My teenage son and I booked a half day session with Ben, out at Hamsterley Forest.

Ben was there waiting for us, and helped us get set up with our rented mountain bikes.

 

The first half of the session saw Ben very patiently explaining the basics of mountain bike control to my son and I. Although I'd got some experience from previous rides, Ben taught me loads of things I hadn't appreciate about how to balance weight on the bike, the stance and ways to get the best from brakes. He was really good with my son, who had never been on that kind of bike before, encouraging him to get the feel of the bike and learn enough in a short space of time, so that we could go off onto the routes.

 

After about 90 minutes we went off onto the skills trail and Ben talked us through the different aspects of a mountain bike trail. We learnt about the cornering and how best to handle different obstacles. He was really encouraging and helped make sure we felt confident before we attempted each one. In a few cases that meant walking the obstacle, watching him do it, and then us trying it out. He filmed us so that we were able to quickly see which bits we were getting right, and which bits needed more work. We then had a really thrilling run through of the full route, where we both got to experience the buzz of mountain biking.

 

After some food - and much needed break - we headed off up one of the bigger trails. Ben took it nice and slow and made sure we had plenty of energy left the descent. He led us down a much longer running, stopping from time to time on really challenging parts and helping us understand how to choose the best route - and that in many cases we could identify ways down that suites our skill (and fear!) levels. 

 

We arrived back after the 4 hours, really inspired to give it another go. Ben clearly knows his stuff, having helped train some of the top cyclists and it's obvious he's a top mountain biker himself. He was great at breaking it down for novices and working to grow our confidence. It was a cracking half day, really good value, and I'd fully recommend Ben for both people who've done a bit of mountain biking, but could benefit from topping up skill levels, all the way to an absolute beginner. 

 

And being out in forest, in the open air, and enjoying the thrill of cycling down a hillside is a brilliant way to spend a morning or afternoon!