About Us
Fells & Forest is owned and run by Colin Reilly. Due to his abysmal footballing skills, Colin discovered climbing at the tender age of ten, feeling much more at home on the crags of his native Coniston than the football pitch of the village school.
Cycling, once his only form of independent transport, soon became a passion that developed into mountain biking (once it had been invented). Colin has been instructing in the outdoors for over thirty years, working with outdoor centres, youth groups, national Centres and independent providers.
Colin has climbed and biked extensively in the UK and also in Europe, with mountaineering and mountain bike excursions in North and South America, New Zealand, the Himalayas and Greenland.
He is a qualified mountaineering instructor (WMCI) and member of AMI, and a British Cycling mountain bike Tutor and coach
He is married with five, grown up children, is the Pastor of his local church, and grows the finest potatoes in the North of Britain.
About Us
Joe Reilly is our second instructor at Fells & Forest. From BMX tracks around the family home to road racing across Europe, cycling has always been a part of Joe's life from an early age.
Having climbed across the U.K and France, Joe decided that ropes, abseiling and exposure was certainly not his forte and has plied his trade as a cyclist. What started as a passion; turned into a career of road racing, resulting in riding for many of the U.K's top teams, including a stint living and racing in France.
For many racing cyclists, crossing the line first with your hands in the air is the pinnacle sensation of the sport. Not in Joe's case. The satisfaction derived from planning, riding and leading a group on a scenic route far exceeds any feelings of post-race champagne. Be it Road, Gravel or Moutain Bike.
Whilst he grows no vegetables of his own, in the summer, Joe will consume more potatoes than anyone else in Northern Britain.