PROFILE
Travellers:
1 (Birgit Ertl), occasionally accompanied by friends
Vehicle:
Carado V339
Travel period:
5 weeks in July/August 2023
Kilometres travelled:
approx. 9,000 km
Starting point:
Leutkirch in the Allgäu
Stopovers:
Dünkirchen (FR), Cornwall, Lizard, Newquay, Croyde, Fowey, Saltburn-By-The-Sea (ENG), Cardiff, Abergavenny, Llangennith, Manorbier, Afan Forest, Dyfi (WAL), Innerleithen, Edinburgh, Dunkeld, Laggan Wolftrax, Glenlivet, Torridon (SCO)
Endpoint:
Scottland
Speciality:
Motorhome tour through the United Kingdom to the most beautiful mountain bike trails
Birgit Ertl, a passionate mountain biker, fulfilled a long-awaited dream: a round trip through picturesque Great Britain. She set off in her Carado V339 pro from Leutkirch in the Allgäu and travelled to some of the most beautiful biking and surfing spots - from the rugged coasts of Cornwall to the wild bike parks of Scotland. During her 9,000 kilometre journey, Birgit enjoyed the cultures and landscapes of England, Scotland and Wales and the freedom of camping. In her report, she shares her experiences, her favourite spots and the travel bug in the UK.
Tour of Great Britain
with the Carado V339 pro through England, Scotland and Wales
It's been a dream of mine for several years to travel the UK with my bike and surfboard. In 2023, the time had finally come. My Carado motorhome was ready for me at the end of July, the ferry from Dunkirk to Dover and the first two nights at a campsite in the south of England were booked and off we went.
Once all the luggage had been put away in the V339, we travelled eleven hours to Dunkirk to catch the ferry to England. The ferry journey from Dunkirk to Dover takes two hours. Then it was another seven hours by car to Lizard. I spent the first two days there, enjoying the beautiful scenery, tea and scones (traditional English pastries) in the charming coffee houses of Lizard and planning my first bike and surf days in Newquay, Croyde and Fowey.
WOODY'S BIKE PARK
If you can't wait to get on your bike after the long journey to England, it's best to plan your first bike stop of the trip in Fowey at Woody's Bike Park. Situated on a hill on the south coast of England, the park offers wonderful views of the sea. Perfect routes from blue flow trails to black jump lines offer variety and something for everyone.
NEWQUAY & CROYDE
Both places are paradises for surfing. I parked the V339 in Newquay for a few nights. There are several car parks there for a daily fee of around six pounds, where you can also park overnight. Newquay is particularly busy in summer. Many tourists, mainly from more northerly areas in England, appreciate the traditional English town right by the sea. I found the mix of surf culture and Old English Town particularly exciting. You can walk directly from the beach to the pubs in the town to treat yourself to a portion of pub food after a few hours in the water. Croyde is about 2.5 hours north of Newquay. The road to Croyde, or almost all "roads" in Cornwall, turned out to be an adventure - narrow, single lane and with earth or stone walls on the left and right. And then there's the oncoming traffic. There are many bays to avoid oncoming traffic, but even these bays are often of little help with a motorhome, as they usually offer barely enough space for a car. I was also greeted by beautiful sandy beaches in Croyde, which I would never have expected in England. It's unbelievable how tropical the beaches look - turquoise water and the finest sand are reminiscent of Fiji or Hawaii. Only the temperatures of 16 to 18 degrees quickly make you realise that you are in England.
WALES
I was particularly excited about Wales as I had no idea what to expect. I had certain ideas about England and Scotland from television, social media or stories. I had done a little research on Wales before travelling, but I still wasn't sure what to expect in the end.
My first destination was Cardiff Airport, where I was going to pick up my good friend Scott. He was to accompany me on my trip for a week. Our first destination together: Dirt Farm in Abergavenny.
DIRT FARM
As the name suggests, Dirt Farm is a farm where Gwenda, the owner, tends her sheep. Over 10 years ago, she and her husband, both keen athletes, decided to build a bike park on their land to earn a few extra pounds while providing something for the youth of the area. We couldn't have chosen a better place for our first stop in Wales. The locals welcomed us like old friends. Between the descents, the tractor rides back to the starting point were always nice breaks, filled with lively conversations with the other bikers. It was unbelievable how friendly everyone was and how cosy the atmosphere was throughout the park. For three days, we enjoyed the range of exciting trails, tractor shuttles and fresh, local food right in the bike park.
The Skirrid Inn provided a classic UK vibe in the evening. The oldest inn in Wales is just five minutes away from Dirt Farm. Whether you stop in for dinner, a pint or both, you immediately feel at home and like a true Welshman.
LLANGENNITH BEACH & MANORBIER
When we arrived at our next destination, Llangennith, I was almost more surprised by the beaches in the south of Wales than by England's beaches. It had been raining in Llangennith shortly before we arrived. We had the whole beach almost to ourselves: a kilometre-long sandy beach that can be reached via a path in the cliffs. It couldn't have been more beautiful.
Although the air temperature was usually only around 20 degrees and the water was never more than 18 degrees, I was never cold. You need a long wetsuit at least three millimetres thick for surfing. When it comes to clothing, you should also have a warm, lined jacket for the evenings and a rain jacket for the recurring drizzle.
Our next beach trip in Wales to Manorbier Beach was also worth the journey on the ever-narrowing roads. A small, hidden beach and village of the same name, situated directly on the beach, once again offered a perfect surfing spot but also time to relax.
After two days on the beach and surfing, it was time to get back on the bike.
BIKE PARK WALES
The largest, but also most commercial bike park in the UK is definitely Bike Park Wales. If possible, it is best to visit during the week. At weekends, it can happen that the shuttle tickets are sold out or there are no more hire bikes available. It is essential to book online in advance. However, if you have one of the coveted tickets, you can look forward to almost 50 kilometres of green, blue, red and black trails. The Kermit Trail in Bike Park Wales is the longest green trail in the UK. There is a campsite just 15 minutes by bike from the park. We spent two days at the campsite near the park, enjoying the wide variety of trails on offer and meeting lots of new and interesting people. Like the English, the Welsh were open-minded, friendly and full of sarcasm and black humour.
AFAN FOREST
To do something for our fitness, Scott and I decided to go to Afan Forest for a day. The trail centre has a few bike trails but no shuttles. Afan Forest turned out to be the perfect day trip. The range of trails is manageable and easily doable in one day.
After a week, Scott had to travel back home, so I headed north on my own. My first stop was Manchester, where I picked up my friend Nina from the airport. She accompanied me on the next five days of my journey. Our destination: Scotland!
SALTBURN-BY-THE-SEA
Before our destination of Scotland, we spent another beach day in Saltburn-By-The-Sea - another beautiful surfing beach, this time in the north-east of England. The biggest difference to the beaches in the south was the water temperature. In Saltburn the temperature was only 14 degrees Celsius, but with a good wetsuit this was no problem. So we enjoyed a few hours in the water here too before travelling on to Innerleithen the next day.
INNERLEITHEN
We had finally arrived in Scotland. The anticipation was great and we were not disappointed. Innerleithen is a paradise for bikers! There are numerous trails on both sides of the valley - 350 in total. The area is called the "area of seven hills" and there are bike trails everywhere. Angry Sheep and Big Baw were two of our favourite trails. You can buy shuttle tickets at Adrenalin Uplift. Here, too, you should book online in advance to get the coveted tickets. Adrenalin Uplift only offers the shuttle service on one side of the valley. On the other side of the valley, called "Golfie", you have to drive the 650 metres up to the start of the trails yourself. In Innerleithen, you will find everything your bike heart desires: incredibly exciting single trails in the most beautiful Scottish landscape, uplifts, uphill trails, camping directly at the trail centre car park, an old Scottish village with pubs, bike shop, souvenir shops - we were thrilled.
After two exciting days of biking in Innerleithen, Nina's time with me in Scotland was unfortunately almost over. We had to return to Manchester, from where Nina flew to Austria. But before that, there was one more point on the programme:
FARMER JOHN'S
During our road trip, Nina got a tip from a friend: on the way to Manchester, we should definitely visit Farmer John's Bike Park, which we did. Just as Gwenda had done with Dirt Farm in Wales, John had also converted his farm into a bike paradise. John told us that he has been designing new trails for 20 years. You can now find dirt jumps, flow lines, enduro and downhill trails on his property. We were allowed to park and stay overnight at the site for £10.
Alone again, I travelled back north to Scotland.
EDINBURGH
Jas, a good friend from Edinburgh, with whom I used to work as a ski instructor in New Zealand, showed me around his home town. For a day, I felt like I was in a Harry Potter film. The old buildings of Edinburgh give the city a special flair that you should definitely experience. For the trip to Edinburgh, a pitch just outside the city proved to be the perfect place to spend the night. After a great day in the city and a relaxing night, I headed north the next morning.
DUNKELD
The first stop on my tour of Scotland was Dunkeld. Here I met up with friends from Salzburg. Together we explored the town and the trails around Dunkeld.
In my opinion, Dunkeld is the perfect mix of a varied range of single trails and Scottish culture. Two car parks allow overnight stays for a fee of a few pounds, which makes it possible to camp right in the town, and the trails are also accessible from these pitches. After a hard day's biking, you can return to Dunkeld, cycle to the nearest pub, stop off at one of the whisky bars or eat fish and chips at the Dunkeld Fish Bar.
LAGGAN WOLFTRAX & GLENLIVET
After my stops in Edinburgh and Dunkeld, I planned some more remote destinations in the forests of Scotland. The journey to Laggan Wolftrax and Glenlivet should definitely be started with a full tank of petrol to ensure that you can reach the next petrol station without any problems.
Laggan Wolftrax and Glenlivet are perfect for two-day trips. Both locations offer trails that are perfect for a long day of enduro biking.
In Laggan Wolftrax you will find a super blue trail as well as red and black technical trails. Glenlivet also offers blue to black trails. You will also find the largest jump line in Scotland here.
Once again, I was able to spend the night in Glenlivet for a small fee directly at the trail centre car park. After two more days, I travelled on to Torridon, which turned out to be the biggest adventure of my solo tour!
TORRIDON
The last 15 kilometres to Torridon are on a single-lane gravel road. Just before the town, there are some perfect places to spend the night. When I woke up on one of these pitches on my first morning in Torridon, I was amazed to be greeted by a stag right outside my window. The deer didn't move away when I left my camper to get my bike ready - on the contrary, it scanned my front wheel with its antlers and sniffed the rims.
After my wildlife experience, I set off in search of the Lollipop Trail, which was recommended to me for Torridon. Unfortunately, no one prepared me for how rough the trail would be uphill. I pushed or carried my bike for four hours. Once I reached my destination, however, the views of lakes and even the sea as well as the beautiful mountains made up for the effort. The descent right down to the sea was breathtaking.
DYFI
On my way back south, my last bike stop was Dyfi Bike Park in Wales. In Dyfi I met up with friends from England who I had met at the beginning of my journey. We were all here for the first time. We marvelled at the huge bike park that the famous Atherton siblings had built in a beautiful, mountainous part of Wales. Even if you're not a professional biker, Dyfi is not to be missed. The relaxed atmosphere and stunning scenery made the trip unforgettable.
I only had a few days left on my UK tour before I had to get back to Dover for the ferry. I decided to spend three more relaxing beach days in Cornwall, in the south of England, and round off my trip with a good book and the memories of many unforgettable moments from the last five weeks.
CONCLUSION
I cycled a total of 9,000 kilometres - sometimes very strenuous due to the narrow and bumpy roads. Nevertheless, I would do it all again in a heartbeat. My expectations of the UK, whether it was the culture, people, bike parks, beaches, surfing, food or weather, were all exceeded and I can't wait to come back.
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