Page 82 - The Wish Stream Year of 2022 CREST

Exercise FROSTY TRAIL
OCdt Pope
We departed from Sandhurst on Satur- day morning and, after stopping briefly enroute for some breakfast, headed to the Forest of Dean. As we drove west, the decrease in temperature and increase of snow lying on the surrounding fields and verges cer- tainly raised the question of the feasibility of our activity for the next few days... however, upon arrival at the Forest of Dean, it quickly became apparent that snow did not stop mountain bik- ers, so we donned our kit and headed for the trails. This provided a few hours to warm up those cycle legs and get acquainted with the saddle. We then continued to our accommoda- tion in Merthyr Tydfil, which made a welcome change to the single glazing and intermittent hot water we had become accustomed to in New College. Our self-catering lodge also provided the opportunity for us to unleash our creativity in the kitchen, albeit with the knowledge of a Domi- nos just down the road, if required.
On day two we headed for Bike Park Wales. Despite advertising itself as ‘the UK’s most diverse selection of all-weather mountain bike trails’, the weather did, unfortunately, stop play. The steep road up to the bike park was frozen solid, so after pushing the vehicles up to the car park, we were informed that the bike park
was closed due to the ice. However, we were met with a free coffee and bacon roll to ease the disappointment. Fortunately, the FIFA World Cup final provided afternoon entertainment and allowed us to rest our legs in preparation for the next few days.
By Monday we were able to hit the trails in full force. After picking up our extra PPE, we jumped on the up lift to take us to the top of the trails. We started with the green run to hone our, some- what lacking, technique before advancing to the blue runs by the afternoon. We returned to Bike Park Wales the following day to pick up where we left off. With some of the group developing a liking for the adrenalin-boosting drops and jumps the red runs had to offer, others chose to play it safe and stick to the blues, or in some cases, the cafe.
The final day saw a return to the Forest of Dean. This allowed us to revisit the trails we did on the first day and see what sort of progress we had made, before returning to Sandhurst for our well- earned Christmas break.
80 SANDHURST