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I havent done much riding over the last 12 months but need to get back into the saddle for a ride planned with mates middle of July. We'll be riding over Dinas Mawddy and through Snowdonia national park with about 9000 ft of climbing.
I live in the West Mids and have a few hills around Dudley and the Black Country to ride on but where else in the West Mids would help to prepare me for the ride? Oh and I need to lose a couple of stones weight in the process too.
Thanks, Nathan
St Kenelms pass and a few other roads around it.
You can loop St Kennelms, Shut Mill, Winwood Heath a few times. That'll get your legs burning if you don't want to travel to far for the experience.
However, long climbs they are not, more like slightly vicious gurns.
Sheepwalks and a bit further afield Longmynd
Yeah Long Mynd would be fairly close to what you might get in Wales.
More locally the Clent climbs (as mentioned) also head over to Ironbridge and the Wrekin.
Even more locally Himley Road for hill repeats, there’s some good shorter ‘power’ climbs in and around Gornal...Moden Hill and Catholic Lane for starters.
Just do things like Bridgnorth-Ludlow and back. There's enough rolling hills to get you going ok.
Clent climbs as suggested - Hagley Wood Lane, Uffmoor Lane, St Kenelms, Winwood Heath, Farley Lane, Romsley Hill
Around Old Hill area up to Dudley there's a group of climbs that can be repeated - Powke Lane, Doulton Road, Moor Lane, Perry Park etc
Slightly further afield you've got the climbs around Kiddy/Bewdley. Jacob's Ladder from Franche to Trimpley, the dead end road down to and back from Trimpley Reservoir. Then head to the back of Stourport around the Ribbesford/Abberley/Rock/Clows Top area.
Clee Hill from Tenbury Wells deserves to be a classic.
Do Mucklow’s Hill a few times
Just do things like Bridgnorth-Ludlow and back. There’s enough rolling hills to get you going ok.
Indeed, that’s a tough road...good loop would be back up the Angel Bank, then descend and climb this...
Clee Hill from Tenbury Wells deserves to be a classic.
Or just descend and head to Bewdley over Clows Top.
Lots of options.
Also Abbereleys not far away...Stanford Bank, Pensax lots of rolling roads.
Some good suggestions there reminding me of areas I've ridden in the last 2 or 3 years.
Agree with Haze. Clee, Clows Top etc are good shouts. Somewhat of a technophobe/old git so apologies for the lo-fi solution but I plotted a route that I used to do, which is sort of taxing but really pleasant and not too busy traffic-wise.
You'll need to either cycle out to or park up at Martley in Worcs.
- Cross the Teme and heading up to Clifton on Teme through Hanley Broadheath towards Sapey Common. It's a fair climb/hilly ridge and a little known area of Worcs.
- Continue to Tenbury Wells
- Head to Clee Hill if you're up for it.
- Then down to Cleobury, up to Clows Top then either through Pensax or Abberley/Great Witley and finally return to Martley.
It should sort you out. For a shorter/easier ride just give Clee a miss and make the loop elsewhere through Boraston or nearby for an alternative moderate/tough workout. For a tougher option, peel off nr Pensax and have a cheeky crack at the Shelsley Walsh Hillclimb course if open to the public? Or cut through Stanford Bridge and rejoin the Clifton on Teme road again, up over Sapey Common. 😎 It's a deceptively long and steep hump/ridge from Tenbury to Martley.
I'd like to be able to plot this route and get the total climb/elevation but alas don't know how. Anyone?
Use bikehike.co.uk, they have OS maps so relatively easy to plot a route, it's just click at the start then choose your next "point" if the route isn't what you want, undo then choose a closer point. Repeat until you've created the route. I'm assuming you are doing this on a desktop BTW.
Nothing to add but "favourited". 🙂
Malvern link to Worcestershire beacon is a decent pull, as is the route from great Malvern via colwall to British camp
...hills around Dudley and the Black Country
Kingswinford to Sedgley along The Straits & Sandyfields Road. Good luck
Ridden Sandyfields and all the routes from K'winford up many times, just not recently..lol.
Also, I'm probably riding to Presteigne in August so those routes up through Cleobury Mortimer to Tenbury Wells and Little Hereford will get a ride after the Snowdonia trip.
Round where you live, then clent/lickey will be your best bet. Reps of st kenelms pass will hurt but will work. Pretty easy to loop plenty of climbing around it to give a good ride, with a decemt pint at the bottom of your last one.
Clee Hill from Tenbury Wells
Had to comment on this though as its my local climb to home. Its a bit of a good one, just dont stop at the top its all a bit ‘strange’.
Crack on to cleobury, back to tenbury via milson then out on the bromyard road to sapey will give you a nice 80k ish ride with plenty of climbing and interest.
Malvern link to Worcestershire beacon is a decent pull, as is the route from great Malvern via colwall to British camp
It really is a decent pull. Last Oct climbing from Colwall it nearly pulled a transverse abdominal out through my groin. Finished my hill-cycling shenags for six months!
Talking of body-breaking climbs in Malvern, anyone here tried the Old Wyche Road? I only ever managed a third of the way up 😬
OP try this if you fancy punishment then a pint:
Then do it backwards!
Cant get the link button to work.
https://www.strava.com/routes/17938096
*Edit - finally pasted link without using the link button, and now it automatically creates a hyperlink for me. Oh now that's just taking the piss 🤣