[Closed] So... 'Honey pot locations' - who regularly travels to ride?

If I'm taking the dog, I drive the 3 miles to the woods rather than make him run on Tarmac...

Jam bo I think we'll forgive you that 😉

Road bike from the door. I have some great lanes around Cheshire within a ten minute ride. Sadly it's as flat as a pancake.

Car to the trails. But this year I've self imposed a 1 hr travelling time limit (apart from a 3 day trip to scotchland)

Ride from my door pretty much always as I doubt I'd be laughing when I realise 2 out of 4 of my car's tyres are flat...cost of Audi tyres is horrendous now and I doubt I could afford it on my IT sector salary

I ride straight out from home 95% of the time - lucky to have good riding round here though you do have to put the miles in to link up the most techy steep stuff. Some great singletrack almost on my doorstep, as long as you're not afraid of mud and wet roots for half the year! It's nice to ride new trails but conversely I like getting better / faster on familiar ones, which don't require I waste time and fuel getting to them...

i drive to box hill and ride a lovely 26 mile loop taking in Ranmore, Leith, Holmbury and Coldharbour.

No much on my doorstep so
I'm usually looking at a half hour drive or cycle before I'm off-road but to be honest I dont get too hung up on it.
Would love if we could all leave our houses snd be straight onto singletrack but the worlds not like that, guess I'm happy that we all just love bikes !

I'm on trails within 5 minutes, get in!!!!

I can ride to sherwoodpines red route in about 10 mins, couldn't tell you last time i did a lap though.
If riding local use the ridgid single speed but this mostly weekday evenings. If i'm going to cover the full suss in grinding paste i preffer some gradient, so once a week drive to dark peak area. Rock beats mud

Hardly ever get in the car - not sure I'd ride mtb if I had to. 10 mins and I'm off road

Hardly ever get in the car - not sure I'd ride mtb if I had to. 10 mins and I'm off road

I can ride from mine to stannage with less than a mile on tarmac

As I work just round the corner from ladybower I generally ride on my way home.

Live 100m from the moors, gonna drive to the lakes someday soon though

Pretty much always drive. there's really very little from my door but I can be in the white peak in 30 mins and the dark peak in an hour.

the riding is that much better that I have no issue with two hours of driving for it. what little there is locally isn't ridable in the winter either.

95% from the door, mix of road and MTB. The 5% consists of 4% road (to the Cotswolds and the odd sportive) and 1% MTB, mainly races.

I probably should explore more on the MTB but it's such a faff compared to just getting on the bike and riding - plus all that driving is wasting valuable riding time.

I'm fortunate enough to live in north Wales just outside Llangollen. The lane I live on climbs up to 500m and there is some 4minute plus bridalway descents around here. Don't really like driving to ride my bike. Betws y coed is 22miles away so if I fancy I change I'd drive over that way or up to the coast. It's good riding around Llangollen hardly ever see any other riders and the amount of cars I see driving through with bikes on amazes me they pass some awesome trails!

I too can ride, off-road, literally from the front door so almost never drive anywhere to ride save for once or twice a year into wales for a big weekend away.

BUT....

I live at the foot of the malvern hills. Quite a honeypot.

Weekends are strictly a "no, no" - if the suns out there's just too many* day trippers, even on quieter trails, both walkers and riders.

So I predominantly ride either during the week or after 6pm. Fortunately I have a "job" that lets me ride when I want.

* = more than 2 😉

There's always going to be increasing pressure on lesiure space, especially attractive or accessible spaces. And where there's conflict of uses it's felt more accurately. Mrs S is a volunteer on the Malvern Hills Conservators Leisure group representing the local running club. There are MTB reps, hang-gliders/para-gliders, model glider flyers, horse riders and others. It's a bit of a talking shop, but the intention is that the Hills are there for everyone, and conflict needs to be avoided and managed out as far as possible. Banning, whilst the go-to knee jerk policy of the blue-rinsers round here it isnt one the Conservators entertain because it's arguably against their statutory obligations.

Almost straight from the door, a trail centre maybe once or twice a year, or natural trails via a car journey the same. Very lucky where I live I guess...

Road: 100% out of the front door - I've got the Cheshire Plain one way and the Peak District the other.

MTB: about 50:50 - there's plenty of good riding from the door and I use it. There's loads more variety within 30mins driving so I use that too.

It's not often these days that I'll drive much more than half an hour unless we're going away anyway. For example, in a few weeks, we're having a family weekend in the Lakes - I'll have a bike with me and will pinch a ride Friday and Sunday.

Another lucky one here, straight into the woods from the door; infact the road is 1/4 mile further away from the house than singletrack 🙂

Having said that, I do love to visit and ride in other areas every month or so - The Black Mountains, Brecon Beacons, mid Wales, Quantocks, Long Mynd, Exmoor, Dorset have all been visited this year so far. For me it's about getting out there and enjoying the countryside 8)

Road: 99% out of the front door..i have the Yorkshire Dales on my doorstep, the Moors a few miles the other way, and the Pennines a few miles oop North. VERY occasionally i'll drive to the Lakes.

MTB: 100% car journey. The nearest decent mtb trails are up at Reeth, which is about 15 miles from my house..too far to contemplate dragging the mtb up there to then hit the trails before riding home again. So i usually drive up there, or far more often i drive across to the Moors, which is far more fun on the mtb, IMHO.

As above, 100% of MTB is driven to, I live in Leicester, so either a Saturday or Sunday trip to the Dark Peak or Cannock usually. I need to find some local riding buddies.

100% of road riding is from the door, it's not particulaly hilly but it is nice round here.

The doorstep trails are limited to a couple of hours riding. But the main Mendip trail network is just a 20 min drive; the Qs and bristol about an hour; exmoor, fod, cwncarn and Haldon 90 mins; Brecon and Dartmoor are two hours. Lucky.

We have a nice off road/quiet lane route out to the Forest of Dean. We hardly ever drive out now, and it means we can drink beer on the way home 🙂

A mile on Tarmac here and then the whole North Lakes on the door step so I never drive, Ullswater shore is very easy to get to.

From Lancaster most place in the Lakes in under an hour (except maybe some of the more remote Western bits) is handy enough for me. I can ride local but its just not as good and when you ride the best etc.

Riding from the door is attractive but balancing that with living in a city with access to all it has to offer is tricky.

I'd consider moving north to Kendal as it is just that bit closer to the trails but the family are settled and it just seems selfish to upheave them all! But Lancaster is fine for now.

Cross bike or road bike. Ride from home. MTB, 20 mins to Malverns or FoD.I should really ride down to Ross when we ride out from there but it's another 10k on a 60-70k all day ride and I'm not sure I'd get back up the hill;) Next spring maybe.

Riding is so good here, don't generally go away anywhere near as much as I used to. Maybe 4 times a year.

Very rarely travel to ride. I live at the foot of the Malverns so, within 15mins, I'm off the road and into a big climb up.
Does get busy at weekends but for night riding it's perfect. No evening walkers so only really get the odd like minded biker or 2 out (unless you go on a Thursday when there's a group of about 20 from Colwall).
When the weekends get busy we do head off to the FoD or Wales tho but that's only an hour away too 🙂

Mostly drive as the hills next to my house are mud-fests, and Glentress is only 25 minutes away.

Road rides are always straight from the door. Peak District one way, Cheshire Flats the other.

MTB I can go offroad more or less from my house so it's rare that I drive to a ride these days.

That said if I go away for a weekend, I'll usually take at least one bike with me; sometimes I plan some time for a ride, other times it's just there if the opportunity arises.

locally I generally ride from the door, 15mins up the road to get to the trails or I can go into a park right near my house and pootle around footpaths and stuff to get to 'proper' trails in an hour or so. normally do that in winter as the paths are quiet, well surfaced and give decent cover from manky weather.

Like to ride in lakes/peaks/wales aswell, obviously a drive away, not many 'away games' this year tho.

haven't managed to bring myself to drive to a road ride yet.

Even when I lived in the Lakes I would drive to rides most of the time. Combination of not doing the same loop over and over again and wanting to do something different. That and meeting up with other (we don't live in a massive mtb commune)

I enjoy the variety having a car offers.

(apart from a 3 day trip to scotchland)

Berlimey - how far from Scotland are you?

I have to drive for at least an hour in any direction, which is a pain. I take solace in the fact that once I get there its wayyyyy better than the Surrey Hills.

Out the door it's the tow path, though can go a long way there, not very off road though. Rideable is Tunnel Hill though not keen on the roads to get there.

Otherwise it's a short 20min drive to Surrey Hills or bit further to Swinley, Caesars Camp, or hour-ish to Aston Hill, Rogate, QECP, and 3+ to South Wales.

I could ride to Surrey Hills but it's a fair slog for me. Newlands Corner a little quicker.

Road from home

MTB some times from home.

Drive to Woburn. I can and have ridden to woburn but its its not dog compatible and not quite such a good ride

Is Woburn a honey pot. Its certainly popular. I went for a dog walk on saturday morning. I saw 5 bikes in motion and a few more in the car parks. that was a group of 4 and a solo rider. So thats 2 groups in 75 minutes. All was cheery hellos on both sides, as it all ways is. Not exactly packed really

I'm in Lancaster too and I usually drive up to the Lakes. Stavely is only just over half an hour really. Farleton Knott is about 15 mins in a car. I plan to move somewhere I can ride from the door though.

can ride road+off road from the door step, however I do put the bike in the car and drive sometimes..

I'd say 85% of my rides are from the doorstep...

I live in the purbeck's - Dorset. So pretty much ride straight from my front door most of the time.

Used to be I did about half my rides from the back door, but this last year hammered my local trails so I've been avoiding them more- partly to rest them, partly just because a lot of them weren't much fun.

Live in the 'honey-pot' that is Bowness in the Lakes so can readily ride mtb from the door. Do however quite often use the car due to time pressures with work and family and so I can ride other lakes trails from time to time.

road 100% from doorstep, in London so 100% drive for offroad. epping mostly as it's 20 mins away, though mostly a mudfest now so headed to bedgebury earlier. also a mudfest, though judging by the carpark somewhat more honeypot-esque than epping (at this time of year at least).

got a couple of days off next week...suggestions for less-muddy-than-epping-destinations nearish north london much appreciated 🙂

Road from the door, apart from a few times a year for a sportive or trip to the Peaks or something. MTB always needs some travel unless it's just riding up and down canal towpaths, although I do use the train wherever I can.

all of my rides start from my door. i then ride directly to the train station and hop on a train heading south.

but my destination is usually a "honey pot" spot... especially on weekends.

Out the gate and I'm there.Don't need to cross tarmac even here in the FoD. Haven't ferried the MTB anywhere for several years. But then again I haven't ridden it as much as the road bike. Road bike gets taken somewhere occasionally as an hours drive gets us to a completely new area that isn't possible on the bike.

Out the door in the week, but like Stoner says, the Malverns are not really a place to be at weekends. Plus there isn't a lot of DH, so travel. Try not to go over an hour and a half, but will drive further maybe once every six weeks or so.

5 mins of road to the Nation cycle network, then straight into sherwood pines. Not the best in the world, but certainly not the worst & plenty of twisty singletrack to play in that most people miss.
Other than that, my favourite ride is 30 mins in the car with the odd trip further afield.
Road bike usually from home, but the occasional change.

Another lucky one here. Straight out of the door onto the trails. I'm extra lucky as the local council have seen the potential of mountain biking to the local economy. So I've got Lee and Cragg quarry on the doorstep. And the icing on the cake is that the trail pixies have been busy so my regular loop finishes with a fantastic downhill section of steps and berms that plonks me out literally at my back gate

Spoilt rotten me 😀

Gratuitous, not even slightly smug or gloating 'my rubbish local trails' pic....

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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/14162682@N00/8178241850/ ]Untitled[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/14162682@N00/ ]binlidski[/url], on Flickr

😉

Decent road riding from the door, but once or twice a year I'll drive for 45 mins to get further into Wales.

Some fun bridleways nearby for the cross bike (so straight from the door), but no MTB, so typically a 45 minute drive to a honey pot.

Drive, unless I want to ride bridleways round the edge of fields all day.

Quite happy to travel 2-4 hours each way for a few hours riding. You're very lucky if you've got great riding out of the door, but I get a lot of enjoyment from riding new places, seeing different landscapes, towns and people, planning new routes.

So do most people ride very locally then- or is it the vocal few posting?

Bike only goes in car for foreign (or at least significantly remote) trips. Forest is 10mins ride away, with numerous more than adequate hills, and more ridable trails than I could ever ride in my lifetime (from sanitised to cheeky).

Road from Home.

I can go offroad to Delamere from home, but other than there, it means driving, which, its gotta be said, I'm more than happy to do..

My closest good riding is lordswood, which is 6 miles across Southampton. Otherwise it's a case of loading up the car and driving to QECP or doing a hybrid ride of bridleways joined with road around Hampshire.

Road - lots of great riding straight from the door.

MTB - From the door ? Nothing, nadda, zilch. I must live in one of the worst places in the country to be a mountain biker. No bridleways at all, and not any cheeky stuff either, so getting in the car and driving for an hour is a must.

I dream of being able to ride from my door. 😥

what trails that binners?

Donk - Thats the lovely, rocky singletrack that goes from the top of the Coal Road, and drops down behind Cragg Quarry.

Its bloody great! Though I hear Surrey's better! 😆

Think I've been down that trail (group ride from here last Nov) don't remember that bit tho, guess it looks different from the other direction (or we took a slightly different route)

I do both
gf lives near Swindon, me Reading - so have two sets of 'home routes' - happy to go for 1-2 hrsih for a 3 hr pootle - mainly as we like varied scenery etc.

Have done trail centres, esp when younger, do enjoy them but want to savour what I'm riding in rather than get through it as quick as humanly possible.

I used to be able to ride Grizedale from my door, its was great.

I cant anymore so I've stopped riding my mountain bike.

I live in the east midlands so pretty much have to drive if i want to ride anywhere good. luckily I work 5 minutes away from woburn so i tend to get a ride in there after work without much extra driving 🙂 as such the majority of my riding is road straight from my door, or bmxing. tbh i don't think mtb is always worth the extra time and money spent driving!

Ramsbottom - great riding on and off road from the front door, so much so, I hardly ever drive anywhere to ride.

Pours down constantly though.

Another Malvern rider here, after 15 minute climb out of the Link and I'm on the hills.

Hardly ever go anywhere else, don't really see the need, but if I do there's Wyre Forest or FoD either direction, Hopton just further up north.

Don't really have any problems with walkers up there - it does get crowded but it's the same for everyone, the area is more accessible so inevitable really.

A few seconds down the road and I'm over the Mole and up onto Frensham Downs just before the North Downs at Ranmore and then Leith etc., or Mickleham Downs/ Box Hill and then over to the Surrey Hills...

But don't come here, it's just rubbish. I'm sure ANYWHERE is much more pukka. Go there instead.

Wherever it is.

Road biking: rarely drive anywhere unless it's for an event of some kind - got some great little lanes in the Derbyshire Dales

Mountain bike: probably travel somewhere (c. 2-3 hours away by car or up to 5 hours for a long weekend) every other weekend but the other weekends and mid-week rides will be local and from-the-door. Lucky enough to have a commute that can include some nice little bits of off-road too.

Used to live on the edge of some decent off-road stuff so was able to ride from the door very happily. New home is amongst some fairly flat, claggy bridleways of north west Wiltshire, so I tend to drive, even if its 30mins to slightly less claggy/ more interesting stuff. The really good stuff however is further afield. I miss riding off road from my door 🙁

[b]Mr Woppit[/b]
A few seconds down the road and I'm over the Mole and up onto Frensham Downs just before the North Downs at Ranmore and then Leith etc., or Mickleham Downs/ Box Hill and then over to the Surrey Hills...

But don't come here, it's just rubbish. I'm sure ANYWHERE is much more pukka. Go there instead.

Wherever it is.

Donk the pic is on the trail from the top of the coal road [ fecit brow ] to Waugh's well and then on to the back of cragg. good cheeky trail in dry , bogfest most of the time

It's all way to flat of course round this way anyway. Surrey is like riding in Norfolk

Precisely. Don't bother. That's my advice.