It’s festival season, and that doesn’t just mean blues, rock, pop, electronic, folk or country: hundreds of Londoners headed north over the weekend for the Adventure Bike Rider Festival.
Feeling very much like a big music festival (two music stages, camping facilities, over 50 food vendors, countless bars, free yoga and massage sessions, good showers, paddleboarding, kayaking and talks) all beautifully arranged over hundreds of acres of rolling countryside on the Ragley Hall estate - it attracted well over 17,000 show-goers.
The main attractions were the bikes, with all major motorcycle makers laying on free rides - on and off-road - on their machines. Festival-goers who arrived on their own machines were able to test their skills on around 50kms of tailor-made off-road trails catering for all standards.
Newbies found their feet on the gentle Beginners’ Trail - a smooth introduction with minimal challenges - before joining more seasoned riders on around 40kms of trails snaking - and undulating - through the countryside, with marshalls at strategic points.
Dusty, at times challenging and rutted and with option ‘hard’ sections but well-signed and professionally organised, the Bridgestone trails offered thrills around every corner. For the more confident - or foolhardy - the Trail Riders Fellowship had created a more demanding eight-kilometre trail on the estate.
Featuring muddy water crossings, steep ascents and descents on a mixture of surfaces with varying grip, adverse cambers and tight twists and turns, it was a satisfying challenge for bikes big and small - including my own Honda CRF300, which returned to London ship-shape after taking just one tumble...
Bog of Doom
The bravest of the brave tackled the Bog of Doom - a corner of Ragley Hall estate resembling a swamp, with deep, slippery mud. Those making it through, earned their T-shirts. Those that didn’t make it under their own steam were rescued by quad bikes, presenting a great spectacle for onlookers and a tough job for the marshalls.
Other bike-centred attractions included a wide range of manufacturer stalls focusing on bike security, adventure travel packages, clothing, tools, luggage, camping gear, bike modification equipment and more. Phoenix PROskills offered friendly free off-road training sessions, while Inch Perfect offered trial-riding on electric bikes. Experts demonstrated their skills in a specially-prepared arena. A welcome relief from the buzz - and heat - came in the form of free tours of magnificent 17th-century Ragley Hall, where there was a line-up of collectible motorcycles, a great adventure photography exhibition, even an adventure travel film festival, curated by Austin Vince.
A rolling programme of music included Let There B/DC, Fleetwood Bac, The Rollin’ Stoned, Nearly Dan, Who’s Next, Guns or Roses, even the Treorchy Male Voice Choir.
Highlight of the four-day festival for many was the rich line-up of speakers on a rota so jam-packed it was impossible to catch them all, on four separate stages, in tents strategically dotted astound the picturesque estate.
Talkers were funny, endearing, instructional and - above all - inspirational. Some speakers gave the low-down on how to tackle specific worldwide destinations such as India, Vietnam, the Ho Chi Minh trail and Alaska on two wheels, others on how to discover green lanes in the UK.
Some expert riders such as Llewellyn Pavey gave a masterclass on the perfect bike set-up, while The Girl On A Bike - Vanessa Ruck - told how she recovered from life-threatening injuries before deciding to take-up motorcycling full time and throw herself into a world of tough adventure (while becoming a mother).
Charity auction
Author and traveller Sam Manicom spoke about his own exciting travels and freely gave expert advice, while architect Elspeth Beard spoke movingly of her own mould-breaking adventures that started in the 1980s and continue to this day. There was an auction for charity Two Wheels For Life, which raised £34,000 from show-goers.
The biggest draw was perhaps YouTuber Noraly Schoenmaker - better known as Itchy Boots - fresh from filming her exploits (as she took a break in her journey across Iran) to investigate London on, of course, two wheels, encountering helpful policeman and welcoming Londoners. Warm, funny, modest and courageous, she set the main stage alight with her recollections.... triggering long queues in the burning sun as show-goers awaited their chance to buy signed copies of her new book, Free Ride. Sadly, the book queue closed just as I arrived, giving me a great excuse to book tickets for 2026 in the hope that she appears there, too, the next festival’s dates having been revealed as June 26 - 28, 2026.
As a major change of pace from the traditional motorcycle show, with a cheery, supportive, ever-friendly crowd, helpful officials and marshals, terrific planning and the best chance you’re ever likely to get to ride off-road, I won’t be missing it next time. More at www.abrfestival.com
