Lads and Dads Bothy weekend

Penrhos Isaf Bothy is situated on the south side of Coed Y Brenin Forest and is an ideal overnight stop if your into mountain biking and like a little adventure. The group of riders I was guiding this week was made up of three Dads and three lads aged 13.
This was their second such trip to the Bothy having done a similar trip last year during the summer months.


The day started in the cafe at the visitor centre where all good rides should start/pass or finish at. Following a bit of form filling, a chat about the plan for the weekend and with coffee and bacon baps lining our stomachs we headed up to the skills area at CYB MTB centre. The kids loved this last year and asked if they could go on it again this time. Its a great little set up for the little ones and for adults, with green, blue, red and black sections for them to try before they head out onto the longer trails in the forest. Having tested their skills on the green and blue runs we headed back to the cars to make our way to the Bothy. Jon, a responsible adult, had by now managed to put his new MTB shoes together and put the cleats on the right way round and I`m sure he also had 40 winks whilst we were in the skills area!

With everybody back in the cars we headed towards the Bothy which was about 4 miles from the centre. This allowed us to dump all of our gear in the Bothy early on instead of carrying it around with us all day on the bikes, a much better option for keeping the kids interested and happy.

With camp all set up we headed out onto the trails to practice some skills and also to practice some trail side first aid.The kids are at the age now that they will be venturing out without their parents and need to learn some basic skills before they do. Prior to the trip we discussed giving them basic input into First Aid, trail side repairs and bike skills. The kids were given input into what they should do if they come across an injured rider and the importance of knowing where they are on the trail.

Throughout the day they had to deal with different scenarios when they came across them. The first couple we`re hilarious to watch as all they did was giggle all the way through them but by the forth one they'd grasped it and were doing great.

With their attention dwindling and questions like "when do we get to the jumps" we decided to head  towards some of the best known single track descents in CYB forest.
The kids smashed down "Pink Heifer" before joining "Cyflym Coch" for a couple of miles along the river. We then blasted down  "Uncle Fester" which put a huge smile on their faces so much so that we had to do it again!

By now their little legs were tiring so we headed back towards the Bothy. A hike a bike section up a bridleway finished them off with their hot red faces proving they had worked hard and were low on energy.  We arrived at the Bothy where Jon had been busy sorting out the fire wood and had got the fire going, Bonus!

Loads of food including sausage butties and cake soon gave the kids some energy and the adults also filled their bellies with the usual junk of cake, sweets and pies topped off with some Sloe Gin and Penderyn Whiskey.

The kids also told us of their little adventure to the outside toilet. Located about 30m from the main building it`s basically a big hole in the ground with a tin shed over it. The kids were intrigued to see what was inside the pit but had forgotten their torch. So, they came up with the "brilliant" plan of lighting some paper and dropping it into the methane filled pit and putting their heads over the hole for a look!💩  Luckily it didn't explode in their faces but I think they defiantly learnt their lesson after getting a good ticking off from their dad`s!

The kids did however do a fine job of keeping the fire going until bed time and following some stories about a witch and some dodgy jokes we all headed to bed ready for another morning of riding.

We all woke around 06:30 to the sound of torrential rain and a quick look out of the Bothy door confirmed that it had been raining all night and it had cooled down considerably compared to day one. We packed up all of our gear and headed back to the cars with the plan being to have breakfast in the visitor centre followed by a quick ride on the blue and red trail.

Unfortunately due to the rain and drop in temperature we decided not to bother with the ride. The promise of a central heated house and a cuddle of their mum was enough for them to want to head home.
This was again a great weekend away for lads and dads to spend some quality time together. The kids did fantastic on the red routes and kept going until they were knackered.
Planning has already started for the next one!