Enduroland is run by Nigel Wheatley and is the home of some well known owner-rider off-road practice events in the Midlands.
In July Nigel launched EMORE (Enduroland Motorcycle Off-Road Experience) to cater for a growing number of total novices who want to try riding off-road for the first time. Consider EMORE a taster experience that caters for everyone; Licence or not, barley out of Nappies or knocking on death's door, anyone can turn up and swing their leg over a bike.
EMORE uses 140cc four stroke pit bikes from Hawk Moto. At roughly two-thirds the size of a full-on dirt bike, the Hawks are considerably less intimidating than the real deal, and ideal for beginners.
But with the manual four-gear transmission, 12 and 13-inch wheels, and an involving exhaust note to rival even the loudest of big bang enduros, the Hawks have the potential to be a lot of fun.
Aside from OAP’s and kids, EMORE caters for stag-dos and hen parties. Since I rocked up with a group of six lads, a stag-do-esq experience was on the cards.
We all grabbed helmets from the back of a van and half listened to a safety briefing. The sun was shining and with 6 banging pit bikes staring down an open field I wasn’t particularly bothered about not wearing any armour or how important it is to keep a safe distance from each other. A helmet and a bike was all I needed. After all these were pit bikes.
After a few minutes of warming up the bikes we were told do a few laps of the field to acclimatise ourselves, with strictly no racing. On that note the clutches were in, first gear stamped down and we tore off down the field like greyhounds out of the traps.
Getting the inside line was never more important. Within minutes, back ends were hanging out and grass was flying as all of six of us battled for first place. I was a kid again. This was proper fun!
The next stage of the EMORE experience is a safari. We caught our breath and headed out through some hedgerows following the guide. We were eager to jump, skid, stoppie and wheelie these little bikes. As the guide picked up the pace, my t-shirt flapped in the wind and my mate's beer belly wobbled as hit some bumps. Where else can you do this legally?
And doing this legally is precisely the point of Enduroland. It's off-road fun for all ages, in a safe, controlled, legal environment.
After two hours we all felt our £35 had been well spent, and as we headed back home to the commitments of daily life, we were all buzzing.
Next time we’ll book ahead and make use of the on-site bar-in-a-barn, dancing girls and an overnight camping stop. (only supplied for stag and hen parties, your kids are safe)
You can see more from Enduroland here
Why not read our guide to five other things you can do on someone else’s dirt bikes here
