Mountain Biking

Mountain Biking in the UK is becomingly increasingly popular and it can provide fun and excitement for the whole family to enjoy. Mountain Biking is a little more riguous than a ride down to the shop or to school, but there are suitable trails for children as young as 4 years old to experience.

The International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) lists all the established routes found in the UK. Challenging Rides and Long Disatnce Rides are all detailed with colour coding schemes to help you decide whether or not a particular route is suitable for your family. Detailed below is a rough guide to each colour and the significance of that colour.

• GREEN - This signifies a novice route suitable for families as young as 4. Trails include Reserviors, Traffic Quietened Roads and Estate or Forestry Trails.
• BLUE - This signifies a route that is still for families to enjoy, but is not really suitable for chilldren under 10. Trails include Byways and unsurfaced and unclassified roads
• RED - This signifies a regular cyclist with experience of moderate trails. A wide range of challenging gradients may test your climbing skills and this is really to be tried after a few 'blue' trials.
• BLACK - Black Trails are for experienced battle-hardened mountain bikers. These trails incorporate unforgiving terrain, severe climbs and descents and considerable distances to be accounted for.

Any inexperienced riders should start from red and slowly progress through with blue being the next step. It may take a whiile before moving onto the red trails as these can be very challenging and black shouldn't really be attempted unless you are vastly experienced in Mountain Biking as these incorporates hazards and falls.

It is advisable to try and stick with existing routes, but there is nothing stopping the family creating one of your own. If you do decide to make your own trail there are a few rules to stick to. We are governed by bylaws which place some restrictions on where you ride, but if you stick to byways, stoned tracks and canal towpaths you will be fine. Also remember to not ride on pavements.

If you don't own a mountain bike of your own, you can hire one at many destinations for a small charge. If you then want to take the experience further and make it a regular family outing, then Halfords have great deals on a vast array of mountain bikes, catering for both men and women. To visit the Halfords Website and learn more, click here.

There are also many local clubs and groups for you to join and they often offer help and advice on how to tackle your first few rides. Also, if you are on your first few rides, the FAQ page of the IMBA is a great read with useful dvice and help.