When the going gets tough, the tough get going. If you’re travelling to the North of England, you’ll find that the terrain starts to get tough in Derbyshire, where the Pennines upland range begins. The dramatic and beautiful hills of the Peak District National Park rise up above the lowlands to heights that you can’t find in the South. Are you tough enough to take on this rugged landscape? Well, you will be with the right equipment. Quad bikes, the most versatile of All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs), are the perfect choice for hills, valleys and mud, and you can go off-roading on one of these rugged machines in the heart of Derbyshire.

Quad biking adventures in Derbyshire take place at an outdoor activity centre near the village of Brailsford. This is a place where the locals know about churning up mud - in fact, the town hosts a ploughing tournament in the local farmers’ fields every October. The land that isn’t given over to agriculture has been put to much more exciting use - a huge quad biking trail sprawls over 200 acres of the landscape, covering woodland, swamp and hills as well as flat fields. If you’ve got a need for speed and a desire for dirt, come and take the ride of your life!

What kind of vehicles are on offer?

You’ll find the top tier quad bikes at the activity centre in Brailsford, and there’s something for everyone. The headliners are 400cc Suzuki machines - powerful, stable and easy to control, these quad bikes are perfect for beginners who don’t have experience of controlling them, and experts who want to open them up and let rip! They’re designed for hard working farmers working on remote, tricky terrain, so they’re solidly built and boast cushioned saddles, and that makes them perfect for enjoying an off-road race around the track.

A 400cc engine is too much for a child to handle, but don’t worry - there are bikes just for younger petrol heads at Brailsford. Youngsters will climb about a Polaris bike, either 50cc or 200cc depending on age, and get a feel for all terrain thrills on the track. These smaller bikes combine safety with excitement, and are the right size for people with shorter arms and legs to control.

All the bikes at the centre in Brailsford have simple, intuitive controls, including automatic gearboxes and thumb throttles on the handlebars. This means you can keep a steady hand on the accelerator whilst using your body weight to get around corners and up slopes. It also means that you don’t have to worry about gear shifts or stalling and you can focus on the fun!

What’s the experience like?

The track in Derbyshire is like no other and offers a quad biking trek that you won’t be able to stop thinking about - until you come back to try it again! It occupies over 200 acres of rough terrain and brings together a series of elements to put you and the bike through your paces. Anything you can think of - mature forest, marshy swamps, hills, and dirt tracks - will come at you, and your job is to keep going no matter what. And, between the obstacles, there are a couple of long straight sections of track, where you can put pedal to the metal - or thumb to the throttle - and find out what those engines are capable of!

You decide whether you want to cover 10 miles or 15 miles during your quad biking session. Of course, if you choose 15 miles you complete more laps of the circuit, but you won’t get bored of repeating the same sections because it’s long and varied. In fact, you’ll relish the opportunity to face each challenge again and again and work out the fastest, or the muddiest, way to tackle it. Your experience in Brailsford will last around 90 minutes (10 miles) to 2 hours (15 miles), starting off with a safety briefing and a chance to get the hang of driving the quad bike in controlled conditions, before taking to the track.

Requirements to do this activity

As we’ve mentioned above, the quad bikes that you’ll find in Derbyshire are simple to control. Adults over the age of 16 will ride a 400cc Suzuki quad bike and anyone can get the hang of it, even if they don’t have a driving licence. The minimum age for participation is 10 years old, and from this age to 16, the quad bikes are polaris models, either 50cc or 200cc depending on the child. Just like the full size, these are easy to use, and safe to ride.

Riding solo is fun, but there’s nothing like throwing up some mud as a quad squad. You can bring your friends, family, or even a group from work to the track in Brailsford, which can accommodate up to 26 people at the same time. With such a big track, you won’t have to compete for room, but you can let a bit of friendly competition bring out the best in everyone! The activity is fully supervised by experienced guides, who’ll accompany the group onto the track, 2 guides for every 8 people.

What do you need to bring to the track the day of the activity?

Come with an appetite for excitement to get the most out of a quad bike ride! You’ll be kitted out at the centre with safety equipment to let you really go for it on the track, so bring your best. You’ll be given a helmet to protect your head, and a balaclava to go under it which can help keep mud and hair out of your face. You’ll also get a set of overalls to protect your clothes from the mud. All the same, you shouldn’t expect your clothes to remain spotless when whizzing around the track and throwing up mud in every direction, so wear old, comfortable clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty.

You’re responsible for bringing the right footwear. Again, it’s going to get dirty, so don’t wear your coolest kicks; a reliable old pair of trainers or walking boots is best, and if they’re waterproof that’s a bonus because there are likely to be splashes on the track in Brailsford.

The weather can change a lot throughout the day at all times of year in this county, so bring extra layers, and sunscreen in the summer. It’s better to bring too much and not need it than find yourself wishing you packed something when you’re already on site.

What are you waiting for! Every minute that goes by is time you could spend onthis activity!