About Ardent Off Road Adventures Training & Events

A HEADY MIX OF PASSION AND EXPERTISE

At Ardent Off Road our team live, eat and breathe 4x4s - we probably would have named our children Rover or Jeepy if we could…

So, whether you join us on an adventure, train with us or want to experience off-road driving for the first time, you’ll get access to a team of friendly, self-confessed 4x4 geeks with more knowledge of 4x4s and exciting driving routes than Google can shake a stick at. We’re also like a bunch of kids in a sweet shop when it comes to off-road, so if you want to know the latest developments in the world of 4x4s or you need some advice on the latest piece of kit, we’ll be able to point you in the right direction.

It goes without saying that keeping our clients and their vehicles safe is our top priority - we’re fully equipped, trained and insured - but it does have to be said that FUN is a very important part of what we do.

For our team, this isn’t a job: we don’t clock off at 5pm and breathe a sigh of relief that another day is over. We LOVE what we do and we bring this passion and sense of fun and wonder to each and every day - whether it’s taking you on the holiday of a lifetime or giving you some awesome 4x4 skills in an engaging and relaxed way. So, that’s Ardent Off Road in a nutshell, but if you want to know more about our journey from Yorkshire 4x4 Specialists to Ardent Off Road and beyond,

then read on...

WHY CHOOSE ARDENT

OUR TEAM
Our professionally trained expert instructors and guides eat, sleep and breathe 4x4s! We provide unparalleled training to professionals and private 4x4 owners. And when it comes to adventures, the team have an encyclopaedic knowledge of the best routes in the UK, Europe and Africa, coupled with a thirst for scouting out the best new destinations and routes.

OUR FACILITIES
Our challenging, purpose-built 4x4 off road woodland course in Yorkshire is an amazing teaching and experience facility with the stunning backdrop of Grade I listed Carlton Towers. We have a large vehicle fleet that includes Land Rovers, Jeeps, Fords and Suzukis and we’re the ONLY adventure 4x4 company to offer vehicle hire. All our vehicles are modern and fully-equipped, so we can take you to the wilds of Africa and keep you safe!

OUR REPUTATION
We are Land Rover Monthly magazine’s preferred tour operator and 80% of our clients rebook their holiday with us because we offer amazing experiences under expert guidance. We love to have fun, but keeping our clients and their vehicles safe is of the utmost importance, which means we’re fully equipped, insured and certified. We are also trusted by many professional organisations when it comes to their 4x4 training needs, including Mountain Rescue England & Wales.

WHAT OUR CLIENTS SAY

"I have been on several Ardent Off Road trips - you can be certain when out with any of the Ardent team, that you are in the safe hands of experts.

Not only have I been on trips but I've also had training with them. The benefit of this training was realised on the lanes of North Wales, when there wasn't one moment that I didn't feel in total control of my Wrangler."

Paul

OUR TRAINING AND
EXPERIENCE OFF ROAD CENTRE

Our bespoke off road course is based in the woodlands of Carlton Towers, a stately home in Yorkshire. The course uses natural terrain and manmade obstacles to provide all the features required for an exciting and educational off road track. We constantly review and develop our track to ensure it remains, fun, exciting and relevant.

We have different landscapes and ground conditions around the course; some areas get very muddy and boggy, whilst others remain dry and user-friendly all year round. In what we call our ‘Bog Wood’ area, we have miles of woodland tracks with obstacles for drivers of all abilities to tackle and enjoy, under the careful supervision of our BORDA and RoSPA trained instructors.

In addition, for our professional driver training, we have a dedicated training ground which incorporates all aspects of off road driving, including side slopes, hill climbs and descents, and water crossings.

MORE ABOUT OUR JOURNEY

IN THE BEGINNING

Ardent Off Road was originally founded as Yorkshire 4x4 Specialists in 2011 by Russ Dykes. Russ had worked around Land Rovers all his life, having been the dealer principle for several Land Rover dealerships before starting his own 4x4 specialist garage.

The following year, Russ and his daughter Libby, who was working in a 9-5 job at the time, yearned for a more adventurous life. They decided to set up a 4x4 adventure tour business together, so Libby quit her job and Yorkshire 4x4 Treks was born.

Yorkshire 4x4 Treks started by taking clients on trips around Yorkshire’s green lanes before expanding its adventure offerings to club weekends, other trips in the UK, and then to more exotic locations across Europe and North Africa, with camping, hotel and luxury accommodation options to suit all tastes and budgets.

REBRANDING AND EXPANSION

As the international adventures started to become a much bigger focus and the business expanded to include professional training, driving experiences, and the hosting of launch events for vehicle manufacturers, it was obvious that the name Yorkshire 4x4 Treks no longer reflected what the business had become.

So in 2017, Russ and Libby joined forces with two superfan clients, Andrew Robinson and Jon Morris Smith, and Ardent Off Road was born.

Since joining Ardent Off Road, Andrew and Jon have invested money, time and enthusiasm into the business, helping Ardent realise the big dream. Thanks to Andrew and Jon, and the ever-accommodating owners of Carlton Towers in Yorkshire, in 2018, Ardent Off Road was able to create a bespoke off road 4x4 course and training centre set in 40 acres of woods and parkland. Ardent now also have four vehicles in their fleet, making them the only 4x4 adventure company to offer vehicle hire for their training, weekends and overseas trips.

In 2018, Ardent Off Road started to offer bespoke adventure options alongside scheduled adventure tours and also became Land Rover Monthly’s preferred tour operator. On the training side of the business, Ardent Off Road became the training provider for Mountain Rescue England and Wales and added personal 4x4 training courses to its portfolio, giving 4x4 owners the chance to increase their driving confidence and get the most out of their 4x4.

In mid 2019, Russ decided to move on to new ventures and is greatly missed. However, the Ardent team continues to grow as the business expands and we have welcomed on board Hattie Merchant-Turpin, our ace administrator who keeps the wheels of the business turning. Neil Spencer has also joined the team and we are pleased to welcome back Tony Kipling who worked with Yorkshire 4x4 Treks. Tony and Neil are both highly skilled instructors and tour guides and are a great asset to Ardent!

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

At Ardent Off Road, we’re always very excited about what’s round the corner. We are continuing to develop our training, experience and corporate facility at Carlton Towers to keep it exciting and relevant for both professional and private clients. Alongside this we continue to add new and exciting adventure destinations to our portfolio of tours, the latest being Tunisia.

Also new for 2019 is our partnership with GPS Globe navigation devices - Ardent Off Road have become the official UK distributor for this fantastic brand, so watch out for more information on our website and show stands!