Fancy a bit of trail riding but don't know where to start? With centres close to the legal-lane abundant Salisbury Plains, North Downs, West Pennines and Peak District, the good folks at Phoenix Trails have got you covered.
It's a spin-off of the ever-popular Phoenix Motorcycle Training school, which has 20-odd road-focused training centres and has built up an enviable reputation in over two decades in the game. The trail thing's a little more recent, but in that time they've carved out a little niche for themselves, focusing on legal trail-riding and practical skills that transfer to the road, in contrast to the abundance of centres offering more-extreme MX and Enduro experiences.
If you want to hone your skills, search out some top lanes, and have a belting day riding through some of the UK's best scenery, these guys are well worth a look. We spent a day meandering around on some Fantic XEF250 Trails just a stone's throw from Stonehenge, under the watchful eye of the Salisbury Plain Stig. Here's how we got on.
Winding my way through the Wiltshire countryside on the hunt for Phoenix Trails' Codford HQ, I found myself scanning the horizon trying to pick out some of the trails we'd be exploring throughout the day. I'm always doing that, even though it's actually very difficult to work out what's legal and what's not from a cursory glance.
That's part of the beauty of Phoenix; they know the area, they know the trails, and they know exactly how challenging they are. That means they can string together the perfect route, that pushes riders to try new things without being intimidating.
This story is from the June 2024 edition of Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the June 2024 edition of Motorcycle Sport & Leisure.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Honda CRF1100L ES Africa Twin
Without panniers he was adventuring nowhere - so at least Bertie's got something sorted now
BMW R 12 nineT
Chad gets a track day surprise when BMW's R 12 nineT turns out to be surprisingly fun on track
Test fleet: VOGE 525 DSX
After testing the Voge's abilities on a long ride, it was time to take it to the Cotswolds and see how it would manage on the rougher stuff
Portuguese Perambulations
Nearly over before it had begun, a brief workshop stint allows Spain and Portugal to be explored
Highway to Heaven
Three friends take on the challenge of riding the length of Canada, from Vancouver in the southwest to Inuvik in the north. The road is long, the conditions merciless, and wildfires are tearing through the country. To top it all off, the final leg of the journey is the ultimate test of gravel riding skills, nerves, and courage - it's the legendary Dempster Highway...
Battlaxes at the ready!
We tend to take tyres for granted, never really looking at them in any detail, or at how they work, just hoping that they keep us shiny side up at all times. Even in the wet
Ducati Riding Experience
When I rode the Ducati DesertX to France last year, I did have a bit of an explore on some easy fire roads and gentle green lanes in the wilds of the Médoc area, but was left with the feeling that, had I the experience, the DesertX would have been capable of taking me along some more extreme trails to some even more exciting places. If only there was a way of finding out just how well the Italian adventure bike could cope with some more extreme terrain...
Four pot flyer
Many said that sports bikes, and particularly bikes in the traditional Supersports class that was populated by 600cc inline fours, were dead. Maybe they spoke too soon?...
Eastern adventurer
With an increasing interest in smaller capacity adventure bikes, the market expands with a new entry
First Time Lucky?
It's ironic that the first all-new MV Agusta model to hit the marketplace right after Italy's No.1 trophy brand was acquired by Austrian giant Pierer Mobility, owner of off-road titans KTM, should be the company's first dual-purpose model of the modern era, powered by MV's all-new 931cc three-cylinder engine that's destined to form the basis of a whole series of new models in coming months and years.
