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Newbie-ish girl :)

siancarasiancara Posts: 29
edited September 2013 in MTB beginners
As a child I was lucky enough to live next to a castle with huge castle grounds, which was great for riding my bike... lots of mud, hills, things to jump off, etc.! Doing this every day for years I became a fairly competent rider. I now just use my bike to get to and from uni (or for a ride down the castle when i'm home...) and it's rather boring, so I'm wanting to do some more fun stuff again!
I've bought a mountain bike, but not sure where to start now. I live near Cannock, would the trails there be too difficult?
If anyone knows of any trails I could get to by train that'd be awesome. I don't have a car but if a trail is rideable distance from a train station then I can get there that way. Cheers!
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  • YeehaaMcgeeYeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    To be honest, if you had a childhood of pi**ing about on bikes, jumping off things and such, you should be fine on most trail centres.
    It's probably the best apprenticeship you could hope for!
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  • coulddobettercoulddobetter Posts: 812
    You're not related to the Windsors are you ? :)
  • HebdenBikerHebdenBiker Posts: 787
    The thing about trail centres is, anything you don't feel like riding, you can just walk round/over. Given your background, you'll probably be more than fine with red trails at trail centres like Cannock. I would just head over there, see for yourself and enjoy .
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  • siancarasiancara Posts: 29
    coulddobetter wrote:
    You're not related to the Windsors are you ? :)

    I like to think so... but sadly no ;)

    Thanks guys, will check out Cannock next week
  • YeehaaMcgeeYeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    I'm guessing it's a castle somewhere in Wales, with a name like Siân?
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  • siancarasiancara Posts: 29
    Sure is! Castell Cil-y-coed/Caldicot castle. Clicked on your link to your photos - I also assumed you must be in Wales with a name like Siôn?!
  • YeehaaMcgeeYeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    Yep, from loverly ol' Worth Nails. They won't let me leave (except to the Alps on occasion), so I never moved far, but then, why would I?
    Couple of miles from the coast, couple of miles from Snowdon. Heaven :)

    I really need to update my Flickr page though. I ended up doing a lot of comission jobs, which didn't leave much time for my own photography.
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  • siancarasiancara Posts: 29
    Oooh you lucky person. I do love North Wales, visit there a few times a year, mainly for surfing/other watersports! Really nice. Still haven't got round to climbing Snowdon though...
  • YeehaaMcgeeYeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    Mate of mine teaches surfing, keeps trying to get me to try it. Just doesn't appeal round here in these cold seas somehow. Might be different if I lived in Hawaii or somewhere like that.
    Give me snow, and a board, any day, but the cold sea doesn't appeal!
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  • cooldadcooldad Posts: 32,599
    Aaaaw how cute, young love.

    Sion and Sian, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.
    First comes love, then comes marriage.
    Then comes an abrupt, tragic miscarriage.
    Then comes blame, then comes despair.
    Two hearts damaged beyond repair...
    Sian leaves Sion, and takes the tree. D-I-V-O-R-C-E
    I don't do smileys.

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  • YeehaaMcgeeYeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    :lol:
    Sigh, if only I had a tree for someone to take.
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  • siancarasiancara Posts: 29
    cooldad wrote:
    Aaaaw how cute, young love.

    Sion and Sian, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.
    First comes love, then comes marriage.
    Then comes an abrupt, tragic miscarriage.
    Then comes blame, then comes despair.
    Two hearts damaged beyond repair...
    Sian leaves Sion, and takes the tree. D-I-V-O-R-C-E

    :roll:
    Keep the tree, I don't want it.


    I like the cold seas, it's refreshing :D
  • angry_birdangry_bird Posts: 3,782
    Is this going to become the sequel to the Waylander and CMC saga?
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  • siancarasiancara Posts: 29
    Angry Bird wrote:
    Is this going to become the sequel to the Waylander and CMC saga?

    Huh?

    I like your avatar :mrgreen:
  • YeehaaMcgeeYeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    Angry Bird wrote:
    Is this going to become the sequel to the Waylander and CMC saga?
    ?
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  • Kowalski675Kowalski675 Posts: 4,412
    YeehaaMcgee wrote:

    I really need to update my Flickr page though. I ended up doing a lot of comission jobs, which didn't leave much time for my own photography.

    Just out of idle curiosity, your mirror self portrait shows you using a Sony, but the file names on the Anglesy pics look like Nikon prefixes?
  • YeehaaMcgeeYeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    nope, the Sony uses DSC as a prefix. But if you set it to Adobe RGB colourspace, then it changes to a _DSC prefix. I think that's fairly standard these days.
    I use a Sony DSLR, got a lot of lenses and stuff built up with it now, hoping to switch to the rather tasty full frame Sony A99 some time late next year.
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  • Kowalski675Kowalski675 Posts: 4,412
    Furry censored . I thought DSC was just a Nikon prefix, when I've seen file names from other makes they've been different prefixes. Nikon man myself (not that I've picked it up for a long time), but once you've bought into one system you tend to stick with it.
  • YeehaaMcgeeYeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    I wonder if it's a sensor designation? I do believe Sony manufacture Nikon's electronics and sensors.
    I have some files I shot with a Canon, and they're definitely different, they're all CRW prefix.

    Hmm. I may just ignore you in future, you have a certain knack for dragging things into quite tedious directions :lol:
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  • Kowalski675Kowalski675 Posts: 4,412
    YeehaaMcgee wrote:
    I wonder if it's a sensor designation?

    Possibly.
    Hmm. I may just ignore you in future, you have a certain knack for dragging things into quite tedious directions :lol:

    Promises, promises... :lol:
  • coulddobettercoulddobetter Posts: 812
    Well I have a 5 d mark 2 , loads of lenses and surfed in Wales nr Druidstone Haven in October without the aid of a wetsuit ............ so there !
  • YeehaaMcgeeYeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    Wow, are you an orca?
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  • cooldadcooldad Posts: 32,599
    Nope, drunk.
    I don't do smileys.

    There is no secret ingredient - Kung Fu Panda

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  • welshkevwelshkev Posts: 9,690
    siancara wrote:
    Sure is! Castell Cil-y-coed/Caldicot castle. Clicked on your link to your photos - I also assumed you must be in Wales with a name like Siôn?!

    my brothers girlfriend and a good friend of mine went to caldicot school :D
  • YeehaaMcgeeYeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    welshkev wrote:
    my brothers girlfriend and a good friend of mine went to caldicot school :D
    Your brother's girlfriend is a "good friend" of yours, eh?
    Interesting.
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  • ol\'greggol\'gregg Posts: 612
    YeehaaMcgee wrote:
    welshkev wrote:
    my brothers girlfriend and a good friend of mine went to caldicot school :D
    Your brother's girlfriend is a "good friend" of yours, eh?
    Interesting.

    She's now my ex so it's ok
    gochel chan ddynion i mewn blew beisiau achos hwy cadernid bod eirth
  • welshkevwelshkev Posts: 9,690
    YeehaaMcgee wrote:
    welshkev wrote:
    my brothers girlfriend and a good friend of mine went to caldicot school :D
    Your brother's girlfriend is a "good friend" of yours, eh?
    Interesting.

    I was just going to edit that after reading it back :lol:

    my brothers girlfriend (1 person) and a good friend (separate person) of mine went there :lol:
  • YeehaaMcgeeYeehaaMcgee Posts: 5,740
    I bet you went there, and all.
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  • welshkevwelshkev Posts: 9,690
    YeehaaMcgee wrote:
    I bet you went there, and all.

    I wouldn't have gone there using yours :lol:
  • siancarasiancara Posts: 29
    Do you know what year they started there? Would probably know them!
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