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Went to BPW a few weeks ago, on a weekday and the uplift queue was ridiculous, pretty much all day it was down to the top of Norkle or whatever the trail from the carpark is. We got 5 runs in, which is half of the minimum to make it worthwhile for the cost and a third of what I used to get in
I notice the weekends are now half day only as well, so was I unlucky or have they taken to overbooking to the point where you can barely get on the uplift?
Shame as there's something for the whole group up there, some other places leave half of us bored or scared 😀
Queue the ebikers and fit kidz - "You should ride up!" yeah, you should **** off 😛 (just a pre-emptive strike..!)
I have to admit, I haven't been in years. I'll happily spend hundreds and 14 hours in the car to go to the Alps once a year, but BPW doesn't light my fire and it's only 30 mins from my place.
Every time I go they seem to have cranked up the 'progression' I used to be happy to ride all the reds and blues, it seems now the reds have a lot of 'blind' features, so me being me, I have to get off, look at them first etc, you don't want to be doing that on a half-day uplift.
When I do go, I tend to push/ride up, the uplift was a faf I could do without in normal times. Zip down the blues, play on some of the reds I like, I leave A470 and stuff like that for the riders half my age to ride.
Queue the ebikers and fit kidz
I'm neither of those things, but... if you cut out the bits below the tunnel, you can push up chatting and be back at the top in 20mins or so, less if you only want to go to where Terry's Belly starts (proper).
We went on Monday and got 9 runs in.. could probably have squeezed one or two more in if we'd been better organised / eaten lunch on the hoof.
It's always been popular but there's bound to be a big pent up demand at the moment after having to close or be on limited numbers for so long - especially during school holidays. There also seemed to be lots of people new to the sport.
It'll quieten down a bit during the week again I'm sure.. maybe once we get to the winter months..
looking at their website, they offer "full" 6hr days (used to be 7hrs although the drivers would stop for an hours lunch whereas I think now they stagger it?) or a 4.5hr option.I notice the weekends are now half day only as well, so was I unlucky or have they taken to overbooking to the point where you can barely get on the uplift?
It's great they've been so successful but massive queues and only getting in 5 runs (how your average is 15 though I don't know, think I've done 13 max when I was really going for it 😃) sounds really frustrating. Does sound like they're overbooking.
I've rarely been in the summer though as it's too hot on the buses so normally go earlier or later in the year when it's probably a bit quieter anyway. BPW rides so well all year round there's other riding I'd rather do when the weather's great!
A group of us went a few weeks ago and got 10 runs in on a Friday, which was pretty close to the most I've ever managed to do which was 12 full runs. I have to say though, the e-bikes do fly up faster than the uplifts, but after 6 climbs you really start to feel it even in turbo.
Queue the ebikers and fit kidz – “You should ride up!” yeah, you should **** off 😛 (just a pre-emptive strike..!)
DrP
**** off DrP 😀
you can push up chatting and be back at the top in 20mins
You do realise some people would struggle to push up for 20 mins? I think there's a STWer with almost the same username as you, for example.
Anyway, we're going, for what may be our last father & son trip, in few weeks time, so if it is crap, well, we'll have to find somewhere else if a growed up boy wants to go on hol with his knackered old man in future eh.
just a consequence of every man and his dog discovering MTB as their new found reason for existence. Covid gave everyone time and e-bikes meant they didnt need to break a sweat. Same at my local trails, usually end up stuck behind someone on most trails these days.
i keep thinking its going to tail off, it has a little, but i expect things wont get back to normal until the autumn.
I like it.
I don't like the fact the day is so short.
The cost goes up but value goes down. Look at weekend prices.
The uplift queue and ride to the top takes an age.
But I like the trails so I keep going.
I'd love them to put a gondola there.
Employ the bus drivers to run it and maintain it.
Win all round then.
Was the big beast ex army truck broken again? there seems to be a theme with that correlating with queues.
I've not been on the uplift since covid, but before, if the queue was down to where the split for the day passes/and the big trail map was, then you'd be on a bus pretty soon.
They seemed to drive up in pairs or threes (standard bus joke here) which meant if you got to the bottom and there was nobody around, you had just missed it and would be in for a longer wait despite walking straight to the front.
I used to reckon on 30 mins for a full lap. So a good day with no excess faffing or mechanicals would yield 12 laps. Managed 13 once by hammering down the central blue and arriving at the bottom at 3.59 to get one more run.
Personally won't be going on a summer weekend with their "2 shifts of 2/3rds of a day" thing, I think they go back to regular weekends in the winter.
Now that uplift days are split into two sessions, it pretty much isn't worth it compared to a full day of pedalling up for 1/3rd the money. I think it's to do with having to run the busses at half-capacity, something that may change when Wales' 2m social distancing rules get dropped (which may happen this Saturday, although companies will stil take some time to make changes).
Edit: There's already another thread, saying that BPW have released more uplift tickets from the 7th onwards. Freedom in Wales day!
Eeeee you're fussy buggers.
5-6 runs and I'm tired out from chasing the teens down scary stuff!
Both times I’ve done the uplift we have struggled to get more than about 6 runs in, never been at the weekend on an uplift either. Neither time were there massive queues just seemed to take an age for the bud to arrive full up and depart, it doesn’t seem to be a particularly quick trip to the top either.
Tend to just ride up if I go, I get in just as much riding in.
OP I feel your pain, in fact I posted a similar thread a few months ago. Since then I have been back twice, first time was much better, 2nd time was a repeat of mine and your moan.
That's why it is shit, because I think it depends on who is managing transport that day.
So I will still go, but it is easy, and has always been easy, to have a crap day.
Compared with flyupdownhill at the forest of dean where they only book people on for the vans they have. I have never had a day where I felt underserved at flyup, normally I am cooked before the uplift stops. BPW its the other way round.
I am sure BPW as a policy book twice the number of people as vans, which is why there is always a queue. The problem there is that they will always have clients, whether we moan or not, so the service will automatically degrade. They don't have any competition really as flyup is a slightly different thing.
We're going on tuesday, full day not halfday, guess we'll see how it goes. I guess it tells its own story that we're doing 2 days at BMCC and 2 days with Flyup at the FOD, and only 1 day at BPW though.
Number of runs really depends a lot on what runs you do- if you do something that starts at the dropoff and ends at the pickup, ac/dc into rimdinger say, then it's super fast, if you go out to the other start point and end up down at the end of terry's belly or 50 shades then it adds a load of time. Kind of like innerleithen where loads of people won't go up to the top, but do a short lap and try and get more in.
It's all very well to say "there's a lot of demand" but that doesn't excuse it if the service is bad, that just means they've sold more places than they can accommodate. Breakdowns aside it's not OK. Never had to wait long myself though.
Number of runs really depends a lot on what runs you do- if you do something that starts at the dropoff and ends at the pickup, ac/dc into rimdinger say, then it’s super fast, if you go out to the other start point and end up down at the end of terry’s belly then it adds a load of time. Kind of like innerleithen where loads of people won’t go up to the top, but do a short lap and try and get more in
This is a big issue with BPW, lots of pedalling to get out, intermediate climbs, or nothing long transfers unless you do the core tracks. Bad design in a way. FOD is well put together as the tracks start and finish in the same place.
Plus the vans normally arrive when you do...
Christ, now I've heard it all. Maybe they shoulda changed the shape of the mountain? 😆
It has to be either less vans running or less people in vans doesn't it?
It used to be fine even when fully booked.
You do realise some people would struggle to push up for 20 mins?
They shouldn't be allowed to have bicycles 😉
It has to be either less vans running or less people in vans doesn’t it?
if they are running the vans at half capacity for covid reasons then I could see that slowing things down.
The put bike on and get in the van process is going to be barely sped up by having half the people, nor is the driver going round and checking everone has done it right. Then that bus goes off, next one rumbles up, the bloke counts out another 8 riders and repeat.
barely quicker than in the before times per bus, and clearing half the number of passengers.
You do realise some people would struggle to push up for 20 mins?
They might do if they are running up in 20 minutes. My recent ride up experience I timed my first ascent. Cafe to summit, 29 minutes. That was almost certainly my fastest of the day.
I'm no DrP but I managed 10, also I'm very much of the opinion that if it is faster to get of and walk, I do so, and my rear cassette is sized accordingly - so you wont find me grinding out a climb at 2mph
I'd guess its a 45-60 minute walk.
There’s good days where they have enough buses running for the number of riders, and bad days where sickness, mechanicals, etc mean they can’t put on the appropriate number of buses.
I enjoy bpw, but uplifts in these times is a real faff, and it always seems like there’s an accident on the usual fast blue or red track that can then shut down 2 or 3 of the nicer tracks, it’s just pot luck sometimes, won’t stop me going, but has made me appreciate FoD, quantocks, cranham and so on more.
if they are running the vans at half capacity for covid reasons then I could see that slowing things down.
Max 10 to a van at the moment.
definitely not worth going again for me, and thats nothing to do with the uplift!
It is probably quite difficult to judge it, I like to make the most of the day and will be there from the first to the last bus and always get more than 10 runs in. However nearing the end of the day it always gets appreciably quieter and I'm always amazed how many people pack up way before closing time.
It has to be either less vans running or less people in vans doesn’t it?
It used to be fine even when fully booked.
Me and my riding mates used to go there once a month or more pretty much from when it first opened but over the last year before Covid we hardly went as it's just really poor value for money and the trails were getting too much for the group of varying standards to stay together. We much prefer to go elsewhere now for uplifted fun and my pedal-up days are now done at Windhill or Tidworth which are much better value. BPW just feels like a corporate machine rather than a rider-run park.
Christ, now I’ve heard it all. Maybe they shoulda changed the shape of the mountain?
Ha ha very good..
However its just about using the hill properly, the French manage it with ski and mtb runs in resorts.
Terrys Belly feels like someone went off on one with the digger and then thought oh shit we need to get back to the uplift. It's not difficult, you just need a surveyor and a theodolite.
BPW just feels like a corporate machine rather than a rider-run park.
This is the way I feel, but there is still some attraction that makes it just about worth it..
It’s better to have places like this, yes it’s become more corporate, but it’s a business and has had a hard couple of years, they were about to expand then COVID hit, to be fair at least they did some work when closed, other uplift sites I’ve been too are worse than before COVID!
I hadn’t really considered riding up, it’s a bit of a mission for us to get there so I’ve always thought uplift=more runs=worth the effort but maybe I need to try it out
How much elevation is it a go? 250m?
I suppose as long as the uplift is always booked out they will increase people and prices, makes sense. Could book both sessions on a weekend day but that’s a lot of cash when there’s plenty of amazing ‘ghetto’ riding round there
I do love Roots Maneuvres though
5plusn8
Free MemberHowever its just about using the hill properly, the French manage it with ski and mtb runs in resorts.
Terrys Belly feels like someone went off on one with the digger and then thought oh shit we need to get back to the uplift. It’s not difficult, you just need a surveyor and a theodolite.
It's not a mistake, it's clever design on their part. Making the average lap longer means less pressure on the buses, which increases the overall carrying capacity of hte park and means they can sell more tickets per bus. Same reason that the purpose-built visitor's centre with the bike shop, cafe and sign-up point isn't beside the purpose-built bus drop-off location. Cynical but clever.
It’s not a mistake, it’s clever design on their part. Making the average lap longer means less pressure on the buses, which increases the overall carrying capacity of hte park and means they can sell more tickets per bus. Same reason that the purpose-built visitor’s centre with the bike shop, cafe and sign-up point isn’t beside the purpose-built bus drop-off location. Cynical but clever.
I had not thought of that, I once heard Hanlons Razor "never attribute to malice that which can be attributed to incompetence" and I was going with that.
My gut is incompetence, given how I have seen the cafe and uplift running. Especially the cafe, interminably slow, surely reducing the number of customers served per hour is not good business sense. However you make an interesting proposal.
I prefer BMCC to BPW these days. Less commercial / less busy / more chilled out. I like flow trails though - there’s less steep tech at BMCC if you like that kind of thing.
Plus in Covid times the open air trailer behind a tractor is preferable.
Last time I went to BPW I pushed / rode up - it wasn’t too bad if you split the hill in 2 and session each half so you aren’t doing a full climb each time.
I went today and had a fantastic time. The busses were running great so I got ten runs in which is plenty for me (I didn’t take a break but wasn’t rushing to cram the runs in either) Still love the place and looking forward to going back
Never had a problem with the uplifts there but I've not been since 2019, think my record was around 14/15 runs but I was hammering it and it got quieter in the afternoon so you'd be straight back on the bus.
Bpw is one of my favourite places to ride a bike and have been visiting 2-3 times a year since it opened.
What they have built is nothing short of sensational but sadly my last 2 visits (pre covid) have been an absolute shambles
Nowhere near enough buses ,drivers stood around chatting once fully loaded complaining and allowing pay per uplift to take priority over day pass tickets was a joke but I hear this has been addressed by them since my last visit
I love it so much it's like a ex girlfriend you just can't shake who slaps you round the face after telling you she loves you .
I'll be going next month for one final (hopefully not,) fling
definitely not worth going again for me, and thats nothing to do with the uplift!
Come now, you can’t post that and not follow it up with a story…
It’s a shame the pay per lift option is not available at the moment. We usually pop over from Bristol for a morning or afternoon. Ride up a few times and jump on a bus once or twice. Last month we did get a cheeky free ride from one of the drivers as it was almost 4 and there was space in the bus👍 Cheers Drive! Always nice to ride up after the uplift has stopped or before it opens. Nice and quiet.
Black Mountain Cycle Centre, up by Abergavenny, uplifts on a tractor driven trailer for that open air experience ;o)
Nowhere near enough buses ,drivers stood around chatting once fully loaded complaining and allowing pay per uplift to take priority over day pass tickets was a joke but I hear this has been addressed by them since my last visit
I was there one day and they had recently employed a new bus driver that I knew vaguely from my old work. He said the drivers were targeted on doing x amount of uplifts a day and would pace their day to do no more than that. He told us this at the end of the day as the other drivers had strategically parked at various places along the uplift road so that they wouldn't be the ones doing the last uplift of the day. We were on his bus fully loaded for nearly 30 mins before we could move as the other drivers refused to give him the all-clear to leave meaning they didn't have to do another run. I may have had a rant about it to one of the staff in the visitor centre when I finished for the day but only just, they were already locking the centre up and 'encouraging' people out of the car park while some riders were still on the hill. They have changed things now so it won't happen again but it really hammered it home that the original drivers who were riders and encouraged you to do more laps are no longer there. Sadly the arrogant driver is still there who loads of people have stories about, I've seen him pretty much insult customers while they struggle to load their bikes on the trailer. But then if they pay peanuts - recent adverts said pay was minimum wage of the buses - then they'll only get the crap drivers.
It’s a shame the pay per lift option is not available at the moment. We usually pop over from Bristol for a morning or afternoon. Ride up a few times and jump on a bus once or twice. Last month we did get a cheeky free ride from one of the drivers as it was almost 4 and there was space in the bus👍 Cheers Drive! Always nice to ride up after the uplift has stopped or before it opens. Nice and quiet.
In normal times pay per lift (PPL) is part of the problem. The queue boss guy feels bad for the PPL riders and just mixes them in as he is loading. Which kind of undermines the whole idea of booking doesn't it?
I mean you are in the queue and they let a PPL guy in as he has "been waiting ages", but I booked 10 weeks ago?
I've done PPL and got 7 runs in a day, I was very happy, it made me wonder why I ever booked.
At FOD the vans go on a tight schedule, so if you are not back in time you miss that run, so sometime in the afternoons they let on PPL riders, but never at the expense of someone who has booked.
So whilst I can see how PPL at BPW is great if you are PPL, its bloody unfair on those who have booked and basically a big piss take.
I hadn’t really considered riding up, it’s a bit of a mission for us to get there so I’ve always thought uplift=more runs=worth the effort but maybe I need to try it out
How much elevation is it a go? 250m?
There is a reason why I haven’t used the uplift there in the last 4 or 5 years. I’ve done 11 laps on the pedal bike, which was a big day out & we were cooked at the end of it or I can do similar on the ebike, in Eco, but it’s a lot quicker.
Generally find ebike laps are noticeably quicker than the uplift.
Then you don’t have to sit on a stinking uplift bus, listening to tales radical riding, from someone who nearly kills themself going off the drop into Vicious Valley 🤦♂️
listening to tales radical riding, from someone who nearly kills themself going off the drop into Vicious Valley
Oh we're onto to "i'm superior to everyone else" discussions 😀 awesome.
I'm too cool to be on the bus 🙂 . I may get some t-shirts made 🙂
@joe BMCC?
Sorry bit out of touch with bike stuff these days….
Black Mountain Cycle Centre near Abergavenny. Literally just a car park with a portaloo, sign on cabin and usually a burger van.
Tractors towing open trailers up quite a rugged path.
Mostly hardpack mud style trails so best when it’s been dry - just swoopy / bermy/ jumpy fun.
Watch the below video to get a feel for the trail style - although this is Bomper which is one of the black trails. The blues have no drops or mandatory gaps - the reds also have no mandatory large gaps or drops either. Just a lot of tables have quite steep lips on them so usually take the first few runs steady to get into it.
Yeah BMCC is really good, I'm not a fan of flow trails but that place has it dialled. The uplift seems to take a while but you're never waiting more than a minute for it so it always feels like you're moving and making progress
Trailforks suggests 280m for the climb, so 6-10 runs must be doable riding up, I think I'll try that next time!
sounds like i have been lucky with my BPW experiences over the years. Maybe go once or twice a year at most, as its a good 3 hours from home.
Never had a bad experience myself. Buses always available. Trails always running well, come rain or shine. Shop well stocked, cafe serving food. Plenty of parking spaces. Plenty of variety for all skill levels.
Is it expensive... like most things, i rather pay less, but i dont ever feel ripped off. usually have booked a couple of months in advance, so using 'man maths', that money is long gone, so on the actual day i dont feel like i am paying for the experience (in a weird way).
I think you can make or break your own day, depending on what time you turn up, how much faffing you do, which trails you choose to ride, if you are competent at putting a bike on a trailer, if you decide to stop for lunch, or keep going, bring your own food or stop at the cafe etc etc.
And whilst it is now being run like a business (as it should), i still believe it has a 'rider run' feel, all you have to do is look at the trails... they are no council made bore-fests!
Then you don’t have to sit on a stinking uplift bus, listening to tales radical riding, from someone who nearly kills themself going off the drop into Vicious Valley 🤦♂️
That's normally me, but it's crying over the start of Bonneyville.
Oh we’re onto to “i’m superior to everyone else” discussions 😀 awesome.
I’m too cool to be on the bus 🙂 . I may get some t-shirts made 🙂
Genuinely, couldn't give a sh*t how well or badly someone can ride a bike if they are out having fun 🙂
But chatting like you're Sam Hill's lost brother, insiding corners everywhere & sending everything, at volume, on repeat, is boring. Especially when, in 99% of cases, the previous comment applies.
but the thing is, in their (and my) perspective they ARE.. they're pushing boundaries, pushing limits, doing things they'd not done until today and riding harder and scarier stuff than they (I'd) ever ridden before. It's passion, excitement, fun and adrenaline.... I can't see a downside to it.
Same reason that the purpose-built visitor’s centre with the bike shop, cafe and sign-up point isn’t beside the purpose-built bus drop-off location. Cynical but clever.
Not really. The landscape dictated the layout in the main. The uplift runs from virtually the lowest part of the site, but there isn't room there for the centre and a huge car park(which they've recently increased a lot) without building some sort of massive level area on a steep slope.
In the olden days of yore, when we used to do the Dragon Downhills and it was just Gethin woodland, I think the trails pretty much stopped where the centre was. The uplift took various forms, most memorably massive quarry trucks you'd pile you and your bike into.
The uplift dropped you at the start of what is really the final part of the climb, up that rocky doubletrack before crossing the top to the start area. You had to push your dh bike all the way up there. It was all bog on top too, not a gravel trail like it is now, and it were all fields.. 😂
The uplift road never went around the back like it does now.
You lot don't know you're born! 😉
I agree though. The faff of waiting and queuing, loading and unloading, sweaty buses and rising costs make the ebike seem ever more appealing.
I used to get really frustrated with the drivers faffing so much and taking so long. You'd had a good day on twelve or so uplifts but folks are frequently getting much less than that now.
Was up there the other day on the eeb. So nice not dealing with all the bus faff. You put a few miles in riding up though. The steep ebike route up is defo a battery drainer!
Best part of the day was lunchtime when presumably the buses stopped. So nice and quiet!
The start area completely stinks of piss now if you sit on the picnic benches, what with everyone ducking into the trees for a wazz. Minging.
Always preferred the smaller venues that have a more old school dh feel, but BPW have taken the ball and really run with it so fair play to them.
Oh we’re onto to “i’m superior to everyone else”
Isn't that how every thread goes? Pretty much why I started with "**** off", cos it was obvious this one would!
BMCC is good but the problem with it is that after an hour you've done every trail there.
BMCC is good but the problem with it is that after an hour you’ve done every trail there.
It’s unlikely you’ve done all the trails in an hour, including the options, and you almost certainly haven’t done them all well.
I’m not really up to black trail riding - certainly not the type with huge drops and mandatory gaps so I’m on the blues / reds there with a few of the smaller black options. I find it a great day trying out different things on different jumps and all the different routes at the bottom section etc. I tend to go once every other year so I’m not a frequent visitor to get bored of the trails. Pretty much so BPW once every other alternate year with BMCC and usually enjoy my BMCC day more on the whole.
Antur this year in a few weeks time to mix it up a bit - only been there once and quite enjoyed it last time.
I've always had the same experience as @v7fmp. Always a bus if you want to do more runs, never really had to wait for than a handful of mins, drivers chatty and helpful, parking can be a bit of a faff, but cafe's always churning out food pretty quickly, everyone there pretty friendly. Trails are sometimes shut for maintenance, buts that's fair enough, never not had a great time
I've always managed to do as many runs as I wanted. Never less than 10 certainly, Hardly recognize that its the same place from some of the descriptions some folk on here are saying about it.
Have to say im in the same boat as @v7fmp and @nickc, always had a great day out, my first visit was just before covid hit us and ive been back 3 times now at different unlockdown points.
Never waited more than 5 minutes for a bus, and drivers always friendly and helpful.
I normally download the trail map in advance and try and plan out at least 5 or 6 runs, so im not messing about at the bottom or the top, its literally, get on bus, head to trail get down, back to bus and repeat. The amount of people i see at the top trying to decide what to do next is just a waste of time in my opinion. especially if you have booked a month or more in advance.
Take my own lunch which i nip back to the car to get when i need it, but never spent more than half hour eating.
All in a great day out and ill be back once the silly half days arent a thing anymore.
Currently planning a bike park wales long weekender for next year so going to try and hit Dyfi, BMCC, BPW and potentially FoD.
For those of you who have only waited minutes for a bus, I think I must live in another time dimension...
Honestly, I am not doubting what you say. It's just this has not been my experience at all and looking at the set up, I fail to understand how it is possible.
As for BPW itself, I've had some great days there and loved riding the trails but the attitude of the people behind it and how they treat their customers means I wouldn't go again. I believe they have improved but too late for me I'm afraid.
For me the problem em is the super slick set up at Flyup/FOD, it makes BPW service look crap. Its an u fair comparison, but its still true.
I also think they had the opp to make it more like a ski resort, and have missed that completly.
If you are a super fit ripper then a few extra climbs won't touch the sides, but there are kids and old fat people that would make good customers too...
I bet they are a larger proportion of the population too.
Been there twice in the last couple of weeks and the drivers were excellent.No queuing and that's with restricted seating.It was mid-week so perhaps weekend uplifts are worse.
Not really. The landscape dictated the layout in the main. The uplift runs from virtually the lowest part of the site
really? it always feels higher when your riding from sign on to get the first lift
I think maybe my expectations aren't difficult to meet, I'm normally on a break from work if I'm going, It's mountain biking, in Wales, I don't have to cycle uphill, and there's food within rolling distance...That's pretty much all my boxes ticked if I'm honest.
It seems some people have forgotten how to have a laugh on a day out.
You win some lose some.
Some days the uplift is quick some days its not.
Some days you get stuck behind a backpack all the way down your favourite trail.
It's a trail centre not a race.
yes £41 is getting well steep!
Not really. The landscape dictated the layout in the main. The uplift runs from virtually the lowest part of the site
really? it always feels higher when your riding from sign on to get the first lift
Eh? You come out of the centre and ride a downhill to the uplift area. The uplift starts at the near lowest point innit.
Eh? You come out of the centre and ride a downhill to the uplift area. The uplift starts at the near lowest point innit.
Apart from the bit where you come out the centre , ride uphill, downhill a bit then uphill again to get to the uplift.
You ride uphill about 15 feet through the trail entrance to the left of the buildings, then maybe nearly a minute of rad downhill, then a walk up the tarmac turning circle about 100 yards. I'd say you're still lower! 😉
yes £41 is getting well steep!
That depends how you relate it. I do a days riding at Silverstone and it's £269. Makes £41 seem cheap.
Heck you can barely do anything for 8 hours for £41.
How much is bowling? Or an indoor skate park? Cinema for 3 movies?
How much is bowling? Or an indoor skate park? Cinema for 3 movies?
Charging by the hour, bring it on **** yeah awesums.
People on the internet desperate for businesses to charge them more, eh?!?! Don't worry they will happily oblige!
£41 quid is a lot for me to spend but to be honest I think it's just about ok. There is a lot of overheads on something like now. However as it's at the top I think it's got be be well organised and slick. Haven't been since pre pandemic so can't comment about now but it always was a fair way from slick and efficient.
spending the majority of my day queuing and sitting in a van with a bunch of blokes doesnt feel like mountain biking to me. i prefer to pedal/push up as i feel like i have spent a day in the woods by the time i go home rather than in the back of a bus/van. you can also feel the conditions changing throughout the day which again isnt so noticeable in a bus.
In say as you see mode I was there with friends yesterday and it was superb. The new check in center worked v efficiently. On a "sold out" day we didn't wait more than 5 min for a bus all day, including the lunchtime. It was 4 years since I've been and the trails have really moved on. The berms are epic and the v granular grading system works perfectly to enable me to inch up to my mince-ceiling and not break myself by going way beyond. Was a great value day I felt.
olly2097
Full MemberThat’s normally me, but it’s crying over the start of Bonneyville.
One of the weirdest bits, not that hard but there's always a crowd looking on, so you don't want to arse it up ;o)
There's a few weird little bits that cause panic for folk i notice, like the entry off the wooden bit for A470 and so on, best bit of BPW, just get up and session them, loads of time to do certain stuff even on a push up day.
We were there on Tuesday, definitely the best day I've had at BPW, even if I did break a wheel and lose a little time from the mechanical. 9 runs (could have got more in but I was riding the trails I wanted to ride without any thought to where they end etc), only really had to wait noticably twice. There was a bus loading and a bus ready to load most of the time and sometimes 2 loading, which helped, but I think the bigger difference was the drivers and crew- they were all helping out so the loading time was faster (and they were way more cheerful, except when telling people to wear masks and I can't blame 'em for that).
Some trail improvements I hadn't seen before, like Halfcut being extended/completed... new trail Groot was a bit of a disappointment, OK to ride but soaking wet on a dry day, not well built at all, so they can have a black mark for that. Trails overall in great condition apart from Groot, and Escort felt a bit neglected. Changes to the older trails seem a bit more logical than before, keeping more of the old feel? Same old qualifiers issues still there but they're never going to fix that are they.
Still prefer BMCC and FOD but we had 5 days of uplift and they were all bloody brilliant tbh.
As a comparison we did BMCC yesterday and I don’t even know how many runs we did, but we were always either riding, loading up/unloading or on the tractor
What an amazing place, we had a dry day again but that place is just ridiculously fast and has the best built jumps of any bikepark I’ve been to. I can commit to stuff much bigger than I usually do up there, you can just trust the lips to send you the right way, especially now they’ve rebuilt the moto line after the bridge a bit
It's kind of a shame they had to build over the old little jumps at the bottom, they were some of the best learner jumps ever, but the new ones are pretty close to perfect for me. (so's the first jump on Outback, it's like they built it just for me)
was there Saturday for the first time in 2 years with a group of 8 we had a good 8-9 runs on the 9am-130pm slot and rarely got stuck in any queues for buses, trails were quiet top to bottom and in tip top condition, we had a blast!
Went last week with Mrs Ready on the 9.30-13.30 shift and got 6/7 runs in - and we didn't get 1st uplift until 10.30. Booking in was a breeze, buses were plentiful so we never waited, drivers were friendly and helpful.
Had a plan of action so didn't stand at the top faffing what trail to ride next, and didn't do any trails that end up at the bottom of the hill (Terrys Belly, Hot Stepper) until the very last uplift, then sessioned the top half until the final run back to the van. I don't mind paying £35 at all for the amount of fun I had on some excellent trails!
Can't wait to go back
v7fmp
Free Member
@northwind – what issues do you see with the qualifiers?
Personally I find the qualifiers at BPW infuriating, primarily because several completely fail to reflect the character of the trails they head up. The aforementioned drop at the head of Vicious Valley is a great example, a wooden drop off, at the top of a trail that contains nothing of the sort. Bonneyville's rock drop qualifier is similar, there's nothing like it on the rest of the trail.
Deep Navigation's qualifier is however pretty good, purely because BPW seem to have now defined the first few metres of the trail as its qualifier, without changing it at all.