If you do not have a motorcycle licence, please see our riding on farm land page.
Trail riding takes place on unclassified county roads and byways open to all traffic with natural surfaces, often known as "green lanes". The variety of green lanes in Wales make it well worth a visit!
You will encounter stream crossings, boulders, rock steps, hills up and down, tight corners, sweeping bends, ruts and muddy surfaces in green lanes long and short.
"Thanks very much for giving us all a great time yesterday, it was much appreciated. The terrain was great along with the scenery and the pace was just about right for us novices." John from Colwyn Bay
Your day starts with an easy forest road for a few miles which allows you to settle in and get used to the bike. The green lane route is progressive, and can be altered to suit you. As you come to each new challenge, you will be taught the techniques needed to cope with the more demanding going.
If you are coming for two days, you will ride different green lanes on the second day.
The green lanes have good variety and we can do a more challenging day if you are experienced. Please note that if the group is mixed, it is necessary to ride in the area we use for first time green laners. If you book two days we will do some more tricky lanes on the second day. Please don’t say you are experienced when you are not - it only leads to a day which is too difficult for you, and is therefore likely to be cut short. The area we use for beginners is not that easy and can provide a good day's riding even for an experienced rider.
Trail riding is strenuous, and some people are surprised to find it can be frightening! Wet days when the rocks are slippery can be difficult. Our usual route does include very rough surfaces (rock steps, slabs and stones which roll under the wheels) with slopes and hills both up and down.
If you are not sure that you are ready for the full green lane experience, you might like to consider doing one of our "adventure riding" days, which take place on minor tarmac and gravel roads. Please see Ride Adventurefor more information.
If you like the sound of trail riding rather than the adventure riding day, but are concerned that the physical demands of the green lanes on our normal day could be a little too much, we do an "in betweeen" option from April to November. It is particularly scenic, so please ask for the "scenic green lane " route when you book.
For road riders who have not been trail riding or offroad before, we have a range of trail bikes to suit different heights and leg lengths. For riders between 5’ 4" and 5’ 8" our Honda CRF230s are ideal. For riders 5’ 8" to 6’, our CCM CXR230s are good. For the bigger rider, we have a Suzuki DRZ400. For small people under 5’ 4" the Serow is very low, and we keep a 125 Suzuki for riders on L plates. Of course, a shorter but agile and confident rider may well be happy to ride a taller bike. We also have two Husqvarna TE250 and one TE510 enduro bikes.
Generally the trail bikes have a gentle power delivery and softer suspension the enduro bikes which makes them easier to ride and more forgiving when you get it wrong! The Suzuki is heavier and less agile than the other bikes, but in some circumstances this gives it more stability. The softer suspension makes the trail bikes less frisky when the going is slow and technical, but once you become more confident and go faster, they don’t feel so planted. At higher speeds the enduro bikes are considerably more responsive.
If you are experienced offroad or considering getting your own modern enduro bike for trail riding or competition, you may prefer to choose a Husky. However, some riders under 6’ find the Huskies a struggle to get on and off! The TE250s are high revving which means you do have to change gear quite a lot. The TE510 is best suited to riders with experience.
If you are not sure what to choose and want more information, please phone us on 01686 430522, or email.
We normally meet at 9.30am. You will usually finish between 3.30 and 4.30pm. However, if you are booking a group of four or more in the summer and prefer to start later, we can be flexible to fit in with your plans. If you have a late start, we could be out riding as late as 7pm.
If you want more than one day, you can do two full days or what we call our "Weekend" option, with the second day finishing earlier to allow for travelling home. The "Weekend" can also be booked for two weekdays (Wednesday and Thursday). The cost for accommodation is extra, and is usually between £25 and £35 per person. Please see our Accommodation page for ideas. We can do three or four days’ riding by arrangement.
We provide all the riding clothes you need, which includes helmet, goggles, gloves, motocross or enduro trousers, knee pads, jacket or shirt with long sleeves, body armour and enduro type boots. If you have your own you are welcome to bring them.
Our usual group size is four to six riders. If you are a single rider or couple, we will do our best to match you with riders who will progress at a similar rate. We never put experienced trail or offroad riders with riders who have only ridden on tarmac.
If there are more than three in the group, and some are finding it more difficult than others, we usually offer an option of splitting the group. If you prefer a smaller group, mid week tends to be quieter (and is a bit cheaper!)
Because the green lanes have unstable and slippery surfaces, your reactions improve. Throttle control is more precise, and you learn how to use the clutch to get you out of troublesome situations. Braking needs a good surface, and is not always possible, so you have to look well ahead and plan your route. There is the opportunity on some of the gravel tracks to get the rear wheel sliding - not for everyone maybe, but it does teach you a lot about bike control. As a road rider, the skills you learn from green laning can help if an unexpected situation occurs such as mud on the road, a skid or being forced off the road.
The trail riding mainly takes place in an area inland from Aberystwyth (blue asterisk) although we do also have planned routes to the north and south. The Aberystwyth area is best for riders new to trail riding, and if it is your first time with us, you will usually ride there. If you want the very easy introduction to trail riding (or have your own big trailie with road tyres or pillion passenger), we have a good route from Machynlleth. Our other route in that area is challenging and is only suitable for people with some previous green lane or off road experience.
We sometimes ride further south or north. One of our routes is only for dry summer day as it has river crossings and a fair bit of tarmac road to which there is no alternative.
