From Rochdale to the Xorret de Cati

My morning off road.

Trailespana.com can show you a side of Spain not many are lucky
enough to see. If you have a full motorbike licence and bags of enthusiasm
 you are guaranteed a day to remember. I was invited along by Dave
Richardson of Trailespana.com to experience the thrill of off-road biking
and see what makes the Castalla area of Spain so popular with bikers.
Dave moved to Castalla in August 2006 with wife Sandy and step daughters,
Emma, 12 and Amy, 10 after they sold their business in Rochdale.

They set up Trailespana.com and purchased 6 Yamaha WR450F’s and
 one WR250F, including all safety gear and clothing. Business was at first
aimed at encouraging riders in the UK to come out for 2 or 3 day breaks
and ride in the mountains. Dave told IT “the recent reduction of available
trails and land for off-road biking in the UK means that responsible riders
 have to look elsewhere to enjoy their hobby and that is where we come in”.
“We offer 2 or 4 day holiday packages including airport transfers, accommodation,
bike and kit hire and one day riding packages for people who are now living in Spain.
We have a range of routes to suit from the absolute beginner to the more advanced
and experienced riders”.

 

I was fully kitted out with the required safety gear and given the low
down on the bike.
 It felt strange to be back on a bike after so long, in my singleton
days I toured France and Switzerland, but I have never experienced
off-roading.  The Yamaha’s Dave uses are different to anything I had
 ridden before. We set off on a gentle test route to give me a chance to
get used to handling the bike and then we headed over towards Biar.
Now at this point I have to mention that I did tell Dave that falling off was
a matter of ‘when’ and not ‘if’ and true to my word it was not long before
I was dusting myself off after a tricky curb at slow speed got the better of me.
Did it deter me? Never! The best was yet to come as we motored up into the
mountains, along cool woodland tracks, over dry riverbeds and skirted around
olive and almond groves taking in the fantastic scenery of the Xorret de Cati
mountain National Park. We stopped in Biar for a very welcome cold drink,
non-alcoholic of course and then headed back over the mountains to Castalla.

 

This experience was everything and nothing I expected it to be. Although,
I have to admit I was exhausted at the end of the 3 hours, it was fun,
exhilarating and challenging and I felt a real sense of achievement and satisfaction.  
The scenery was breathtaking and I thoroughly enjoyed every minute.

Dave has 33 years experience of riding various motorbikes, growing up on a
farm it was second nature for Dave to jump on a bike. He took up off-road
biking 10 years ago. Dave is a great instructor and always happy to offer
advice to a complete beginner, like me! Trailsespana.com can accept parties
of up to 6 riders and offer full or half days riding. Prices include fuel, safety
gear and the full day has a lunch stop included too. From as little as 90 euros
you can experience some great riding. Trailespana.com is a fully registered,
legal and insured company. I would personally like to thank Dave for inviting
me along for a morning I won’t forget.

Inland Trader would like to wish Trailespana.com the best of luck for the future.