Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
The sun-soaked 2024 edition of the Big ‘Un from Brother Cycles offered attendees a chance to ride a spectacular route through a scenic corner of England, connect with new friends, and enjoy some local food and drink. Find a recap from Jim Biddulph with photos from Dan Monaghan here…
Words by Jim Biddulph, photos by Dan Monaghan
For those who survived the continuous sideways rain during the Brother Cycles’ Big ‘Un ride last year, returning may have come with some trepidation. Thankfully, this year’s event was an entirely different experience, in more ways than one!
Pushing proceedings forward by six weeks to the 7th of September was never going to guarantee exceptional weather, no matter how strong the murmurs of a potential Indian Summer might have been. While the sun didn’t exactly put his hat on, he did bless us with dry conditions and an additional 3 hours of daylight to play with this time around. As one of the regular Kent-based contingent on these rides, it was a relief to look at a weather forecast that didn’t suggest impending mid-route changes of clothing, some almost unrideable sections, and a plethora of folks bailing out on trains back to Brother HQ before the end (myself well and truly included).
Because, as one of the regular participants who join from Margate or Canterbury knows, although our county isn’t exactly famed for epic peaks, dazzling lakes, or endless alpine trails, Will from Brother—with a little help from his friends—has discovered and mapped out some exceptional and at times challenging riding around the Kent Downs that make it well worth the trip.
The weather wasn’t the only difference from last year’s monsoon hit event, though. In a successful bid to keep it fresh while making for even smoother pit stops, Will and James (yes they are actually brothers) decided to reverse the mammoth 115-kilometre route. Even for those of us who have helped recce out large sections of the ride on regular trips throughout the year, this added an extra layer of excitement, not least because the brothers had kept this news up their sleeves until quite late on, but also because Will promised a few extra bits that he’d discovered on some lone wolf missions earlier in the summer.
Participants were encouraged to arrive at Brother HQ on Friday night, and by my measure, it’s the only way to take part as the site really sets the tone for what’s to come. Firstly, the overall location is Brogdale Farm in Faversham, the home of the National Fruit Collection. Yeah, you read that right. Kent is called the Garden of England for good reason. Brother Cycles call the farm site home all year round and invite riders to come and use one of the vast tractor barns as a base for the event. Surrounded by orchards and full of ancient apple presses and mini tractors, it feels like a genuine slice of countryside life. There’s an adjacent field for both parking and camping, next to which is a slightly mysterious mini steam train on a staggeringly short set of tracks. As a campsite, it’s a fairly basic setup, but what it lacks in showers, the barn makes up for in quintessential Kentish farm-based paraphernalia, along with a mega-fire pit, hay bail seating, and atmospheric string lighting. It’s a beautifully rustic backdrop and turns out to be the ideal space to project films in, too.
On the first night, a series of fascinating adventure cycling shorts from the Filmed By Bike Festival were screened to help build anticipation for the riders arriving from up and down the country, although viewing was by no means compulsory. It made for a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere, and having checked in and picked up an event patch (while taking in this year’s event tee) at the makeshift reception desk, many reunions, as well as first-time meetings, took place in and around the barn.
With discussions having turned into slightly nervous weather-based chat, campers hunkered down for the night with fingers crossed for clement conditions. On Saturday morning, there were rumours of a curious hooded figure performing what appeared to be a reverse rain dance in the moonlight, with some wondering whether the farmer had been employed to stage a folk ritual to stave off bad weather, although the general consensus was that James may have consumed a few too many that evening and taken it upon himself. Whether there was any truth to those whispers will remain a mystery, but all riders were relieved to be greeted by a clear, crisp morning, along with the ever-smiling faces of the brothers. The smell of coffee and pastries hung in the air around the barn as riders gathered and consumed the exceptional offerings of Canterbury’s own Gill’s Cafe. Even with a faulty coffee machine, the ever-effervescent Kristian Gill still managed to dish out the delicious goods with his usual charm and enthusiasm.
Fully fuelled, riders set off around 9 a.m. with the usual ripple of exuberant conversations and respectful well-wishes as waves of cyclists of all levels threw themselves into a day on the saddle. The excitement levels spiked very early on within the group I was riding with due to the spotting of several Roman snails dotted along the edges of the trail. “Who gets excited by snails?” I hear you asking. Well, you clearly haven’t seen one of these bad boys before. For one thing, they’re almost entirely white, and for another, they’re absolutely ENORMOUS. Three words for you: Garden of England.
As ever, the first section of the route feels like the hardest to recount now, although it involves plenty of climbing on the way to Kings Wood and includes some road, gravel, grass, and other portions of woodland. By the time we were descending into the more familiar town of Wye, I for one was getting hungry and was happy to be reminded of the imminent first pitstop. The Hub is a purpose-built spot for cyclists and walkers, with masses of bike stands, fresh water, plenty of outdoor seating, and a fine selection of hot and cold beverages and the usual lunchtime fare. With the chat flowing (“Did you see those massive snails?”) and bellies full, it was almost hard to leave. Plus, Will was rather gleefully telling everyone how big the immediate climb out was about to be. And indeed, it was.
It’s funny how doing the same thing in reverse can reveal so much anew. The ridge at Wye is one of the highest points of the ride and arguably offers the best views out over the Downs and the Stour Valley directly below. But having always approached it from the other direction, I’d never actually got the full, face-on perspective of the peak from top to bottom. As it turns out, the sweeping, grassy bank serves as the canvas for a huge chalk crown known as the Wye Crown. At over 100 years old, the carving is an impressive landmark, even if you can’t see it when you’re directly above it. However, one of the biggest surprises of the day came shortly after along a fairly overgrown section in Hurst Wood. As a handful of us made our way through at a trundling pace, fellow rider Tom, a regular participant of the London-based All Terrain Social Club, was stopped in his tracks. We’ve all had those sketchy moments of clipping a loose piece of branch, but this particular lump of wood managed to ping upwards, jamming itself between the frame and cassette. Or so we thought. As it turns out, the force had been so great that it bent his derailleur hanger by over 90 degrees! A total write-off, Tom sadly had to drop out but was saved a long walk by cleverly converting his bike to a single speed and hobbling to the train station at Wye.
The rest of us carried on, and after that bobbly section were treated to some flowy bits of road and gravel that led the way toward the idyllic country village of Bridge. However, just before getting there, the route took a sudden cutback south, adding an extra 25 kilometres or so through the always fun Covert Woods, with its winding trails and scooped bomb craters. Another treat lay in wait, too: a secret pit stop, consisting of Will with a bottle of dark rum in hand, ready to pour, along with bottles of caffeine fuel generously supplied by Jimmy’s Iced Coffee.
With cockles warmed, it was time to start the loop back to Canterbury. For many, the temptation to stop at the Goods Shed, with its Kentish ales and local produce, was too great. But it made the final stretch through Blean Woods (one of the largest areas of ancient woodland in the UK and home to an actual herd of bison!) and back into Faversham along the creek all the more enjoyable. Returning to Brother HQ with a huge sense of achievement, riders were welcomed back with a big old fire, the aroma of food in the air, a Brother Bike-Bits-Jumble-Sale, and a fully stocked bar with drinks supplied by neighbours Mad Cat Brewery and Brogdale Craft Cider—you can’t get fresher booze than that! Food was supplied by Margate’s own Tini’s Tacos, although nobody was complaining about the portion sizes (they’re actually named after the owner’s dog.) In a smokey haze of post-cycle bliss, the conversations and drinks flowed until the stars were well and truly in the sky.
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