The Adventure Bike Rider Festival 2022

What started as a small gathering of Adventure Bike Rider magazine readers in a field many years ago has grown into the spectacle that was the 2022 ABR Festival.

Having taken Ragley Hall as the festival home, the attendees, exhibitors and activities have continued to grow and the 2022 festival saw some 10,000 adventure bike fans flock to the 450-acre estate in the rural heart of Warwickshire.

If ever there was a venue perfect for this event, Ragley Hall is it. There aren’t many places where you can fit the sheer number of attendees and exhibitors, let alone allow them to camp, and on top of that build a 20km off-road riding trail!

For many, the Bridgestone AX41 Adventure trail is the highlight of the weekend. Once you’ve bought a trail pass you can ride it to your heart's content all weekend long. There is a beginner's loop for those taking to the dirt for the first time, as well as expert sections along the way for the more accomplished rider. We rode the trail at least twice a day we were there. Honestly, it's some of the most fun you can have with your bike!

The main trail has been designed to be big adventure bike friendly, and it’s a pretty relaxed route through the beautiful grounds too. The clay soil can spice things up a little if the rain does decide to visit though. That being said we saw a great mix of bikes on the trail, from big BMW GS's and KTM 1090's to a couple of old Triumphs from the 60s. The guy's on enduro bikes of course made things look easy.

When you’ve had enough of the trail there are tons of things away from the bike to keep you occupied. Pretty much every motorcycle manufacturer with a presence in the UK is at the festival offering both on and off-road test rides of their latest models, not only bikes either. Plan well and you can ride a wide variety of machines throughout the weekend.

If you want to peruse the latest riding gear, luggage, tech or security, whatever it might be m the list of exhibitors is enormous and wide-ranging. Refreshments are not a problem either and 2022 saw the biggest lineup of food and drink vendors ever. No dodgy burger vans here, the choice and quality were first class.

One of the festival highlights is definitely the numerous tents dotted around the site where you can sit and listen to experts pass on their knowledge, wisdom and inspirational stories.

Ted Simon author of the legendary motorcycle travel book ‘Jupiters Travels’ engaged the audience with some wonderful stories. Elspeth Beard also recounted events from her record-breaking journey around the world. The younger generation of travellers was well represented too by Henry Crew and Kane Avellano. Simon & Lisa Thomas, Sam Manicom, Spencer Conway, the list went on and on.

The YouTube phenomenon was well covered with Ryan F9 flying over from Canada to share his wisdom alongside a host of well-known UK content creators.

If you include the VIP option in your ticket purchase you have three and a half days to ride, chat, eat, listen and explore the ABR festival, and that might only just be long enough to fit everything in.

It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced biker or a new rider there is something for everyone, and if 2022 was anything to go by the 2023 Festival is going to be an unmissable date for your diary. Tickets for 2023 are available now so what are you waiting for?