Marra Bikes and Boards

26/07/2026

Evening,

Had a spare few minutes so thought I’d provide a bit of an update on what’s been going on with Marra this week including availability for servicing and repair.

We’ve had a really busy week with loads of services and repairs on various bikes, lots of equipment out and I’ve actually been able to get out to do a little bit of a Wast Water litter pick and picnic with my family – we found some bizarre items (see photo).

Amelia, one of our staff members has been bagging Wainwrights, taking full advantage of the recent amazing weather. Some say she’s even taken up running… we might even see her as a guide one day.

I’ve been servicing many a bike and bringing some back from the dead. I’ve had brake bleeds, wheel truing, hanger alignments, indexing etc… and, wax dipping chains which is relatively new technology that allows bike chains to operate with very low friction and gives that “new bike feel” once carried out. This is an alternative to oiling which really works – especially in our lake district climate.

In relation to service and repair availability, I only have a couple of slots left between now and the end of August, so please get in touch if you’d like to book in.

Nice one,

Ben

22/07/2026

Morning all,

How amazing is this weather!

So, some maybe aware of rumblings related to Marra Bikes and Boards and I’m very happy to say that we are now open from our workshop in Gosforth (next door to the old Gosforth shop / Village store).

Currently we are open for the following services:

Bike Service and Repair
Paddleboard Hire
Kayak Hire (Singles and Doubles)
Mountain Bike Hire. (all sizes available including tag-along trailer)

These services will be available all through the Summer from Tuesday - Sunday 10am until 3pm and you can book all our equipment at www.marrabikesandboards.com

Bike service and repair is getting rather busy. We do have a good few slots left, but give us a call on 07367 639 189 if you’d like to get booked in. Just a little bit about my experience - I’ve worked on bikes for years with particular merits being a checkpoint mechanic at the Fred Whitton Challenge (2,500 riders), worked on athletes / professional contracts and I’ve even serviced bikes for an ex-England international footballer.

After Summer I will then focus on adding a few services with guiding available for hiking, trail running and mountain biking. There’s a few other things going on too, but i’ll let you know as I get closer to them.

I’ve been in the workshop a lot recently and it’s such a cool place to work from. We always have some tunes on, TV is generally tuned into Red Bull TV or the Kendal Mountain Player showing videos from its festivals.

Anyway, I think that’s about it for now. If you nip into the workshop you’ll find myself, Amelia or Jessica who will happily help you out.

Cheers and Happy Summer

Ben

23/07/2024

Morning everyone.

Its an absolute stunner out there!

Just to let you know that we are fully open for the Summer and our booking system is live with all our availability.

This year we welcome back Ellen who has worked with us for a couple of years. Amy (my wife) will be working a few days too. Finally we have a "new" member of Staff, Sophie, who isn't really new as she works with me at Salt Fish and Chips in Seascale. She's also going to be helping with Marra mid-week.

Ebikes will be back on the site tomorrow as I'm picking them up today following a service with their manufacturer.

We are starting to get busy as you can imagine, but still lots of availability on various dates.

We've just had some leaflets / postcards printed. If anyone here would like any, please let me know and I will drop them off.

Here's to a good Summer season.

Ben, Amy, Ellen and Sophie.

19/03/2024

21/07/2023

Hello everyone,

The season is upon us!... although the temperature this morning was at the top end of what a fridge is designed for... brrr

Despite the less than favourable temperatures, we have all our kit ready for the season and we are good to go from our new workshop at Church Stile Farm in Nether Wasdale (super close to the Lake).

We have an abundance of paddleboards, single kayaks, double kayaks, mountain bikes, ebikes and wetsuits. All of which can be booked by hitting up www.marrabikesandboards .com

Thanks for reading and at this very moment in time, the sun is shining.

Thanks

Ben, Sophie, Rob and Ellen.

10/06/2023

Morning all.

Marra is now in full swing at Church Stile Farm and Holiday Park and we are loving it! We've been kept really busy despite it being early in the season and I think its thanks to our move and the fact that that large orange thing in the sky has mostly been uninterrupted 😄 - very grateful!

We have a couple of new staff members that are helping us out. There's Sophie who will be running Marra over the weekends. Sophie is a keen Mixed Martial Artist who competes and wins globally. We then have Rob who is a seasoned mountain leader who will help run Marra mid-week and will then be putting on an activities programme over the summer including hiking, trail / fell running and more! Welcome to them both - I feel very lucky to have their support and time.

Other than that please feel free to hire our kit or just come and see us for a chat.

Thanks for everyone's continued support.

Ben
www.marrabikesandboards.com

27/05/2023

Whoever ordered this sunshine, please keep it coming... well worth the wait.

Just a quick update to let you all know we are closed this weekend while we move our kit into our new home at Church Stile Farm. I know - crazy to close when the weather is so good, but I'm afraid we have no choice.

It is getting busy, so if you would like to book, you can do this using our live booking system at www.marrabikesandboards.com - locals and followers get 10% off by using code LOCAL10 at checkout

Really looking forward to working with the team at Church Stile Farm and here's to the beginnings of a good lake district summer.

Ben

11/05/2023

Good morning everyone.

The season is about to be upon us and there are a behemoth of changes going on at Marra.

Firstly, some may have heard that the Café (Yam Frae Yam Cafe) we are connected to is up for sale. This is the case and Marra is relocating due to this. So, we are moving much closer to the lake (Wast Water), operating from Church Stile Campsite (CA20 1ET). We’ve been given a farm building that is close to the site’s reception area. We will operate here from 27th May 2023. Thank you to Kirsten Tuson and Jules at Church Stile for working with me to get this set up. Massively appreciated!

The business has been owned by Josh, Laura, Ben & Amy. Josh and Laura have their sights on pastures-new and have kindly decided to sell us (Ben & Amy) their share of the business. This is quite sad as it was this team who founded Marra and turned it from a hobby into a proper business – I still pinch myself as I realise that my dream of running a Bike Shop is actually real! This wouldn’t have been the case if it wasn’t for Josh and Laura. Their perpetual kindness, confidence and friendship has helped me develop massively and led me to make decisions that I don’t think I would have without them. Thanks for everything, guys!

There are more updates, which I will post about in the near future.

Thanks for all the continued support and please join me in wishing Josh and Laura the very, very best for the future.

Ben