TRAIL RIDES WALES

Trail Riding on Green Lanes

Trail riding takes place on unclassified county roads and byways open to all traffic with natural surfaces, often known as "green lanes", linked by tarmac roads. You need to hold a licence to ride motorcycles on public roads. 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

I’m an Experienced Road Rider but Never Been Trail Riding - What Can I Expect?

Your day starts with an easy green lane or gravel road for a few miles which allows you to settle in and get used to the bike. The 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 green lanes.

If you are coming for two days, you will ride different green lanes on the second day.

I’ve Already Done a Bit of Green Laning - Can You Do Anything For Me?

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.

I’m Not Sure I’m Ready For This!

Trail riding is strenuous, and some people are surprised to find it can be a bit 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 udr gravel surfaced green lanes. Please see Ride Adventure for 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. It is particularly scenic, so please ask for the "scenic green lane" route when you book.

Sometimes we hold Special Days for specific groups, such as women riders.

What Bike Will I Be Riding?

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 smaller riders, our Honda CRF230s are ideal. One has been lowered slightly. For medium height riders, we have a Spanish Rieju Marathon 200 and a lowered Suzuki DRZ400. For the taller rider, we have TE250 and TE510 Husqvarnas, For small people under 5’ 3" and those on L plates, we keep a Suzuki DR125. Of course, a shorter but agile and confident rider may well be happy to ride a taller bike.

Can I Choose a Bike?

Usually there is a choice of bikes. If you are part of a group, you can try different bikes by swapping around during the day.

The sidecar is different and if you are unfamiliar with riding an outfit, it would be best to have your first time in a large field or somewhere with plenty of space! Or one person could ride a solo while the other learns to drive or passenger, with you both going on the sidecar later in the day,

Please email me if you want to try a specific bike.

How Long is a Day’s Riding and Can I Do More Than One Day?

We normally meet at 9.30am and finish between 4 and 5pm, although one of our routes contains more tarmac between green lanes and takes longer. If you are a group of 4 or more riders in the summer and prefer to start and finish later, we can be flexible to fit in with your plans.

If you are doing two or three days, the cost for accommodation is extra, and is usually between £25 and £35 per person. Please see our Accommodation page for ideas.

What Clothing Do I Need?

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, but leathers or non-breathable road gear are not suitable.

Group Size

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 are new to green laning.

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!)

We can do one-to-one tuition midweek.

Benefits of Riding on Green Lanes

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.

Where Are The Green Lanes?

The trail riding mainly takes place in an area inland from Aberystwyth or around Machynlleth. 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. Occasionally we organise trail riding trips to different areas. If there are any forthcoming, they will be shown on the Special Days page.