LOT VALLEY ENDURO
Try an amazing holiday trail riding in France
by Susie, July 2007

Up to this point I've had three goes of riding a bike off-road before - once for about 5 minutes at Mallory, for about 10 minutes in a very muddy field which was mostly ice, then 10 minutes racing round a cattle field in Australia. The first two involved lots of falling off and copious amounts of swearing; they were also shared with my good pal Dave Haines, also a beginner at the time. He's come on a lot since then. An awful lot. And he's really made up that he's better than me at something involving two wheels. The git.

Kate and Dave Haines live in Lot (3 hours east of Bordeaux) in a lovely village called St Gery. The area is incredibly picturesque, with Cahors a 10 minute drive away, and the beautiful medaevil village of St Cirq Lapopie just 5 minutes up river. Lots of adjectives I know, but wow it's so pretty!

They offer a fully packaged enduro holiday with accommodation in a large house with pool in St Gery. You just need to make your own transport arrangements and bring a bike licence (there are some road sections). The house is also available for holiday lets if you don't want to off-road.
Kate and Dave are a very friendly likeable and sociable couple who will give you all the information and help you need to have a memorably good holiday. OK, I am biased as they've been my friends for many years, but it's true! By the way, Cahors wine is very good (oh, my head).

Dave is your guide for the Enduro experience, with over three years in the village he knows enough routes to keep even the most experienced thrill-seekers satisfied, as well as pacing the experience for complete novices like me. Here are my experiences after my first 3-hour jaunt.

Kitting up

I was faced with rows of kit, started picking out the prettiest stuff (well, I am a girl) then Dave took control and handed me stuff that would actually fit, including enough armour to hopefully protect the clutz I am. We discovered that enduro armour doesn't sit too well over the larger bosom. Oh how we all laughed. Well, it's not about looks is it? All kitted up and looking like Michelin woman (me, not Dave), 10 minutes later we had the bikes and set out.

Getting on the trail

We rode through the village and turned left into a tiny lane then straight onto a dirt track and didn't see a road for about 40 minutes. Dave says he has weeks worth of trail options in his head, plus he's adding more inbetween taking riders out. We were on an easy trail which involved briushing past trees and riding over ruts - so qute easy, but far from boring. This was designed to gradually get me used to the bike moving around, how to stand on the bike over really rough terrain and coping with gravel and grass. Dave kept a check behind regulary and paced it just right to keep me improving but not overdo it. He also made occasional stops to give me advice or prepare me for the terrain ahead. He varies the trail according to the riders - not as easy in a mixed group of course, but since it was only me he asked if I fancied trying something a bit harder. Never one to resist a challenge off we went down what seemed like a craggy old stream bed. And I didn't fall off! I waited til the next hard bit for my first fall, trying to negotiate a sharp corner on a mix of gravel and grass, I ended up with the bike on its side three foot up the banking and with a bruised collarbone. I'd just got my wind back by the time Dave came to help. Not too fazed but definitely more wary of corners, we zoomed on through green and picturesque countryside through hills and valleys. This was lots of fun - true, you do have to push yourself to learn and improve as it would be easier to sit by a pool with a book... but where's the fun and tall-tales-in-the-bar in that? I had another fall, no bruises this time, after getting caught in a rut on an apparently easy corner, but this time had the bike up and caught up with Dave before he'd managed to turn around (turning isn't the easiest thing to do on these tracks). We also had an odd moment down a particularly pitted track where we had to pull over for a little old man in a battered old car who must have been lost. Dave says it's happened to him a few times - tiny roads turn into dirt tracks very suddenly and often tourists just keep going in the hope of finding a road again rather than start reversing. But maybe the old man lived in the woods!

Lunch

We stopped at St Cirq Lapopie for lunch, grabbing a sandwich at the local sandwich shop (did you know that the French for "yeah" is "ouai" - sort of "oui", but pronounced "way" with a nonchalent lower lip. Dave has it off-pat and shared local tales with Monsieur Le Sandwich-maker. We took the sarnies to the view-point at the top of the village for a few minutes rest. The views are breath-taking. Riders taking a full day with day can look forward to a longer lunch break than this to really appreciate the place... but only if they want to. Off we set for another hour, then back to quickly hose the bikes down and leap into a shower then the pool, what bliss.

The conclusion

I still don't know the difference between trail-riding and enduro, trial riding and off-road, and any other thing which involves 2 wheels, 2 strokes and very knobbly tyres. Dave probably told me but I may have drifted off... or been drunk. But who cares. It's great fun, very tiring and really made me feel as if I'd acheived something. I'll definitely be up for a spin when I visit next and would highly recommend this to anyone looking for a holiday that's a bit different.

Try for yourselves and book a holiday with Lot Valley Enduro