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Looking for tips....
So we're off to Bike Park Wales next weekend. Uplifts Friday/Saturday then aiming to go riding somewhere in Shropshire on the way back north to Leeds on the Sunday.
Would be looking for something enduroish, or trail with good technically interesting stuff. We'll probably have about 3-4 hours to kill.
Bonus points for recommendations that are relatively close to good transport links from Myrther Tidfill / Leeds. Also there's a bit of rain about this week (although it doesn't look too bad overall) - places that ride well in dampish conditions would be preferable.
Any top tips? Ta!
The Long Mynd has some good trails. Certainly enduro-ish in that it is steep climb, followed by descent and repeat. Milton Batch is the best known descent. Long Mynd is on the A49 up from Hereford, which in turn links to Abergavenny and Merthyr by fast A-road. Also Eastridge Woods is worth considering. Good technical route through there, used to be venue for both xc and dh national championships. Slightly more off the beaten track but still easy to get to from A49
As much as I love shrophire, it's a bit off your direct travel path, would not the FOD be an easier/better option? Lots of different areas of riding in the forest, and seemingly pretty easy to locate (I'm sure there's plenty of sneaky stuff hidden away too).
You could have picked up that hope rim ...
Eastridge off piste for steep and techy , snailbeech side.
Bucknall .
Hopton- decent trail centre that goes through the dh tracks so easy to lap that bit a few times.
eastridge- avoid the trail centre bits and ride the other stuff, generally a bit steeper than hopton
bucknall- best of the 3 but harder to find stuff
another spot is the wrekin, absolutely awful climb to the top but brilliant downhills, very steep and tech
And Cannock Chase is even less of a diversion. Stile Cop for downhill, Monkey trail and Follow the Dog for good trails. No decent off piste stuff any longer though, regardless of what anybody tells you.
Dirt Farm (not Shropshire, but likely on your way home) though it is an uplift/battery bike destination.
OK I've been having a scope of all the above stuff.
Re: FOD, there looks to be trails all over the place. Best to stay near the cycle centre or is the best off-piste hidden elsewhere?
Any opinions on Barry Sidings? Not really 'on the way home' but equally, it's not very far from where we are staying.
Also .... I think it pissed it down in S Wales over the weekend... do FOD and Barry Sidings hold up OK in the wet?
I'm hoping it gets chance to dry out a bit this week though.
Barry is good, but steep and technical.
FOD there is quite a bit near the cycle centre, if you head left towards speechouse road, then cross it, there is plenty of stuff up on the right for a days riding.
I've only seen BS on video and it's not something I'd want to attempt for the first time in the wet ? (ahhem or maybe the dry)
I wouldn't suggest FOD is weather proof either but it's got a lot of options. Starting by pedalaway, if you 've not been before is probably a good suggestion, you have all the offical trails and some extra stuff, but if you go south aross the road into Barn hill, west of Cannop ponds, you'll find other stuff to play with. Then you'll have a taste for it and explore more the next time your about
Llandegla isn't far from Shropshire and probs easier to avoid Cannock / Midlands on the way to BPW?
Did similar from the NE (England) earlier this year. Drove down to digs on Friday, BPW Saturday, back to digs Saturday night then onto FOD Sunday morning for a couple of hours then home. Brilliant weekend.
I thought that Eastridge made for a pleasant journey home to West Yorkshire from BPW, quite enjoyed the Welsh part of the drive.
My 12 year old will never forgive me for dragging him round Cannock...
The Wrekin is the only place I've ever been where I thought, not coming back unless I buy an e-bike. Great place though.
FOD appears to have lots of great tech in various areas so definitely worth a look.
do FOD and Barry Sidings hold up OK in the wet?
BS is really good but a bit of a handful in the wet. Worth it if you're confident riders though.
Eastridge is much better in the wet, and well worth a bit of a detour.
Risca is another option. Very winch-and-plummet.
Trailforks good for all the above.