Ruth's Personal Experience of Quad Biking
Ruth at Builthy Hill Farm
I arrived at the farm on an uninspiring cold Spring day. The only clue that this was not just a sheep farm were the dirt tracks all over the fields on either side of the drive leading up to the farm buildings. On arriving the owner greeted us and sorted out a rather large jacket (I hadn’t brought any waterproofs) and found a helmet that fitted. Then started the instruction – how to brake, accelerate, turn and safety points.
The quad bike was set in automatic mode, so all the controls were on the handlebars. There was a little lever, operated with your thumb, to accelerate, and the brake and steering was done in the same way as a pushbike. The seat had a bit of padding, but I would not want to sit on it all day.
In just a few minutes we were off! We started on the gentler slopes and fields I had just driven by when arriving at the farm. It was amazing to turn off the beaten track, and I found the going really easy; completely the opposite of how I usually view such terrain when trying to negotiate it from my wheelchair.
As my confidence grew, we took on more extreme terrain and started using the very rutted dirt tracks all over the fields. It was a real change of perspective to move quickly and easily up grass hills and bumpy tracks, something I had not done since before my accident. It reminded me of running about the countryside, as I had done when I was a child. It must also be said that the views of the surrounding countryside were amazing, and all the better from knowing I was part of the view, and not on a road (as I usually am).
After what felt like a very short period of time, it was time to stop. Only then did I realise we had been playing on the fields and hills for about two hours!
My Recommendations
It does feel like a dangerous activity; doing 20kph with nothing between you and the ground does make you aware that if you fell off, it could mean more than cuts and bruises, so it is not for the faint hearted.
The following day muscles I didn’t know I had ached especially in my torso and shoulders. This is a physical activity as you do need to be fairly strong to keep yourself on the bike. However if you have good upper body strength, can sit without any back support and want to tear around the countryside off the beaten track, this could well be for you.