I read an article in Bike magazine about the off road experience in the Peak District provided by OTT, and decided to have a go. It would be a follow up to last year’s trip in Terra Alta, and it would be more off road experience for our proposed trip to Portugal in October.

We covered a mixture of off road routes linked by country roads. Although Boyd reckoned we were on his easier routes I found some a bit of a challenge – having said that there was a great sense of achievement at the end of a difficult section. His advice and patience were excellent, and we discussed each section as we went (also a good chance for a rest!).

Morning tea at the Monsal Dale View Point and lunch at a country pub were a good chance to chat about bikes.

After a full day we returned to base.

It had been a most rewarding experience although for me it was a wee bit challenging. I think I’ve learned some more about handling a bike off road and hope it will help for the trip to Portugal.

Alan September 2008