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I think it might be Guisborough...
Any other suggestions?
As near the border to Scotland.
HTH
Biscuits anyone?
Not my house... got to stay in on Sunday due to 'Mothers Day' 😈
At the top of a gurt big hill 😀
As near the border to Scotland.
Well I'm moving to Cumbria - which fits that description - but I don't reckon I'll need to cross the border all that much to ride.
😉
FFS someone is going to say Sheffield. Nooooooo
Ross on Wye - Herefordshire. Local hills with Welsh mountains on the doorstep and the Forest of Dean within 20mins ride - brilliant
East of Manchester. On a Boardman.
Near a decent LBS
------------------------------
To be honest, I've ridden a lot of varied places in the UK and I wouldn't say any place is 'better' than another, just different.
Just because the hills are taller it doesn't follow that the riding is any better!
East Midlands airport - cheapest flights to the Alps
my house
maybe not the best,but where i live (devizes wilts) there is some great mountain biking (the ridgeway,wandsdyke,salisbury plain,marlbrough downs).feel lucky to live here 😀
Longtown.
peaslake
Ross on Wye - Herefordshire. Local hills with Welsh mountains on the doorstep and the Forest of Dean within 20mins ride - brilliant
Will you please take me around the forest of dean next time I stay at my sisters in ross-on-wye (Peterstow). I went on my own and asked in the bike hire/repair shop in the carpark for a bit of a guide to the best bits only to be given a map of the boring fire trail. I searched for cheaky routes but found nothing. It made the transpennine trail look hard core to the max. I can only assume I completely missed all the good stuff. 😆
Nothing beats not having to drive anywhere to ride. I miss being away from Calderdale in term time for this reason.
Sheffield all the way. No where else I've been in the uk has the range and quality of trails so near to the centre.
fuel is 140p/l Cumbria wins
smack bang in the middle of the south lakes!
can be on top of garburn or in the middle of grizedale within a half hour ride from my house, cant beat it.
Me me me, please pick me, I know I know, is it up north because thats where all the proper trails are 🙂
Just outside Ilkeston 😀
For a former industrial town we are surrounded by bridleways - can link them up via quiet roads to create 40-50 mile routes if you want, or a quick 10 mile blast of an evening.
45 minutes from the White Peak if you drive, just over an hour from the Dark.
Less than an hour to Sherwood Pines or Cannock, two hours to trail centres in Wales or Dalby
And the landlord of the village pub doesn't mind muddy bikers, and lets you hose your bike down (and muddy boots) in the pub courtyard.
Can put together 30-40 mile rides on towpaths/sustrans routes when the trails get too sloppy.
And the road riding isn't too shabby - half an hour at a brisk pace to the Derbyshire Dales, an hour to Matlock
Moving to Kendal in May/June! but I am going to miss Cannock Chase for those midweek rides.
Hope the Kendal locals are nice to me!
Rich
Not Epsom.
Ullswater maybe? Decent pubs, decent tea shops and epic riding abounds.
Nobody's suggested Todmorden yet then ?
Ay up Rich you'll soon forget cannock chase, nothing more sweet than a midweek ride up kentmere and a pint in the eagle on the way home, all on your new doorstep.
It all depends on if you need to work and/or what you do for a living.
If I were a man of private means, and able to spend all my days riding etc. then I think that the lakes would be hard to beat.
Travel to the Borders and other 'good' bits of the country is reasonably easy, plus it's just gorgeous.
If I had to work (as I do) and in IT (sigh), then one of the Northern Cities (I used to live in Leeds) are pretty to hard to beat.
As it is, I'm pretty happy where I am (Reigate, Surrey) is pretty good, easy to get about, good trails (for the SE) and generally ok.
Isle of sheppey
I'm always envious of all the people on here that post pictures from the awesome rides they've had from their doorstep.
I'd have to say, that living near Cannock would probably be good, as obviously there is cannock, but it is pretty close to the peaks, and quite central for getting around to other places 😛
I live in Nottingham, doesn't seem to be any particularly good riding within riding distance. Finally gong to Sherwood later this week though!
igm -
East Midlands airport - cheapest flights to the Alps
😆 my thoughts exactly
Postierich, I'd go for Kendal as well; great place and more MTB/road on your doorstep than you know what to do with!
the south west or shrophire/welsh border
plenty of good work i the lakes 🙂 Gives you a good tan too!
Hope/Castleton.
Cheltenham - excellent variety of rides straight from my house into the Cotswolds - and it's downhill all the way home! If I want to create a larger carbon footprint then the Forest of Dean, Cannock, a lot of Wales and even the Quantocks are plenty close enough for a day trip.
South Manchester:
Rivington 40 minutes away,
Peak District 30 minutes away,
The Lakes 1-2 hours away
North Wales 1-2 hours way,
Calderdale 1 hour away.
Yorkshire Dales 1.5 hours away.
Wales
Not a bad area if you want to travel to a nice variety but clearly living in the Lakes would be the best for proper MTB [ or as close as you get] in England
Devon. Dartmoor, Exmoor and the Quantocks within very easy reach. Plus numerous other places to ride.
Nothing beats not having to drive anywhere to ride. I miss being away from Calderdale in term time for this reason.
I calculated last week that I've ridden outside of Calderdale twice in the last 6 months, always from my house, and I'm not even close to being bored of it.
Anywhere with good riding on your doorstep. I resent driving to ride, time spent driving is time you could have spent on the bike. Not that I don't ever, but being about to ride good stuff from your front door is priceless.
Wot Bunnyhop said.
+ Cheshire country lanes for road riding
Ross on Wye - Herefordshire. Local hills with Welsh mountains on the doorstep and the Forest of Dean within 20mins ride - brilliantWill you please take me around the forest of dean next time I stay at my sisters in ross-on-wye (Peterstow). I went on my own and asked in the bike hire/repair shop in the carpark for a bit of a guide to the best bits only to be given a map of the boring fire trail. I searched for cheaky routes but found nothing. It made the transpennine trail look hard core to the max. I can only assume I completely missed all the good stuff.
No problem but there's lots of really good riding around Ross too. If you send me contact I could take you on local trails - we normally ride very early on weekends (6-7am)
Rossendale
Rivington 20 minutes away,
Peak District 60 minutes away,
The Lakes 1 hours away
North Wales 2 hours way,
Calderdale 15 mins hour away.
East Lancs moors: door step
Lee and Crag: back door
Yorkshire Dales 1 hours away.
I hate where I live for riding, and yet I love it at the same time.
There's naff all riding out of the door, but there's so many good places within short distance from Manchester, and good easy links to get there.
Anywhere West Midlands seems good to me - Wyre Forest/Ribbesford, Bringewood, Hopton, Long Mynd etc, then not exactly a long drive over to Wales. East Midlands/Anglia is probably one of the worst!
In the words of Feeder
"Buy a house in Devon, Devon, Devon. Drink cider from a lemon????????"
I live in Wigan and feel spoilt rotten with choices, N Wales 45 mins, lakes an hour, peaks and hour, rivvy 20 mins, Lee/Cragg Quarry half hour and loads of other routes within an hours drive. Quite often dash up M6 for two hours and then into the 7 Stanes places like Mabie, Ae etc..
No problem but there's lots of really good riding around Ross too. If you send me contact I could take you on local trails - we normally ride very early on weekends (6-7am)
I might be down in a fortnight or so! Id really appreciate a tour. I cant see your email address but mines Adam_Marsland at hotmail dot com 8)
Isle of sheppey
😆
+1 though.
Wigan.
Apart from Pies and the rain, it is pretty good for getting to some lovely MTB locations.
Wales 1 hour, better bits of Wales 2 hours, Lakes 1.5 hours, Peaks 1 hour, Rivington 20 minutes.
Close to Liverpool airport for Sleezyjet flights to Geneva too.
Lucky to live near North Downs in winter/autumn and South Down spring/summer.
Having never lived anywhere else (as a rider) I can't compare anywhere else, but TBH I'm still not disappointed with the riding around the Guildford area after a good 10+ years of riding it. Miles and miles of trails within easy reach of my house - I think that's the key, as long as you don't [u]have[/u] to drive to ride (Sometimes I choose to)
No matter what Loddrik says......
Lickey End and not just for the comedy name and looks you get when you tell people
Being able to ride from your doorstep onto any type of trail that makes you grin = win.
After spending last weekend in Dumfries and riding around there, I can safely say that I'd have rather give up the 3 hour each way drive and have another 6 hours riding on my local trails...
Calderdale. The End.
I am holed up in the South Lakes too - it's rather good really, although I still miss Scotland and the enlightened access legislation 🙁 The riding out of Ulverston itself isn't brilliant, there are still a couple of local bws that I haven't had a try at yet... but if you drive for 10 - 30 minutes that brings most of the Lakes classics in range.
For riding I would probably have been better off somewhere around Kendal, but I quite like the quality of life in Ulverston (some good pubs and not the hoards of tourists!)
Oh - and being close to the Duddon Valley is rather nice 🙂
Stroud area always looks like its got loads of local potential & less than an hours drive in most directions gets you Quantocks, South Wales, Mid Wales, Salsbury plain etc
Dorking surrey for the best in the south (if you need London access for work for eg)
Hadleigh.
I spent 4 years in Sheffield, it's not great.
You could probably cover all the legal trails in the Dark Peak in one loop given sufficient fitness, and they're overated, most of the decents are about as much fun/technical as riding down the stairs from our flat to the car park.
Wokingham isn't bad actualy,
Chilterns for a 'natural' day out on bridleways,
Swinley for when everywhere else is mashed,
Tunnel Hill, Cesars Camp, Porrisge Pots for night rides.
Surrey hills close enough for a day out.
M4 to South Wales
Wages are higher (so more bling for bikes)
But I'd still prefer to be in the Lakes.
Maybe this should be what is the worst area as there seems to be lots of good places.
I love living in the North West, been here for nearly three years now after living in the South East (Surrey) for 4 years and being from the North East. The North West (IMO) has the most variety of riding and yet you still have the big city lights of Manchester (20 mins from me) If you want it.
Having North Wales/Peaks/Lakes/Dales all within 1:30 mins is awesome, what more could you want? 🙂
South Manchester:
Rivington 40 minutes away,
Peak District 30 minutes away,
The Lakes 1-2 hours away
North Wales 1-2 hours way,
Calderdale 1 hour away.
Yorkshire Dales 1.5 hours away.
Sounds shit, why not just live at one of those places listed and be 0 hours drive away.
I would say you'd be pushed to live anywhere better than the Lakes!
North Bolton myself which has good trails and is 1 hour driving to peak dist, lakes
Not the New Forest. No topology here. Purbecks is close but a little too far to ride to and from to start a ride. I hate driving to ride unless it's for a few days away.
Calderdale, home of STW. It's Britain's best MTBing area by a long shot. Cheap beer too.
Can't say about anywhere else but if I didn't care about increasing my commute a significant amount but still needed to work London-ish, I'd move to Dorking.
Not Lincoln, which is why I'm driving up to Guisborough tomorrow for a weekends worth of riding out on't moors 😀