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Free Roaming New Forest Ponies - Visit the New Forest

Tandem Club Easter Rally 2027

Avon Tyrrell Outdoor Activity Centre,

Bransgore,

Christchurch,

BH23 8EE

4 nights from Thursday 25 March to Monday 29 March

Bookings Close on Monday 14 December

Map reference: 50.80157, -1.7383606
 
 
 
When the event is close and during the event, those attending will be able to use the button below to access all detailed and live event information including the event events, rides and places of interest.

 

Rally Site & Accommodation

Our base will be the Avon Tyrrell Outdoor Activity Centre and Campsite on the edge of the New Forest. We have reserved 36 electric & 22 non-electric pitches (8mx9m) which are suitable for all unit types; 5 tent only non-electric pet friendly pitches (8mx8m); plus a total of 12 twin rooms across 4 self-catering lodges with shared kitchen & bathroom facilities. A peaceful site, set in 65 acres and surrounded by lakes, it has several amenities blocks which are well equipped with a toilet block with hot showers, a baby-changing room and washing-up facilities. There's also a small on-site shop on hand for basic supplies.

Other facilities on site include wi-fi, table tennis, kid-sized bouldering walls and a play area. The nearest town, Bransgore, is a 15-minute cycle southward from the Centre and hosts a co-op, a garden centre tea room and three pubs. Heading north from the Centre, 20 minutes riding will take you to the village of Burley which also has pubs and cafes, plus a sweet shop.

If you'd like some time off from cycling, there are a range of outdoor activities available at the Centre, including high and low ropes, climbing and abseiling, archery and a zipwire. If you're interested, these must be booked in advance direct with the Centre and are subject to availability.

Notes:

  • Lodge bookings are per twin room for 1 or 2 people. Should you wish to share a room with someone booking separately, please agree which of you will book "Twin-room" and pay for the room and which will tick the "Twin-room-sharing" Accommodation type.
  • Each lodge has 3 twin rooms, of which two have bunk beds and one has regular twin beds. If you need one of the regular twin bed rooms, please add a note on the booking form and we'll endeavour to accommodate you, subject to availability.
  • If you wish to bring a dog, you can book one of the tent only non-electric pitches, but please note this is strictly tents only (no roof or trailer tents). Dogs are not allowed in the other reserved pitches or lodges.
  • A cable measuring at least 3 metres is needed for the electric hook-ups.
  • Swimming in the lake is not allowed.

Entertainment

We have booked the on-site marquee for the duration of our rally, where we will have a tea/coffee area with a very small camping fridge for the TC milk. We will hold a number of events in the marquee, including:

  • Our usual welcome evening on the Thursday evening to give you any last-minute information about the event and site, and to give you a chance to ask any questions you may have and meet friends old and new.
  • On the Friday evening, we will be having a Ceilidh (aka barn dance) hosted by Murphy's Lore, a Bournemouth/Dorset based 'Celtic' band, performing a mix of traditional Irish, English and Scots music.
  • Late afternoon on Saturday the marquee will be set up for the Tandem Club's Annual General Meeting, please come along to support your committee who are all amazing volunteers enhancing our enjoyment of tandem riding.
  • Saturday evening will see us entertained and informed with a talk on the local wildlife by Marcus Ward, Director of Wild New Forest Guided Tours. Titled "New Forest - A Wildlife Year", we're hoping he'll include a few local, seasonal bird calls to help us in identifying any birds we hear while we're at the rally.
  • We'll also have some kind of activity on the Sunday night, but that's a watch this space.

Rides

We intend to offer a choice of rides for each cycling day - Fri, Sat & Sun. These will be in the form of GPX routes which will be available to download to your devices before the event. Alongside summaries of the routes with details of points of interest, we will also provide marked up OS maps in the marquee and some highlighter pens so you can mark up your own maps, or take photos should you wish to do so. We also hope to provide a led ride each day, most likely the medium on the Friday and Sunday, with a short led ride on the Saturday. Watch this space for details of which OS maps cover which routes.

Bookings

Bookings are subject to availability and will close on Monday 14 December. Please use the "Booking form" button below to book your place. All bookings are for the full 4 nights. Prompt payment by credit/debit card will be very much appreciated. If you wish to book extra nights, please book the additional nights direct with the Centre, advising that you're with the Tandem Club and that you are booking the rally nights through us. Wherever possible, we will work with the site management to arrange for you to have the same pitch to avoid having to move. Please add a note in the "Notes and special needs" section of the booking form.

General

What to expect on a ride

For those that have not yet attended a Tandem Club rally, we do not go out as a large group. Instead we tend to set off in small groups, so that we do not swamp the local roads.  Each rally attendee is expected to have downloaded the GPX track files to their device or bring along the necessary os maps to mark up from a display version at the event. The routes will be available to those who have booked about a month before the start of the rally.

Surfaces and dangers

The majority of riding will be on tarmac roads, but some may be on tracks. Major roads will be avoided where possible, but there will be traffic on the roads. A real effort is made to use quiet roads.

Tea/Coffee Stops

These are noted in the route information but we cannot guarantee they will be open or have places available.

Organisers

The organisers are Tandem Club volunteers. They will do their best, but they are volunteers helping give club members a great event, not holiday tour organisers!

Tandem Club membership

All participants must be members of the Tandem Club. If you have a login for the website then your membership number will appear automatically in the booking form.

Booking Fee

The booking fee covers an awful lot of things from things like a marquee, a welcome drink and evening events, as well as providing coverage for those unexpected costs.
For anyone under the age of 19 at the time of the event a booking fee does not apply.

Closing Date

The closing date for this event is Monday 14 December.

Cancellations

Please check the terms at the bottom of this page. Cancellations must be made by email to the organiser.

Booking

You need to be members of the Tandem Club or certain overseas organisations to book. See the Terms and Conditions below.

Please use the button below to book for this event. Preferred payment for UK residents is by on-line credit/debit card payment but the form will present you with other options. You will need a Tandem Club website login account. TC members already should have these. If a non member you can request a new account using the User/New Account function from the top menu.

Need further information?

Map

Google Map

Event Information

Attendees Event information

Terms and Conditions.
Booking confirmation:
Your booking is not confirmed until payment has been received in full and cleared which should be before the closing date for bookings. Dishonoured cheques will result in the cancellation of your booking.
Members Only:
This event is open to UK or overseas Tandem Club Members or, in the case of overseas people, members of the following organisations: "Tandem Club of America", "Tandem Club de France", "Tandem Club NL (Netherlands)", "Tandem Club Vlaanderen (Belgium)" and "Tandem-fahren.de (Germany)". You can join the Tandem Club using the forms on the TC website. Joining the TC (About 15 UKP per year).

Disclaimer:
If you participate in any ride or event organised by the Tandem Club you do so entirely at your own risk. The Club, its officers and ride organisers accept no responsibility for loss, damage to property, accident, injury or death, that may occur, however caused, whether by negligence, deliberate act or otherwise.

Cancellations and refunds.
The rally fee will not be refunded after the closing date. Refund of other components will depend on what the Club can recover from the campsite and/or other suppliers. Members may wish to consider taking out Holiday Insurance to cover losses the Club cannot refund.

Photographs taken at the event may be published on the Tandem Club Website, The Tandem Club Facebook pages and The Tandem Club Journal.