FINDRA Photoshoot

At the end of April, Julia and her partner Tom headed up to the Lake District to meet up with Alex Feechan, founder of FINDRA Clothing, and photographer Chris Blott.

Julia has been a FINDRA ambassador since last year, and was excited to be asked by Alex if she would like to take part in a photoshoot to get some "real life" shots of the new products in this year's FINDRA range. With a new range of Men's clothing launching very soon, Tom was delighted to be asked to come along too, having been jealous of Julia's beautiful merino kit throughout last year!

FINDRA are a small but growing company based in the Scottish Borders, producing beautifully designed and made, functional merino clothing for outdoor activities. The colours of this year's range look awesome, and the garments feel as lovely to wear as ever. They are the kind of clothes you feel work well not only on the bike or out running or walking, but look smart enough to be sen in the pub and cafe after too...perfect!

Basing ourselves around Garburn Pass and the pretty village of Kentmere in the South Lakes, Chris was able to get some beautiful photos whilst Tom and Julia ran, rode, and stopped to admire the views in this scenic valley. The weather was perfect, not too warm, but with incredible light filtering through the clouds to highlight the huge array of colours on the surrounding fells.

If you are looking for some high quality, beautifully designed and made merino clothing for biking year round in the UK, then take a look at the FINDRA range via their website, or pop into the Design Headquarters and store in Innerleithen!

Helvellyn for First Timers - Trip Report!

It was a tough bunch of adventurous ladies who joined us last week for our Helvellyn First Timers women's guided ride! 

Despite incredible weather just a few days before, the day of the trip saw a return to Wintery conditions on the fells, and so the plan for the day had to be adjusted accordingly. Armed with many extra layers, full waterproofs, plenty of food and water, we set out on the ride, learning about the best way to carry bikes for the hike-a-bike sections on the way, chatting about this that and everything in the way that a bunch of like-minded girls do when they get together for an adventure!

A mixture of riding, pushing and carrying took us up to Sticks Pass, at this point, still relatively sheltered from the bitterly cold wind. But from here on up things got tough! Heavy hail showers and a bitterly cold breeze pushed everyone to their limits, and glimpses of the views were only momentary as the clouds lifted every so often. Spirits remained high though, with everyone supporting each other and making sure no-one felt left behind.

Unfortunately, as we reached the ridge leading up Lower Man, about 100m vertically, and less than a KM short of the summit, the wind picked up dramatically, gusting to about 70mph, and knocking several of the group off their feet! The rest of us were left bracing ourselves, bikes flying horizontally out from us in the air! 

It was just too dangerous to continue at this point, with the consequences of the strong gusts blowing someone off the ridge not worth thinking about, and the extreme windchill causing already wet, cold and tired people to quickly become hypothermic. It wasn't to be on that day, but the girls showed themselves how tough they are, and I have no doubt they will all be back and up on the summit in the future now they have proved to themselves they are tough enough to tackle the climb! Hopefully with better views as a reward too!

The descent was a "Get down and to the cafe asap" kind of ride, and well-earnt after the effort of the climb up. Fast, loose and rough trails saw everyone hurtling down to the shelter and warmth of the valley below, and once we were down, it was hard to believe just how grim conditions had been up at the top!

It's funny how a big cup of tea, some warm food, and clean dry clothes can quickly make you forget the conditions you've just battled through, and there was a definite buzz in the air in the cafe as talk turned to plans for everyone's future adventures!

A great adventurous day out despite the weather, with a fabulous bunch of hardcore ladies.

One of the girls who came along, Zara, writes a blog as Bikes, Boards and Blethers, and has written some words about her experience. Read it here!

If you missed getting a spot on this trip and would like to join us on the next one, we'll be running another on Wednesday 25th July...Book soon by clicking on the link below as places are already filling up! We can't guarantee the weather, but we can guarantee an adventure!

Gearing up for the Season start!

After taking it's time arriving, it finally feels like Spring has arrived in the UK, just in time for the start of the Mountain bike trip season! Trees and hedgerows are budding and blossoming, birds are singing, bees buzzing, lambs happily playing in the fields, and the roads and trails are lined with bright daffodils. We even rode bikes in t-shirts under a bluebird sky in the sunshine this weekend...about time!

Our multi day holidays in the Lakes kick off very soon, as do our series of one day group guided rides, and we can't wait to get out in the hills shredding trails with everyone who has booked on. There are still places on our Ladies of the Lakes and Lakeland Mountain epic 4 day trips, and on several of the "Big Days Out", so it's not too late to book now the sun is shining and thoughts have turned to riding rather than hiding indoors! Take a look at all the upcoming events via our Calendar page, and get in touch if you'd like to know more or to book.

Happy Spring riding everyone!

Wide Open MTB Magazine Interview!

A couple of weeks ago we had a little chat with Pete Scullion of Wide Open Mag, to chat all things bikes, adventures, and what led to starting Endless Trails MTB!

It's been a busy couple of months getting everything up and running, and starting to advertise and take bookings for our upcoming Spring trips, the Ladies of the Lakes, and the Lakeland Mountain Epics. There hasn't been a great deal of time to actually ride bikes! But with a new bike currently being built up, I'm sure the motivation and enthusiasm for getting outside and riding will be back soon!

Taken during the 2016 Breck Epic, Colorado, USA. image: Liam Doran

Introducing the Lakeland Mountain Epic!

After many months and long hours of planning, we're proud to announce our first package Mountain Bike holiday is now here and ready to book!

We'll be heading to the Lake District in Spring 2018 for a series of 4-day adventures, exploring the highest mountains and passes, the best and most exciting descents, and our favourite epic journeys through some of the most scenic landscapes to be found in the UK.

We've arranged comfortable places to stay in local accommodation serving great food and good beer, transport each day to the areas we've chosen to ride in, and have so many amazing trails we can't wait to share in this fantastic part of the country.

We've designated one of these trips as a "Ladies of the Lakes" women's only holiday, to cater for the growing number of adventurous ladies looking to ride some challenging trails in a less-pressured environment, with other like-minded women. Spread the word if you know of anyone who might be looking for a trip like this!

Bookings are being taken now and all details on the trips and how to book can be found in the ride section of the website!

Lake District Adventures! Image: Phil Hall

Hopetechwomen Enduro

A few weeks ago Hope Technology ran their first Hopetechwomen Enduro in conjunction with the PMBA race series, in Gisburn Forest.

The event was a massive success, with almost 250 women racing, many of them taking their first steps into the world of racing! Despite the wet conditions, the atmosphere was amazing and it was fanstastic to play a small part in helping the day run smoothly!

Take a look at the highlights video to get a glimpse of the event. There are more in the pipeline for 2018!

Take a look at the website for more information.