious
We were impressed with Fergs style and confidence on day one of the trip.
what you mean epic?
The second is our epic 35km scenic loop through the Rothiemurcus forest. The route involves a mix of terrain, rooty, muddy, rocky sections and even river crossings! A real adventure day out, but never too far from civilisation (there's a hidden ice cream shop en-route) which we had to stop and test out.
Taking 'XC' up a level
Many young riders are used to trail centres and relatively short days out, and its fair to say the riders started off not sure of the thought of a long cross country (XC) route, however we made sure there was plenty of features for everyone to challenge themselves. 'best ride ever' was said a few times.
Time to lead
The special part of this route is each rider gets the chance to take the lead and guide the group, navigating with a map and making sure everyone together and enjoying the ride. Our guide Craig is with them the whole time if the riders require some guidance. By the end of the day, everyone has had a chance to lead, learned new skills and built up their confidence.
Time for uplift
One of the highlights was a trip over to Nevis Range for the gondola uplift trails. Some of the riders had been here with us the previous year and for some it was their first experience. The views can be breath taking.
Easy
The Gondola makes things easy to get to the top meaning we had loads of time for plenty of laps on the downhill trails.
Prepared for Adventure
Each rider carries their own backpack which has their personal medication, tools, spare parts such as chain links, these were needed!
What's for dinner?
A key part to our Adventure Trips away is the riders have the opportunity to work together to shop, prepare and cook meals (and clean up!). Sometimes it's the first time our riders have prepared meals from scratch, and outdoors too! The meal on the first night was a BBQ which was enjoyed by everyone.
Plenty to do
Our basecamp site has loads of on site activities and one of the most popular is the ring challenge across the duck pond. Top tip is to take on the challenge after riding so you can shower straight after!
Evening rides
Game of B.I.K.E? Our basecamp site has its own bike park! There was noting better than spending evenings coming up with new challenges and riding until sunset after 10pm!