You have to take your opportunities where you find them. And since finding time to ride more than an afternoon loop from home are few and far between then a two-day mission with BMW Off Road Skills in South Wales threw up two such opportunities – the there and then back again. The ‘there’ ride naturally got burned by a late departure and an agreeable side-mission to meet the members of South Wales TRF on their club night just outside Newport. But the back ride had a whole day devoted to it, so a chance to do something special.
Such as it was that I woke at 5am in a Bed and no Breakfast (given my early start) in Pontadawe. The long termer Royal Enfield Himalayan 450 had made easy work of the motorway ride down to Wales, but now it had a tougher task: 380 miles and six specific long-distance green lanes in the one day (hence the early start).
Within 20 minutes we were at lane number one: Sarn Helen, starting at the south end just above Neath. With a seasonal TRO starting August 22 this was for me a last chance to ride it this season – and for the first time. Not a beginner route by any means, and at not-yet 6am I was keen not to make any mistakes as help would mostly still be in bed, if needed. There were then, I discovered, three technical rocky hill climbs before reaching something of a plateau, albeit one that kept rising. Having started at 40m above sea level at the gate to the track, it would keep rising to around 480m at its highest. Those three climbs weren’t easy, one in the woods, two that followed in more open ground only running directly into the rising sun, so practically ridden blind. On standard sprockets the Himi’s gearing is a bit tall for technical riding so second gear was out and even in first there were moments needing clutch slip. But the Himi has good natural balance, with lowish footpegs that give it a decent stance. Still, the trail action was enough to get the blood pumping and the Rev’it Component 3 jacket zip open despite the morning chill.
Another cheeky rock climb at two-thirds distance also tests your mettle, involving as it does a serious rock slab with binary outcome – you either made it or you didn’t, and you really didn’t want to not make it. Meanwhile the road builders seem to have been in action adding new stone to long sections of this ancient road, lovely big stones too, that made steering a wrestle. The payback was the vast views all round. Then some lovely forest riding, the Himi loving the crisp morning air. Just before the end, a nasty mud bog presented itself, I poked a stick in gingerly to check depth. Not one line looked good, but then I noticed the kind road builders had packed a stone two-track option on high ground above the bog. So avoidance without any further soil damage. Nice.
The Himi was then back on the blacktop, making our way east, through Monmouthshire, the stunning Forest of Dean and unfortunately through the traffic clogged roads of Gloucester and Stroud before reaching the north end of the Fosse Way. And what a track, just beautiful! No severe technicality this time, just an arrow-straight track running south-west through Gloucestershire into Wiltshire. This one was taken in full-noodle mode as the gentle scenery revealed itself in the breaks in the hedgerows, every now and again diving through a wood, past a former wartime airfield, through a ford and under the M4. I reached the far end having not met a single other trail rider, but a handful of walkers and runners.
From there we pushed south, on the A350 for the sake of progress, past Trowbridge and Warminster, before taking a turn due-west to ride the Mere Down. Not one of my chosen Roman nor Drover routes, but one that caught the eye as the contours on the OS Map revealed unusual hills with great names: Great Bottom, Danes Bottom, White Sheet Downs and White Sheet Hill. And what a location. Smooth contours and grass lands, only parched to somewhere between ochre and yellow – with only one fenceline on the horizon it looked positively Australian.
At Gillingham I met with my buddy Jez on his KTM 690 Enduro and together rode the Old Shaftesbury Drove to Salisbury. At White Sheet Hill we found three Kites soaring on the wind rising up the valley (hill lift), quite the sight. Again this was a track that changed character frequently, sometimes riding a fenceline beside open fields, sometimes a track through woods, and near the end alongside a horse racecourse. It was a neat ride, but so far the fourth best – maybe the Ox Drove that runs the south side of these downs is more engaging?
The next track, the Old Sarum to Winchester Roman road was a belter. You can’t ride the whole length as housing estates and other urban intrusions ask for go-arounds, but the track was fascinating, again sometimes a single track across fields, then a nadgery meander through a wood, then a tarmac’d avenue. Always changing, up and down the contours but again faithfully direct, leading us to Winchester’s West Gate, a 12th century (not Roman) fortification.
Leaving Winchester we were in Hampshire and rode a succession of tracks that lead north-east between the M3 and A31 – more time consuming but more interesting, and empty save for a deer, a squirrel, 30-odd young pheasants, two yobs – no-crash helmets – on unsilenced unlicenced pit bikes and a young family in a Discovery. Reaching the Hook junction on the M3 at 7:30 Jez turned for home in Reading, while I rode motorway for the first time, going M3, M25, M26, M20 into Kent, finally hopping off at Hollingbourne in time to catch the central section of the Pilgrim’s Way. By now it was 9:30 and of course dark. Knowing this track well, there’s little to worry a rider even in the dark and as it goes the Himi’s LED headlight is very good. In fact night riding trails could be a thing, something I know a few mountain bikers enjoy. But mindful of the time – not the noise, as the Himi is very well silenced and on barely quarter throttle the tyres were making more noise than the exhaust – I turned off at Charing and used the black top again for the last miles home, arriving at 10:30, just 17 and some hours after setting off.
The Himi didn’t miss a beat, dealing confidently with the technical challenges of the Welsh trail, while cruising easily through the easier English routes, and comfortably dealing with all the liaisons in between, all while turning anything between 80 and 90mpg. Along the way we’d seen so much spectacular scenery, while disturbing no one, keeping to the TRF code of conduct on the trails and responsibly dropping to walking pace when meeting walkers, cyclists and horse riders.
And what a wonderful way to get a summer’s snapshot of rural England and Wales in one day. Never rushed, knowing that it would be a long-long day, in fact 17 and a half hours, so taking the breaks, and stopping frequently to absorb the scenery. And given the Himi’s fuel frugality done for under £40.
It’s a 2024 model, with nearly 5000 miles done. Tyres now are the excellent Mitas Enduro Trail XT+ which are working well both on track and on the road. Protection comes from a sump plate and engine bars by Adventure Spec. Luggage is secured on Adventure Spec’s tail rack and side racks. The fit and finish on all the Adventure Spec hardware is impressive and fitted exactly. Luggage was a pair of Kriega OS12s, which stored both tools (minimised thanks to the tubeless wheels/tyres) and clothes. The camera bag rested on the pillion seat and rack. Navigation was by DMD2 app on a Samsung Active Tab 2, powered off a USB-C port on the handlebars. The latest addition has been Royal Enfield’s own comfort seat, with gel inserts (£119).
The world of Trail Riding and Green Roads has a bewildering array of terms here are some references to get your head around
A short history of public mapping and how it has impacted the status and reputation of Green Roads and Trail Riders ability to use them
Examples of how current public mapping of Green Roads works to the detriment of Trail Riding and wider public access
Trail Riders Fellowship
Registered in England and
Wales No. 05848933
218 Strand London WC2R 1AT
