This Summer the people of Bristol and the surrounding area – as well as visitors from further afield – can enjoy a wonderful cycling adventure as part of a highly-rated outdoor festival that showcases what the local area has to offer for active people.
The Mendips Lakes and Lumps Ride is taking place on Sunday 14th June as part of the National Trust’s Top of the Gorge Festival near Cheddar, which was recently rated as one of the UK’s best adventure and wellness festivals by The Guardian newspaper.
The cycling challenge itself offers participants a spectacular route that explores some of the very best parts of this stunning area as they visit the lovely Blagdon and Chew Valley lakes and also get to take on two challenging Mendip climbs – Burrington Combe and, of course, the iconic ascent up through Cheddar Gorge.
And when the cycling challenge is over, the day out most certainly isn’t – participants also get FREE day entry to the main festival itself, where they will also be rewarded with free food as part of their Ride entry.
And there will be plenty of activities on offer at the festival to occupy non-cycling family members and friends, so it really does offer the opportunity for a whole-family day out where adventurous bike riders can take on the cycling challenge while other family members explore the main festival site, before all joining back up in the afternoon to spend some quality time together.
And, for those who want to make a whole weekend of it, the Ride entry also includes an exclusive 25% discount on weekend camping tickets – a saving that effectively covers the cost of the entry itself!
“The aim with the Mendips Lakes and Lumps Ride is to fit in with the overall festival in showcasing what the Mendip Hills has to offer – in our case from a cycling perspective – so it’s been designed to be accessible and to appeal to as many people as possible, but of course it’s still a pretty decent personal challenge so there’s definitely a real sense of achievement to be had for anyone who takes it on”.
“We want to see all sorts of people taking part on all sorts of bikes and just enjoying what is a pretty spectacular route – and of course having the festival activities alongside for non-cyclists means that it can actually be a whole family day out with something for everyone”.
Participants will be provided with a whole host of support services, including clear route signage, medical cover, and mobile mechanical support throughout the route, and the event is also supported by Butcombe Brewery, the West Country’s leading brewer of quality beers – so riders can look forward to celebrating their achievement in style at the finish!
Participants are also asked to consider if they can fundraise while taking on the challenge – Prostate Cancer UK, the leading men’s cancer charity, is the Ride’s official charity partner – and any fundraising support is always welcome.