This flat 5km trail with 4km of purpose-built single track, varied scenery and cool features makes for an interesting and atmospheric ride for beginner riders. A short optional skills loop offers obstacles to practice bike handling skills before you and the kids head out to the woods to ride sections like Mole’s Mayhem, Heron’s Release and the Enchanted Forest with its dam-side trail and multiple bridges over the stream that runs through it. Frequent sign posts point the way and maps with ‘you are here’ show your position at the start of each of the four different coloured trails, also indicating the way to the ‘short route home’ should your child get tired on the way to completing their first proper mountain bike ride!
Hazendal Wine Farm has been a start point for the Bottelary Hills MTB Trails for some years, but never had a trail of its own. That has all changed this winter with the building of the Hazendal Family MTB Trail sponsored by Sabre Paints. Wine farms such as these that generously offer us land for trail building are doing much more than just giving us space. Sometimes the sons or daughters may ride, and maybe the fathers take to it out of curiosity, but often the farmers themselves do not ride and regard mountain biking as just another factor of diversity for their business, but arguably one of the most important aspects to come out of the growth of the sport in recent years is the provision of areas for families to spend quality time together, which is really why we owe the farms so much.
When Meerendal opened, it immediately became apparent that it held massive appeal to the largest part of the riding-for-leisure market; families, kids, beginners or anyone who just wanted to ride their bikes without it being so challenging as to put them off. Even so, any weekend you can watch small children and beginners struggle up the ‘easy’ slopes of the lower routes; something else was needed. Comments from riders finishing this new trail reveal that it is fulfilling its role as a fun and gentle but challenging enough routes to ride with your wife/kids/dad or mum.
The farm coffee shop, Babushka, open from 08.00-18.00 every day, offers permit sales, food, drinks and crafty Russian artifacts for sale and is a cosy place to sit and while away your spare time, or on a warm day chill outside in the shade of the trees whilst the kids run around and explore the inventive play area, if they are not still on their bikes! Babushka will host kid’s bike parties if you are looking for ideas for that next birthday.
Day Permits cost R30, annual permits R300, family permits are R1000 (max 5 people) and are valid from now until Dec 2016 offering particularly good value for money.
There are two special offers running currently; 1) buy a day permit, like the trail, redeem your permit against the cost of an annual permit, and 2) Babushka is offering riders 10% discount off the cost of all food, just rock up in your Lycra!
Each new trail we build is part of a bigger legacy project for the youth of today; somewhere your little hero can be introduced to the sport of mountain biking in a safe and secure environment, places they can learn to develop and hone their skills to become the next James Reid or Cherie Vale. We hope The Hazendal Family MTB Trail will continue the trend.
Hazendal Family MTB Trail, Bottelary Rd, find it on Facebook for directions, pics, and more info.
Tel: 021 903 5034 for restaurant bookings, or 072 852 8272 for info. on the trail.
www.Trail-Blazers.co.za for more info on trail building.
