Lourensford - Did I miss something?

[Quagga]

32 minutes ago, madmarc said:

I'm reading this wondering who in their right mind would even consider paying 250 ronds for a day or half day pass to ride on some farm that makes wine. 

Words fail me 🤦‍♂️

1. They did not know it was a "half day pass"

2. "That farm that makes wine" has some of the MOST famous trails. 

 

Words fail me when someone makes a degrading comment when they dont know what the route is famous for, or read properly what he OP complained about.

 

[andreas17777]

As a member I think Lourensford has wonderful trails but I tend to agree they are difficult to direct as it's taken me 3 months to learn the farm. The massive storm destroyed a lot of the markers which they seem to be fixing each week.

 

Trailforks has a good indication of the trail network Trailforks but I would suggest trying to join a member to get the best flow of trails. Anyone can message me if they would want to ride, I don't mind to showcase the great trails.

[madmarc]

5 minutes ago, Quagga said:

1. They did not know it was a "half day pass"

2. "That farm that makes wine" has some of the MOST famous trails. 

 

Words fail me when someone makes a degrading comment when they dont know what the route is famous for, or read properly what he OP complained about.

 

Oh shame did i come across to harshly, my apologies, I sometimes forget how easy people are offended now days

 

[Bub Marley]

Seems like the topic of Lourensford comes up every time. People complain about pricing but then take it back when they actually ride the trails.

 

I’ve only been there once and that was for an event. It was pricey as hell but i loved every minute of it.

 

Honestly, that whole area is massive so I would definitely take someone with me who has experience of the trails. It’s an expensive day out if you dont know where you’re going. Or alternatively just enter the event next year.

[Da Vinci]

30 minutes ago, andreas17777 said:

As a member I think Lourensford has wonderful trails but I tend to agree they are difficult to direct as it's taken me 3 months to learn the farm. The massive storm destroyed a lot of the markers which they seem to be fixing each week.

 

Trailforks has a good indication of the trail network Trailforks but I would suggest trying to join a member to get the best flow of trails. Anyone can message me if they would want to ride, I don't mind to showcase the great trails.

So engage us warn us and maybe give some hints and tips on the best way to navigate. Sorry but the lady manning the desk was less than approachable. Pretty much one syllable engagement. 
The 30 odd kms we rode were lovely. But the whole ride felt disjointed with no flow. The map of theirs on line was little to no help. And I poured over it before we rode - it was the same at the one at the trail head.

We were told at the end that “all” the trail heads had been repaired…( Um no.. )and no trails were closed.

i actually ended up subscribing to Trailforks at the highest point on the trail just to figure out the way down. At the end when we mentioned TF they were like “Oh we are not a part of them” My friend replied - that’s not exactly how it works… 

She kept dropping the Epic and W2W names - and I just said - for a beginner or newbie to trails (and I am not but I was one 14 years ago) the info is dismal and disappointing and not logical to follow. With the exception of one bit of jeep track the trails we rode would not have been considered super technical.

And do not harp on the Newbie “ name” we were all competent riders expecting 50 ish kms with about 1000m of climbing.

i would love to ride it again and take picks at every split that we weren’t sure what way to go - if only to assist them in the mistaken belief that no one ever gets lost. Only I’m not ready to spend R250 for the permit again 🤣

14 minutes ago, Bub Marley said:

Seems like the topic of Lourensford comes up every time. People complain about pricing but then take it back when they actually ride the trails.

 

I’ve only been there once and that was for an event. It was pricey as hell but i loved every minute of it.

 

Honestly, that whole area is massive so I would definitely take someone with me who has experience of the trails. It’s an expensive day out if you dont know where you’re going. Or alternatively just enter the event next year.

The beauty of an event is that the route is clearly marked and often links trails via normally unused/ off limit paths or roads. Or going the wrong way down a trail.  Stuff you cannot ride every day
We rode with a friend who had done the event and was keen to show off the route and using his garmins GPX files to navigate. KNOWING it was not going to be an exact science. Hence the study of the map and watching out for markers for guidance.

i don’t personally like events - I like to explore trails with like minded friends, varying abilities and will pay for that. Some times just to stop and take in the views, catch a breather. But, having ridden almost all the wider CPT trail networks at one time or another  in the last 14 years, this was disappointing. And from a cost perspective not value for money. Simple

 

[Headshot]

2 hours ago, Quagga said:

1. They did not know it was a "half day pass"

2. "That farm that makes wine" has some of the MOST famous trails. 

 

Words fail me when someone makes a degrading comment when they dont know what the route is famous for, or read properly what he OP complained about.

 

Clearly words didn't fail you because here you are 🙂 

[Two-Stroke]

Private land & private trails. It's their prerogative to charge whatever they want for access if people are willing to pay for it.  As with most things, value is relative.  At R250 you should be getting access to exceptional trails, facilities and service, relative to the avg day pass on most other trails which range between R50 - R100 without any curfews.

Riders who pay Lourensford's asking price and feel they're getting the commensurate value for money are entitled to be happy.

Riders who give it a try but then feel that Lourensford is charging exorbitant riding fees for disproportionate value are equally entitled for feel aggrieved, especially when receiving stroppy attitude from the staff.

Sometimes people want to splash out and drop some cash on trying something premium.  You only really find out afterwards whether you received value for money.

Personally I'd expect a "mind blown, best trails in the country, which I could ride all day long" kind of experience if I just spent R250 on a day permit.  By all indications, Lourensford doesn't offer anything mind blowing, so my cash will gladly rather be spent on places like Jonkers, Banhoek, Welvanpas, Oak Valley etc which are all exceptionally well sign-posted and won't reprimand you for missing a curfew.

 

[ChrisF]

3 hours ago, madmarc said:

I'm reading this wondering who in their right mind would even consider paying 250 ronds for a day or half day pass to ride on some farm that makes wine. 

Words fail me 🤦‍♂️

 

In (some sort of) fairness ... this farm did get good reviews after a recent expensive MTB event ....

 

Might have been tempting to try out the routes for a third of the price ...... given the good feedback after the race.

 

THANKS to @Da Vinci for letting us know what to expect ..... or rather, why to spend our time at more rider friendly venues.

Edited May 20 by ChrisF

[ChrisF]

2 hours ago, andreas17777 said:

As a member I think Lourensford has wonderful trails but I tend to agree they are difficult to direct as it's taken me 3 months to learn the farm. The massive storm destroyed a lot of the markers which they seem to be fixing each week.

 

Trailforks has a good indication of the trail network Trailforks but I would suggest trying to join a member to get the best flow of trails. Anyone can message me if they would want to ride, I don't mind to showcase the great trails.

 

Sadly this, i.e. poor and poorly maintained trail signage, is a thing at so many trails !!

 

As a Tygerberg regular we often help lost riders to find the next route marker - and Tygerberg has been working on their trail markers.

 

 

My one and only excursion at Jonkershoek was nothing short of a nightmare due to non-existent signage ..... Sure it is easy enough once you have ridden it with others, but no good for a first solo ride.

 

G-Spot took a bit of time to figure out ... mostly because I could spot other riders in the distance and had a vague idea which direction to aim for.

 

These are just two examples.  Fact is MOST trails needs to be ridden with others that know the area.

 

 

The one clear exception being Hemel and Aarde trails.  From our first ride it has always been so easy to follow the route.  And the route maps at various points along the route.  Perfect example of how it CAN be done. 

[JayLow]

I have ridden Lourensford as a guest of a member and also as part of W2W. I agree that the R250 is not commensurate with what you can get for a quarter of the price in Banhoek, Botmas, GSpot, Jonkershoek, Bottelary, Plaisir, Boschendal etc. Lourensford has nice trails, but R250 for a (half)day is wild. 

[Skubarra]

50 minutes ago, ChrisF said:

 

In (some sort of) fairness ... this farm did get good reviews after a recent expensive MTB event ....

 

Might have been tempting to try out the routes for a third of the price ...... given the good feedback after the race.

 

Kind of what happened here, and we are used to the day setup of other trails where you buy your permit online or pay via snapscan and you are off for the day riding until sunset or however long you like but Lourensford is very different.

Very much a nanny system where you sign in at the desk, sign an extra indemnity form, are not allowed to ride on your own, get a tracker and off you go for a short ride and will get scolded like a child if you are not back 30min before lunchtime. (If only they could back that up with half decent route markings). Even the members still have to go through the same sign-up schlep and rules.

Clearly they are working on a different business model here, low volume high-end riders, happy to do a short ride and then spend more money to do coffee/beer at the restaurants. Preferably no day visitors (I think the R250 fee is really a not-so-subtle hint of either buy an annual membership or preferably avoid our venue please). In fairness part of this likely to be dictated by farm management, its Christo Wiese's posh venue after all.  

[nonky]

On 5/20/2024 at 8:22 AM, leon_pro said:

Also try The GOAT, by Devonbosch Estate, at the end of Bottelary Road towards Stellenboch. 
New Park style trail opened up.

Thanks very much - will do

[Rouxenator]

On 5/20/2024 at 8:22 AM, leon_pro said:

Also try The GOAT, by Devonbosch Estate, at the end of Bottelary Road towards Stellenboch. 
New Park style trail opened up.

If you ever find it open, I was there today for the 3rd time. "Sorry, trail closed due to rain". I was like "when did it rain?" and the guy laughed "I think last week".

More like the no-go-at.