5 Best Lake District Trails

Awesome Lakeland riding that works all year round – what are you waiting for?  1. The Langdales, Hodge Close and Loughrigg Not so much a trail or even a specific loop, just a mix and match of perfect, all-weather techie rock that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. Favourites? the clinky slate funnel…

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Back on track

    The Diary of a mountain bike guide, route researcher and guidebook writer Last Friday was a great day. After a busy few weeks guiding clients around Snowdonia, and finally clearing some admin, paying some bills and sorting some dates for 2017, it was playtime again! Well, work really, but look at the picture above,…

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The year that was

The Diary of a mountain bike guide, route researcher and guidebook writer A year ago today started wonderfully. I was up early, my bike was in the van, and I was on my way to Capel Curig to guide and instruct at Plas y Brenin – a legendary institution and somewhere I’d always aspired to work. Life…

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Wild Earth Day

The Diary of a mountain bike guide, route researcher and guidebook writer April 22nd is World Earth Day – a nominal slot in the calendar chosen to try and focus attention on the plight of our planet. To celebrate the occasion, both last year and this year I posted the following quote from Gerhard Manley Hopkins on…

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Good to be back

The Diary of a mountain bike guide, route researcher and guidebook writer Epic scenery, epic riding. Llyn Cowlyd: Snowdonia at it’s best There’s usually a moment when a new year ‘starts.’ An imaginary switch is flicked somewhere and suddenly we’re back on the road, riding and shooting the route guides; and more recently guiding and…

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Reflections on a scary two weeks

 The Diary of a mountain bike guide, route researcher and guidebook writer To say that the last few weeks have been the most traumatic of my life wouldn’t get close to really explaining the rollercoaster I have ridden since the accident nearly 2 weeks ago. Yet somehow I have managed to remain pretty calm from…

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It’s a tough job but someone has to do it!

The Diary of a mountain bike guide, route researcher and guidebook writer – Part 2 I think I have the best job in the world. If I’m not riding my bike, playing with my bike, or messing about with maps, planning where to ride my bike; then I’m writing about the places I’m lucky enough to…

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AND WE’RE OFF!

The Diary of a mountain bike route researcher and guidebook writer – Part 1 THE YORKSHIRE DALES It’s amazing how quickly you forget things. Simple things like what to take on a 2-day route research trip, what goes where in the van, and even which batteries need charging for which camera/flashgun/GPS. We really were all over…

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2014 – THE YEAR THAT WAS (Part 2)

The Diary of a mountain bike route researcher and guidebook writer SUMMERTIME, BUT THE RIDING’S NOT EASY If spring was all about new bikes and getting used to them; then the start of summer was all about getting some really big miles in them. And there’s nowhere better to do that than Scotland, so we headed…

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