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Have a bit of time off work this week to explore new routes. Based close to Solihull. Ridden the usual off road stuff around Cotswolds, Wyre, Shropshire, Cannock, ocasionally Peaks. I usually hit the roads south of Birmingham to train but fancy a change. Does anybody know of any more 'all weather' routes in the area that would be good for a rigid 29er.
I have the maps out too 😉
Tx
Have ridden rigids around the W Mids most of my life but ‘gravel’ rides it ain’t. A few miles of decent fire roads in the Wyre is all I can figure off the top of my head.
Best bet for distance is to the nearest canal towpaths and explore. I hear that one goes all the way to Llangollen?
I live in stoke. Know loads of bits and bobs but nothing you could call a route. Why not just change your approach? Get the train somewhere and cycle back? Shrewsbury? Sheffield? Try and use sustrans and canal etc.
No real routes to recommend but I nornally use the canals and various green routes to link up places like Sandwell Valley, Edgbaston Reservoir, Woodgate Valley etc
You can also get to Barnt Green via the canal (with a bit of road) to add in the Lickey Hills and then onto the Clent Hills.
Depends what you class as gravel rides. If it's usual routes but on a gravel bike so a mix of short sections of tarmac, very muddy bridleways, lots of slick tree rooted forest, sandy field edges, canal towpath, wooden steps, gravel double track, slick clay cut throughs, draggy grass and moorland and trails the local MTBers have built in the woods then there's a lot of scope from Kings Norton out to Worcester. If it's gravel rides in the American sense of long forest road type stuff then there's not a lot.
There's a few west midlanders on the UKGRAVELCOLLECTIVE Facebook page, might worth posting there too
Thanks
Just talking about patching together mixed surface rides. The canals are definitely our version of ’gravel’ roads here in Mids
They seem to hold up better in bad weather compared to most of the BW that I know
I’ll go explore
Take a look at the Tour of the Black Country route. There’sa reasonable amount of riding out on this side of the West Midland.
When I used to ride with Col et al from Two Wheels there were loads of linking tracks.
If you fancy a trip out of area, lots of towpaths - used and disused, cycle paths and bridleways around and between Nottingham and Derby. Not sure about the surface but could probably train to Derby and ride back along a canal
Where abouts in Shropshire have you ridden?
Mostly from Church Stretton and Marshbrook - taking a full sus - riding over to Stiperstones/ Eastridge then back. Also the trails at Hopton Woods.
Also live in Solihull, right at the beginning of the South Worcestershire path.
It will take you through Clent etc right to Stourport apparently, never got round to riding it though.