Of course, we'd all like to ride to Mongolia, or round the Atacama desert this weekend (apart from me, I've got the cam belt to do on my Chrysler PT Cruiser.) Backwoods Wales offers much of the ruggedness and isolation of the Atacama, but with an added dose of nine metres of rain a day. Even better, though, it's much closer to UK riders than any of your semi-arid and arid desert regions.
Which is why it's the home for the offroad training schools of BMW, Yamaha, Honda and Triumph (have we missed any?) We've done a few offroad days in the principality, and loved every minute of it to be fair. And now our mate and top moto-snapper Phil Steinhardt has moved to the heart of Snowdonia, and opened an adventure bike riding outfit, dubbed Ride the Wild.
Phil and his wife Helen set the business up last year, and it's just released its schedule for this season. Riding packages start at just £65 a head, and they can tailor a trip to your exact needs – length, riding skill level, etc etc. They have recommendations for accommodation nearby, and if you’re nice, Phil will use his superlative snapping skillz to take awesome pics like these ones of you in the heart of the magic.
“Our aim is to offer adventure bike owners a little bit of the wilderness experience, but without having to take a two week trip abroad,” Helen explains, “and it didn’t take long for us to figure out that Snowdonia is the perfect venue to do that. Not only does the area boast some of the best roads and trails in the UK, but the views and variety of terrain on offer are as good as anywhere in the world. You can ride right from the ocean through forests, rivers, gorges and over the tops of mountains in a single day here, and every day that you’re out on the bike feels like a new adventure.”
Phil's a top man and, being German, is a stickler for things being done properly. We're planning to go try his rides out this season, and we're confident they'll be really well done. Fancy some Cymric escapades? Give Helen and Phil a shout: www.ridethewild.co.uk
