T’only way is (ey up!) then down!
The 2017 Ard Rock Mountain Bike Festival is held in Swaledale, between the villages of Grinton, Fremington & Reeth where we had a fantastic time on two wheels! Beside that, we visited various local hostelries sampling food and meeting up with some customers and friends.
- Alison lines up one of the steep chutes on the trail, yikes!
In the thick of it
There wasn’t much biking prior to the event as we’d been busy with our move the the Scottish Borders. However, we surprised ourselves by getting to Gisburn Forest on Friday and then completing our category on Sunday!
Thanks to a quick turnaround in production from The Cycle Jersey in Falkirk, we were kitted out in our new custom enduro jerseys. The design is based on our Wonky hat pattern in the colours of the Ultra Wonky. The Cycle Jersey are great guys and excellent at making custom kit, check them out.
Close to 3000 riders were competing in various categories over three days. The course involved some really challenging terrain however once this had been negotiated we were rewarded with super fast grassy downhill all the way back to the event village!
- Fast grassy descents, with drops & rocks galore and loose technical chutes through an old copper mine kept everyone alert.
- Lots to see, hear, eat and drink in the sunny event village.
The main arena included live music, a pump track, some nice food and lots of stall holders displaying their goodies. Some of our customers were there including Stanton Bikes, Vyking Energy & Hope Technology who we’ve made custom design bobble hats. If you’ve got an idea for some bespoke beanie hats, check out our page for more info right here.
- #HatsForAllReasons
Travelling around the lovely villages and narrow lanes left us yearning for a nice country ale and a good meal. We weren’t disappointed after visiting the Wensleydale Heifer with its superb steak and seafood menu in charming West Witton. We also dined at the Aysgarth Falls Hotel which was a really friendly place with a great menu, a definite recommendation if you’re in the area.
- Sugar, ahem..equals ENERGY for pedalling! Exquisite desserts at the Aysgarth Falls Hotel.
What’s next?
In the words of a popular show, Winter is Coming, which is our busiest time of year in the UK. We’re back in our new surroundings of Kelso in the bonnie Scottish Borders. We’ve some exciting projects with commissions for bespoke woolly hats and some new Wonky designs to show you! Have a look in our shop to see the full collection.
