So over the Easter weekend we decided to take a trip to Wicklow with the bikes to see what all the fuss was about for the Emerald Enduro! The plan was loosely to go to Ballinastoe, Djouce, Carrick and possibly Ticknock. We packed the wee fabia to the rafters and off we set!

It took a bit longer than anticipated with the car sitting so low but we got to Ballinastoe not long after lunch. A quick chat with the guys at Biking.ie and a “savage” day was promised. Off we went round the trail centre loop. I have to say I pleasently surprised. The centre has lots of flow. Something I feel our local centres lack. A great spin was had although it was a tad moist! A wee bit of tlc wouldn’t go amiss to fill some of the holes that have formed.

On the way back to the car we planned to just cycle up the road to Djouce for a spin round it too. However, the car beside us had been broken into so we decided to get the flock out of there.

Off we went to Glendalough for a nosey. Would have been rude not to call in. Such a nice spot. Some dinner was made in the car park and we managed to get all our kit dried on a makeshift line. Happy days!

Day two we decided to check out Carrick. The home of the EWS when it comes to town in June! There was a lot of hype about the place and we weren’t disappointed. We parked up at the GAA club in Glenealy and pedalled the kilometre or so up to the forest. It was the strangest forest I’ve been in. Full of eucalyptus and the stickiest mud I’ve experienced. The previous weeks rain didn’t help matters! We had a map that the hawk had drawn up for us and this was bang on the money! We started out with a run down the dh run and quickly fell in love with the place! The trails are just so much fun!  we spent the day cruising about the trails and having a blast!
Day 3 and we decided to just spend the day in Carrick again. If it ain’t broke don’t fix it! We decided to find one of the new trails for the EWS. A local described it as “amaze balls, some of the gnarliest stuff I’ve ridden” so we had high expectations! He wasn’t far wrong. The top section was extremely steep, rocky and technical. The fresh nature of the track meant it was hugely slippy. This was the hardest bit of trail I think I’ve ridden, but so much fun. The bottom sections followed a gully. This gully  was about ten metres wide and had berms, drops and jumps in and out. Such good flowy fun! A final run down the dh trail ended our trip. Andy hit the drop off on his hardtail. Fair play to the wee man considering he only started mountain biking in September! Time for home and the clean up operation. Took and age to get that mud off the bikes!

Fair play to Niall Davis and the guys at biking.ie. They’ve sorted out some amazing trails for the worlds best to check out. If there is any hint of rain, its gonna be manic! Get the spikes at the ready.

So is Wicklow worth a trip? 100%. Get down there and ride it. You won’t be disappointed. Just don’t leave any valuables on show in your car and you’ll be sweet!