[Closed] MBR's best places to live

Got it at home. Can do it later....

Off the top of my head (not in any order)

Brighton/Hove
Bristol
Sheffield
Edinburgh

......are in there. Not read it yet, just flicked through the mag a couple of times....

Its MBR so.......

Brizzle followed by Surrey

Kent

10 - Exeter
9 - Manchester
8 - London
7 - Cardiff
6 - Brighton/Hove
5 - Leeds
4 - Glasgow
3 - Sheffield
2 - Edinburgh
1 - Bristol

I live in Bristol and love the place, but always fail to see how it can beat Keswick (etc) as the best place to live in the UK as a mountain biker.

How is Bristol No.1?

😕

You know full well that it's Embra. Reasons include-

Inners

[img] [/img]

TBC

[img] [/img]

Pentlands

[img] [/img]

And the A9

[img] [/img]

Which will have you here in 2 hours

[img] [/img]

Or you can pound the roads west and be here in 2 hours too

[img] [/img]

i'm a little confused as to 'in respect to what are these places best to live'? I assume it's cycling? If so what's London doing in there? I live in that there London and it seems to coincide with the least cycling I have ever done.

10 - Exeter
9 - Manchester
8 - London
7 - Cardiff
6 - Brighton/Hove
5 - Leeds
4 - Glasgow
3 - Sheffield
2 - Edinburgh
1 - Bristol

Um, those might be the best cities to live in the UK for mountain biking, but I suspect that there are better places to live for mountain biking if you don't want to live in the city. Highlands, Lakes, Scottish Borders anyone?

I think it was top to Cities, not places.

Cheers Pauly.
No need to be so rude Chunky. 😉

Teetosugars - Member
How is Bristol No.1?

Not sure, but doesn't it look at job prospects and cost of living etc. as well as what the riding is like in the area? I seem to remember seeing unemployment rate or something as one of the stats next to the city names??

Bristol is pretty well placed for access to lots of places, I guess.
The whole thing is very subjective, isn't it?

It's not the best place to mountain bike, it's the best city to live in if you're a mtb.

FWIW, it was definitely one of the reasons I chose to live in Bristol. YMMV.

Which will have you here in 2 hours

By that argument all the riding South of Leeds is an argument in favour of London!

Can't believe they left Leicester off their list!

I'd have thought Inverness would rate quite highly, or even Stirling since its now a city?

Don't know what the 'doorstep' biking is like in Inverness, its great in Edinburgh when its not all hub deep or blocked with wind blown trees... 😕

1 - Bristol

best?? best place to nick a MTB ? 😐

TINAS- But 90% of the riding south of leeds cannot compare to 1000m of Scottish Mountain.

Bristol is OK - access to mountainbiking is OK but better than Edinburgh or Sheffield? Sheffield does not have the access to the trail centres of Edinburgh but the from the door riding might be better. Bristol has some from the door riding and the Quantocks not far away and Dartmoor not much further.

Edinburgh is best tho 🙂 Previous surveys said so

best?? best place to nick a MTB ?

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/bike-blog/2011/jun/08/uk-bike-theft-hotspots

Top 10 police forces for bike thefts in 2010:
Metropolitan police: 21,315

Thames Valley: 6,060

Greater Manchester: 5,185

Cambridgeshire: 4,477

[b]Avon and Somerset: 3,895[/b]

West Midlands: 3,222

Leicestershire: 3,057

Lancashire: 2,727

Sussex: 2,668

Humberside: 2,440

TandemJeremy - Member
Bristol is OK - access to mountainbiking is OK but better than Edinburgh or Sheffield?

Nah, on a par with Edinburgh and probably behind Sheffield but a much better city to live in than either 🙂

(obviously subjective so I'm not really serious - Edinberg is fine. Sheffield, not for me but YMMV)

They churn this one out every couple of years, I think it's not just based on cycling. Also includes their views based on stuff like average incomes, quality of life, house prices, crime rates etc etc

By that argument all the riding South of Leeds is an argument in favour of London!

or leeds 😉

also its 2 hours actual driving time, not sitting in the M25 traffic jam 🙂

Yes it's a top 10 of where to live as well as where to ride. They talk about job opportunities and lifestyle too.

Very surprised not to see Aberdeen on the list. Aberdeenshire has some of the best mountain biking available in the UK and the oil industry presents massive employment/earning potential.

Yes, but it's still Aberdeen (As my colleague who grew up there says 😉 )

Aberdeenshire has some of the best mountain biking available in the UK and the oil industry [s]presents massive employment/earning potential.[/s] really is the sole employer for several hundred miles

FTFY 🙂

Bristol seems pretty reasonable to me as a number one, considering all the factors.

Very surprised not to see Aberdeen on the list. Aberdeenshire has some of the best mountain biking available in the UK and the oil industry presents massive employment/earning potential.

On the downsides;
*it's so remote that it's easier to fly to london than drive (other destinations are available).
*there is the oil industry and dnowt else, so unless your an engineer wanting to work with oil, yerr fekked.
*it's dark for a lot of the year

edit njee was quicker

raw nerve clubber?

avon & somerset is not just bristol 🙂

Having until recently lived in Scotland for a few years, I never saw the need to go to London by any mode of transport. Nor anywhere outside the borders other than the Lake District.

I know phil... 😉 Just pointing out that Bristol isn't the worst city for bike theft..

Better figures here:

http://road.cc/content/news/36808-police-stats-reveal-uks-recorded-bike-crime-hotspots-how-does-your-area-fare

How can London be top ten for anything apart from museums, tea towels and poncy nob ends ?

Think some of you are judging how great a place is to live by it's proximity to civilisation but it's the opposite of that for me! I go to London a few times a week with my job but given the choice I wouldn't go anywhere near the place.

There are lot's of industries in Aberdeen away from oil.

Aviation, Leisure, Tourism, Fishing, Medicine, Animal medicine, Retail etc, etc, etc. So just like any other city in the UK except with the added bonus of the oil industry and stunning mountain biking.

I'd have thought Inverness would rate quite highly, or even Stirling since its now a city?

Don't know what the 'doorstep' biking is like in Inverness, its great in Edinburgh when its not all hub deep or blocked with wind blown trees.

I grew up just north of Inverness and it was very good, this was very much pre-trail centre days though so maybe not what 'current' mtbers would call 'good' mountain biking. There are now quite a few trail centres up that way though somehow I've not managed to ride them yet. If you are into natural trails and can use a map, rather than wanting manicured mtb trails with a cafe at the end of it, I don't see how you can beat the Highlands really. Stirling is ace too.

There's not really any MOUNTAIN biking near Bristol is there?

There's not really any MOUNTAIN biking anywhere in the UK IMO. HTH 🙂

Besides, St. Andrews... I'm suprised anyone there rides anything except a polo pony 😛

Bristol, yeah right. I could think of many places I would rather live.

I'm suprised Bradford isn't on that list. It's pretty central to some of the best MTB terrain West Yorkshire has to offer, plus local to at least a couple of good trail centres, not forgetting the peaks and dales.

There are mountains in the Highlands chaps!

There are 6* (proper?) mountains in England, of which only 2 are accessible on a bike. They are all in Cumbria.

*4 of them are kind of the same peak so maybe only count as one.

No Chichester..?

[i]It's not the best place to mountain bike, it's the best city to live in if you're a mtb[/i]

I get that, but still, why Bristol? Honest question, 'cos I'm in 'Nam (so not that far away) and I wouldn't have put Bristol in the top five. Am I missing something?

i like how they missed any place between Leeds and Edinburgh, but included London.

Snuck in at number 10...

wasn't even aware we were a proper city.. 😆

I'm guessing becuase it's a fairly wealthy [u]city[/u] and has lots of access to good riding spots:

Bristol trails - 15 mins ride away
Mendip - 25 mins drive
CwmCarn - 40 mins drive
FOD - 50 mins drive
Cotswolds - 50 mins drive
Quantock - 60 mins drive
Malvern - 60 mins drive
Brecon - 90 mins drive
Afan - 100 mins drive

Ednburgh - wealthy city with a high quality of life and high employment at high wages and far more riding than bristol

Pentlands - 20 mins ride a hundred of miles of legal trails
Corstorphine hill - 10 mins ride away

Masses more riding within an hours ride from

Glentress - 40 mins drive
Innerleithan 40 mins drive

Highland riding starts an hours drive away Dunkeld and so on

Stirling less than an hours drive - dumyat, Ben Cleugh etc

No doubt its some decent riding around bristol but no way can it compare especially for what you can ride to from the city in a short time

Hmm, I'm still not convinced 😕

Still think I'd rather be somewhere in the North West, with access to Peaks, Pennines, Lakes and North Wales all within the same kind of driving times.

Quantocks and FOD are fab though, not tried the Mendips yet.

oh good, the 'my city is better than your city' has started.

Can't believe they left Leicester off their list!

I really hope you're joking, I've never lived anywhere with less going for it.

I believe MBR are based around Bristol, also there is seemingly a politically correct spread of locations.

If it was regions rather than cities then clearly Yorkshire would be number 1 😉

Bristol is fairly close to Swindon and therefore the trails out the back of the Nationwide.

bosh!

Is Brighton a city?

London as a good city to be a MTBer. Made me laugh!.

Bristol has some from the door riding and the Quantocks not far away and [b]Dartmoor[/b] not much further.

That'll be accessed by driving past Exeter then. 😉

I believe MBR are based around Bristol,

MBR are based in Croydon and do most of their riding in the Surrey Hills, daahhhling.

I quite like the Bath/Bristol area but anyone that thinks it's remotely in the same league as Edinburgh for a mountain biker is certifiable.

Having London anywhere on that list is also a joke - London has many wonderful qualities but a great location for a mountain biker wouldn't be on the list.

Bristol trails - 15 mins ride away
Mendip - 25 mins drive
CwmCarn - 40 mins drive
FOD - 50 mins drive
Cotswolds - 50 mins drive
Quantock - 60 mins drive
Malvern - 60 mins drive
Brecon - 90 mins drive
Afan - 100 mins drive

Afan 100 mins? Are you riding there? 😀
Not mentioned dertmoor, exmoor, longleat.
The main thing is you can ride this stuff (and get to it) all year round.

Well I'm half an hour from no.5 and 40 mins from no.3, I'm happy where I am, in 'the biggest town in Europe'(if not the world!) We could've been a city but we don't what that! And I don't have to drive anywhere to get to some great trails with proper hills!

You know what, i get to do a trail every morning on the way to work. I live in Bristol. Thats all that matters to me. Many thanks, kind regards, stay safe, well done, take care, use the green cross code and NEVER run with scissors.

Bristols a great place with good riding - I simply think that Sheffield and Edinburgh are duking it out for first and Bristol third.

Having London anywhere on that list is also a joke - London has many wonderful qualities but a great location for a mountain biker wouldn't be on the list.

@epicsteve

no complaints from me about living in London - fantastic transport connections in every direction

we have Surrey Hills (965ft on Pitch Hill), Woburn Sands, Aston Hills, Swinley Forest, Wisley, Chicksands, PORC (we also used to have Esher Shore before it closed) and other riding locations all within an hour of London by train

plus stacks of dirt jump trails accessible by train just ouside London, if you know the builders, and London has over 35 skateparks if like me you enjoy riding DJs and Skatepark in addition to mountain biking

and quick, easy access to all the Welsh trail centres and FOD by car

Gatwick and Heathrow quickly accessible by train, with great air connections to some of the world's best riding in Europe and Canada

in the past season, we flew from Gatwick after breakfast and were riding the excellent Winterberg Bike Park in Germany before lunchtime!

and 10 minutes ride up the road from my house in NW London, I have 1200 acres of steep woodland with dozens of excellent XC trails including a 3 minute descent off one side and a 6 minute descent off the other side

no problems from me?

london above manchester, absolute joke... be edinburgh for me if you include why the city is actually like as well...

esher shore - Only the last bit about the place you ride to in 10 mins is local to you, every other place you talk about is planes/trains/automobiles.

Tells a story.

including a 3 minute descent off one side and a 6 minute descent off the other side

Wow - huge long runs

esher shore - Member
we have Surrey Hills (965ft on Pitch Hill), Woburn Sands, Aston Hills, Swinley Forest, Wisley, Chicksands, PORC (we also used to have Esher Shore before it closed) and other riding locations all within an hour of London by train

and thats the 8th best set of locations, god help us all...

Wells is the best city in England because its the smallest and at the foot of the Mendips and nearer the Quantocks, Dartmoor and Exmoor than Brizzle

Bristol will concede victory to Edinburgh. Drawn with Sheffield though 😉

if you ask me edinburgh is probably the best place to live full stop.

i'll have to stay in middlesbrough (not a city) 'cos i'll struggle to earn a good living outside of the local industry. edinburgh would be very attractive though.

A controversial MTBR review? Whatever next.

buzz-lightyear - Member

Bristol will concede victory to Edinburgh. Drawn with Sheffield though

You have to say positive and negatives with each city really.

TJ,

There's no mountain biking anywhere near Edinburgh, nor indeed anywhere in Scotland except for that famous Glentress place. Please stick to the party lines, we don't need the sort of person that decides where to live based on MBR's top 10 cluttering up the country.

no complaints from me about living in London - fantastic transport connections in every direction

So basically the best thing about MTB in London is the other places you can go to MTB, including a small hill in Surrey?

I'm sure it's Ok, and probably ever so good in so many other ways, but better than Manchester and Exeter for mountain biking???

Poly - I had got them believing me there for a minute :-0

Is this not the exact same article they printed about 2 years ago? Realy value for money with MBR...

Actually I agree with poly. There's nothing of interest north of Watford, just mud* and poor people.

*This actually feels true at the moment.

Gordon Bennett, the Pentlands look niice. Only ever been up the holland bit and that was a mud fest.. Hmmmm..

What no Swansea - afan, brechfa, brecon beacons, black mountain etc.

Holland bit? Hillend..

Swansea also has The Potters Wheel and (had, not sure if it is still closed) The Swansea Jack, two of the best pubs in all of South Wales. Try going in there in a pair of slightly too small lycra shorts.

I live in the South and yes I am very jealous of people living in Edinburgh, Exeter, Bristol or anywhere else apart from the over crowded South East.