Cheap mountain bike for beginner?

[OzzyR1]

Not ridden a bike since my uni days, now early 40's and think an occasional bit of riding in the evening (if time allows) and at the weekend might be a good way to get a bit of fresh air and exercise.

Looking for a starter bike that doesn't need to be anything special but at the same time not a total piece of junk. I will probably only use it at the moment for 4-5 hours a week, mostly on roads/paths but I also live near a large forest with plenty of bridal ways/trails etc that I would like to explore from time to time - hence the mountain bike option rather than a road bike.

Will all be fairly gentle riding and with that in mind I saw the Carrera Vengeance at £270ish from Halfords which seemed to fit the bill:

http://www.halfords.com/cycling/bikes/mountain-bik...

Would this be OK for what I need or are there better options in the c. £300 price range?

Any advice appreciated.

[MOBB]

Budget creep but I recently bought a Calibre two two and it's a great spec for the money, I'm very happy with it

https://www.bikeradar.com/road/gear/category/bikes...

Currently £379

[OzzyR1]

Thanks, had not seen that before, will have a look.

[lllnorrislll]

Did someone say budget creep -

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/rockrider-540-mountain...