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I've just been offered a promotion that would involve me moving to the area.
I'm a roadie mainly, but enjoy getting a bit muddy occasionally.
Where would you say is best?
Any clubs worth looking at or avoiding?
Merci
Either would be good I reckon. Traffic is dreadful in both though. If you'll be working in bristol, I would recommend living there (and vice versa). Bristol - bath is not a commute I would ever consider. The A4 into and out of bristol is the worst traffic in the city.
right bit southside of bristol would give easier access to the mendips if you drive?
Bristol - bath is not a commute I would ever consider.
It's only 12 minutes by train between the two if you are working or living close to a station. Plenty of people do that daily,
But as ^^ above, both have decent riding. Where will you be working?
Bristol - bath is not a commute I would ever consider.
Good Sustrans route between the two, though, and frequent train services. Bristol has better rail connections to Wales, Quantocks, etc, making day trips by public transport easy enough.
Road riding to both the north and south of Bath and Bristol is great. Plenty of quiet roads, decent hills and variable routes. MTB wise, Bristol is better as there are trails close to the centre and you have better access to the Mendips, south Wales etc. As mentioned above, commuting from one to the other for work every day will drive you nuts.
If you're riding from town, definitely Bristol. There is a lack of bridleways in Bath and the surrounding countryside isn't great for riding. Bristol seems to have enough to amuse for a while. Bristol is also right on the M4 whereas Bath is a bit of a schlep. Great road riding from Bath though.
Just to add I will be working about 10mi south of Bath - and I'll be riding every day, rain or shine.
I'd say Bristol - having moved here 8 years ago. Loads of official trails and even more unofficial and steep ones to find. Check out Bristol Mountain Bike Club (you can find them on FB or google)for 2/3 midweek eve rides plus a Sunday main ride, not sure about road but no doubt someone will be along to help!
Just to add I will be working about 10mi south of Bath - and I'll be riding every day, rain or shine.
Based on that I'd say bath. It's a very nice place. You'll be able to hit north somerset and south gloucs from there on the road.
I much prefer Bristol over Bath but it's as much a matter of taste than anything else. Dependent on you budget, whether you have a family and whether you want doorstep access to culture and city life, it's worth looking at the towns and villages between Bath and Bristol. Places like Saltford are pretty bland but you have access to the country roads on your doorstep and you'll get more house for you cash; though not much more as the house prices/rents here are all barking mad. If you're flush with cash there's all manner of nice old barn conversions around Bath.
I live about 15 miles south of Bath, and was in Bath previously. The drive from Bristol to here is a pig, so Bath is better. There's also a pretty good sustains route heading to the south, where are you working?
Road riding is good around bath and the cheeky trails are stunningly good, just don't do them on a Sunday afternoon!
Bristol - bath is not a commute I would ever consider. The A4 into and out of bristol is the worst traffic in the city.
b2b cyclepath makes it a no brainier tbh.
If your a quick roadie you go thru kelston
If you a gravel boi then a bit of river trail with a little bit of single track or not depending on your mood.
Bit of road Over the sneaky trails into bath if your mtbing .
A road club is S.A.S (salt and sham collective cycling) road and gateway to other stuff.
b2b cyclepath makes it a no brainier tbh.
A 50 mile-odd daily commute is a pretty hardcore no-brainer!
Lived in Bristol, currently work in Bath. Bath is the nicer city by far. Doesn't take long to cycle between the 2 (on the lovely cycle path). Both are a good base for road biking.
His work is 10+ miles south of bath.
I live in Southville, just less than a mile from Bristol centre - but, crucially, right next to the trails at Ashton Court and Leigh Woods. They may not be the best ever, but they are convenient and ever-so easy to access. Clifton and Ashton are the same in this regard; just respectively more / less expensive and crowded.
Bristol is a bigger city; Bath is more beautiful - don't assume Bath is without its pressures and dingy bits, nor that Bristol is all badness.
I'd take into consideration that your commute from one of these cities would almost certainly have to be by car, but that you would be travelling against the traffic flows.
Personally if I was working 10 miles South of Bath I'd live South of Bath and certainly not in Bristol both great cities, I was a student in Bristol and loved it there.
South of bath - Frome , lots of road riding close by or mtb with mendips
If you are working in Frome, live in Frome. If in Warminster, live there. The commuter traffic in the area is fast and unforgiving of cyclists, with narrow roads and not much verge. ( Mrs M is from Dilton, we stay for the odd week at a time)
Does not seem that bad imo , had the odd issue with numpty drivers but no worse than anywhere else ive ridden
Was up there visiting friends at the weekend who live just outside Pensford. Some stunning countryside and beautiful sunken country lanes round that part of the world. Doesn't feel at all like there's two major cities on your doorstep. Went for a bimble on the road bike, loved it. I'd imagine the MTB-ing must be half decent as well, given the terrain. Expensive, though, by all accounts.
As has been previously mentioned, driving to the south of Bath sucks. I'd hate to add a commute to that.
Bradford-on-Avon is nice if you are wealthy. Stayed in Frome the other week too and that was quite pleasant. My only experience of Bristol is horrible traffic
Good cycling south from Bath along the Two Tunnels Greenway through Radstock and then the Colliers' Way to Frome.
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That'd be a commute I'd happily do.
Did somebody say the bridleways around Bath were not great? This is not true.
Let's face it, the MTB around Bath is OK but it is a long way from the likes of mendips/quantocks/wales. But is Bristol massively better? I mean there is the Ashton/Leigh/50 Acre/Plantation area, but IMO the official trails are a little dull, the unofficial stuff is too shitty to ride for 9 months of the year, and all those steep techy trails are a good laugh but I get bored of them. Maybe there is loads more I've never found? Some other area I'm missing?
One difference I would say is that MTB around Bath is that the views are better and more frequent as there are bigger hills.
For road riding, any ride over 10 miles it makes no difference as you are on the same roads. Only slight thing to consider is that it is quicker to get in/out of Bath and away from traffic on a road bike as it is a tiny city with a more defined boundary.
If I commuted through the 2 tunnels I'd go mental within the week. Likewise the B2B cycle path.
From a purely cycling point of view, Bath is better for road and Bristol is better for MTB. You can be out of Bath and onto country roads quickly. In Bristol it takes a lot longer to get onto quiet roads. Over the years I have know tons of people that live in Bristol and commute on the cycle path to Bath each day. 15 flat miles each way.
However taking cycling out of the equation I would probably choose Bristol unless I had to live in the endless northern outskirts. Bath is a lot smaller and has a completely different atmosphere. Bath is made up of the centre with it roman baths, cathedral and shops and then the rest of it is housing. Bristol has its centre and then loads of separate neighbourhoods all with their own shops and vibe.
If I commuted through the 2 tunnels I'd go mental within the week. Likewise the B2B cycle path.
Why, out of interest?
Cycling west along the southern edge of the Mendips at 07:00 this morning - must've been a foggy morning in Weston, because it was weiring over Crook Peak (a Mendip outlier), great streamers of mist pouring out onto the Levels, leaving just small hills and big trees sticking up out of it.
As a northern lad it pains me to admit it, but the cycling here is really rather good.
The problem with traffic is Bristol is that it is so bloody variable. Due to all the schools and especially high number of private schools, people travel all over the city to get their kids to school. This means the traffic is so much better in the school holidays. But even then one day a road can be fast and clear and the next can be chocker for no real reason, That's the bloody annoying bit about Bristol driving is that you just can't predict how long it will take. Oh and one crash or roadworks anywhere near the centre and the whole road network grinds to halt. If you live in Bristol, commute by bike and you will save your sanity.
Frome is 13miles south of bath.
10minutes drive to great local trails in Longleat, or 30mins lanes and bridleways ride.
30mins drive to Mendips
Less than an hour to the Quantocks
South wales trail centres 1 1/2hrs
Great road-riding all around on quiet lanes.
Beautiful and civilised countryside all around.
Actually forget I said all that, its rubbish, stay away 😉
(PS bath/bristol cyclepath is brilliant)
If you are likely to be going out socialising in Bath a lot then I say live in Bath, or at least somewhere with easy public transport access to the city centre, and commute to work. Bath is lovely city, I would say Bristol is better in a way (bigger, slightly better links etc) but Bath is nice and I don't go as much as I should.
If that is less important then live near work as life is too short to spend commuting, enjoy your riding in your leisure time rather than doing it to get to work.
Bristol does have Ashton Court and Leigh woods and there is lots of cheeky riding around them, not just the official trails which you will get bored of, but road wise I would be down Mendip/Bath way and the mtb you might just have to travel a bit but I don't know that area so maybe not.
Why, out of interest?
I don't like long straight and flat, so I'd have to mix it up eg over the hill one way, tunnel back.
Also check the cyclepaths in the area, I use the Strawberry line a lot for getting back after a lot of off-road: http://www.thestrawberryline.org.uk/index.php?section=vision