Riding quad bikes for leisure and pleasure rather than for inspecting sheep or spreading slug pellets is fast growing in popularity. Peter Hill reports from a Derbyshire farm cashing in on the trend.

Imagine having 20 burly young lads on a stag weekend turn up to have a blast around your farm on a fleet of quad bikes.

It sounds like an unwelcome intrusion. But they would be welcomed with open arms on the 65ha (160-acre) cereals and grassland farm run by Richard and Jenny Else near Brailsford, Derbyshire.

“It’s a very controlled operation and we don’t stand for any wild behaviour,” says Mr Else. “If it’s a stag party, we won’t take them out the morning after the night before and if they book in for paintball, they ride the quads afterwards when they are tired out.”

Farming now takes a back seat in the quest for better overall returns from the leisure business.

“We still grow 40ha (100 acres) of cereals – my neighbour does all the field work on a contract basis – but the rest is down to grass and woodland,” says Richard Else. “It’s important that the place looks nice it’s more appealing to our visitors and they respect a tidy working farm.”

Giving visitors fun while ensuring their safety is the priority for Richard and his sons Jake, Jody and Jamie, all of whom take charge of groups limited to half a dozen riders.

They can choose between 10-mile and 15-mile trails with easy riding around field headlands to free-riding areas, then on to banks, woodland tracks, stream crossings and other more demanding sections.

“Riding a quad is brilliant fun, there’s no doubt about that,” says Richard Else. “But they have to be treated with respect and that is something we emphasise from the outset.”

After signing on and kitting up with helmet and camouflage overalls, riders go to the instruction area, where they must prove to be in control before venturing on to the trail.

“Our safety record has to be spot on for obvious reasons,” says Richard Else. “It’s one reason we prefer novices they don’t come with any bad habits and usually lack the bravado of experienced riders.”

The 250cc Polaris Trail Blazer auto sports quad serves up more than enough performance, its wide track is good for stability and the long-stroke suspension delivers a comfortable ride. Steering is light thanks to two-wheel drive.

“It’s also important to us that they are reliable and easy to look after with good parts back-up Polaris is second-to-none in that respect,” says Richard Else. “We’ve also become a Polaris dealer.”

Chain drive wear is the main maintenance issue thanks to frequent coatings of mud, but the quads do keep their colour despite being hosed down frequently to spruce them up for the next batch of eager riders.

“It’ll never be a big business because it’s mostly a weekend activity and it’s labour-intensive keeping to small groups for safety and control,” says Richard Else. “But it is growing we are getting more business from people on holiday in the area and we’ve had up to 50 through on a busy day some people enjoy it so much they’ll drive miles to visit again.”

Key requirements for a successful quad trail:

• Safety first – proper rider training, good quality clothing and controlled activity on the trail
• Fun factor – a good variety of terrain with easy riding leading to more challenging sections, including woodland and stream crossings
• Quad quality – autos easiest to ride, long suspension travel gives comfortable ride, two-wheel drive makes steering easier