Discover Dorset by Mountain Bike
FROM £475 pp
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dates throughout the year
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3 days fully guided cycling in small groups
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2 nights accommodation
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All meals included
If you love mountain biking or think you might take a look at what this glorious part of Dorset has to offer...
If mountain biking is your thing or if you fancy trying it out for the first time - Dorset Off Road Mountain Biking Holidays will have something for you!
With a choice of either long weekends (Friday - Sunday pm) based here in our luxurious 16th century thatched house or more challenging 5 day trips (Sunday - Friday) from North Dorset to the Jurassic Coast.
Choose our North East Dorset Weekend and you will enjoy 3 days of varied riding, covering a huge range of terrain including single track green lanes, big open-vista bridleways, great short sharp climbs followed by exhilarating down hills that characterise the best of Dorset.
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The North East Dorset weekend is based in the idyllic thatched home of hosts Hugh & Prue Ross in the Dorset village of Iwerne Minster.
Hugh will support and lead you on the rides and Prue will be on hand for making sure your stay is comfortable & relaxed and provide meals using as much local produce as possible.
Join a group - you will join a group with similar riding levels. We currently have courses running on
(More dates available - please contact us to discuss when would suit you best...)
You are also welcome to bring your own group (subject to minimum numbers) - please contact us for more information.
5 Day Blackmore Vale to the Jurassic Coast Challenge
If you've time to spare and the experience for some technical longer distance riding then our 5 day, 120 mile Dorset tour from Blackmore Vale to the Jurassic Coast Challenge could well be the trip for you.
This trip is for a more experienced rider and will take place over five days. Taking in the very best of North East to South West Dorset including Cerne Abbas, Lyme Regis, Abbotsbury, Kimmeridge and ending on day five at Corfe Castle.
You will spend your first night at our home in Iwerne Minster before setting out on your trip across Dorset. Each evening you will stay in either a bed and breakfast or pub with rooms. Meals will be included and your luggage will be transported each day to be ready for your arrival.
This is an exciting and challenging trip and will be supported by Hugh leading you and, depending on numbers, a second instructor to ensure that everyone gets the very best out of the trip!
We currently have one Blackmore Vale to the Jurassic Coast Tour planned for September - we are able to work with your group to organise you trip at a time best suited to you. If you are interested in this tour please contact us....
We will aim to match abilities on each trip - if you would like to put together your own group please contact us to discuss dates and availability.
Your holiday will be based at our 16C thatched home. The interiors retain their character, whilst being decorated in a contemporary style. With 4 large double bedrooms (either super king or king size beds). 2 bedrooms with ensuite & 2 with a modern shared bathroom (see booking page). We have space for everyone to spread out with 4 living rooms including two cosy sitting rooms with log burners, a great snug with large flatscreen TV & a fabulous garden room with views over the terrace & garden beyond. There is a large landscaped garden with summer house and terraces to enjoy in your down time. In the warmer months an evening chatting and relaxing round the fire pit will be sure to be a long lasting memory of time well spent.
This weekend can be tailored to ability. We have weekends planned throughout the year - come on your own, with family or friends or as a couple - or if you prefer come as a group and choose the date that works best for you...
You will visit the iron-age forts of Hambledon Hill & Hod Hill with their extraordinary 360-degree views, cycle up the famous 'Hovis' Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, fly through chocolate-box villages such as Milton Abbas and Oak Fitzpaine and climb to Win Green, the highest point in Cranborne Chase with views to Salisbury Plain and the Isle of Wight
Your Hosts - Hugh & Prue
Hello and welcome! We really hope that you will join us on a fabulous biking adventure in the not too distant future, but first a little about us...
As you can guess we are passionate about mountain biking, added to our twin passion for hospitality and you can be sure of a really memorable few days whichever of our biking holidays you choose.
Hugh has been a keen mountain biker since the mid 1990s. He has organised and run many biking trips since then with various groups and abilities from small intimate gangs of 5 people up to large groups with over 20 riders.
He is a fully qualified leader and you can be sure that your safety and enjoyment will be his priority.
He is passionate about maps and since moving here from Salisbury just over two years ago has developed a portfolio of off road routes to suit every ability level.
Our holidays are suitable for everyone from beginners through to intrepid explorers. However, we do try to match abilities within each group to ensure that everyone gets the most out of their time with us.
We have storage & washing facilities for your bikes here at the house and we are able to arrange for the hire of mountain bikes, including E bikes, should you prefer to travel light!
Having run a gite complex in France for over 15 years, Prue will ensure that you are well looked after during your stay. You will be based in our beautiful thatched home in the village of Iwerne Minster. During the Discovering North East Dorset trip the majority of the rooms will be here in our home. We are able to offer a variety of accommodation including a lovely secluded room with private courtyard garden & ensuite in our 'Dorset Hideaways Cottage', a large ensuite in the main house and two lovely bedrooms sharing a newly fitted family bathroom. Additional en-suite accommodation is available at the local pub. All meals are included and served here at our home.
Hope to see you soon....
Hugh & Prue
North East Dorset Mountain Biking Weekend
Day 1
Arrival & Afternoon ride
Arrive around 12 noon for a light lunch of homemade soup followed by the first ride of around 20 miles, which will take 2 - 3 hours depending on weather.
During the ride you will cycle to Fontmell Magna & Compton Abbas, through Ashmore Woods, down Smugglers Lane and over Hod Hill and back via Iwerne Courtney.
Enjoy a relaxed evening meal in good company ready for a fun day ahead.
Day 2
Full day of riding
After breakfast at 'home' you will set off on a full day of riding off road (around 35 - 50 miles depending on the group)
The cycle will take you to the villages of Stourpaine & Durweston, Blandford Forest, Wessex Ridgeway and up to Bulbarrow Hill & Milton Abbas across to Piddletrenthide and home via the Dorsetshire Gap & Bulbarrow Hill with a final fabulous downhill from Hambleton Hill to a well earned glass of something cool in the local pub!
Spend a relaxed evening re-living your exploits over dinner and a glass or two of wine or beer.
Day 3
Morning ride
The final day gives you the opportunity for one last, slightly more leisurely, ride of 3 - 4 hours.
Head up to Shaftesbury and the climb the legendary 'Hovis' Gold Hill for a coffee stop taking in the fabulous views across the Blackmore Vale. Continue on to Win Green and down to Tollard Royal (the former home of Madonna) and back via the highest village in Dorset, Ashmore.
Enjoy a final light lunch as you start to think of heading home.
Where you'll stay...
Just click on any of the pics to flick through the gallery of Rose House
Prices for Dorset Mountain
Biking Weekend Breaks
(More dates available, please ask)
Single Occupancy with own bathroom £650 per person
Double Occupancy with own bathroom £550 per person
Single Occupancy with shared Bathroom £575 per person
Double Occupancy with shared bathroom £475 per person
What's included
Accommodation for 2 nights
Delicious home cooked evening meals with wine on Friday & Saturday
Light lunch or picnic lunch each day
Breakfast each day
Guiding & bike support
Bike wash & storage
What's not included
Bike Hire (can be arranged)
3rd night's accommodation (available on request)
Snacks & drinks at stops along the way