Mountain Biking on the Long Mynd

It’s been a little while since I’ve been out on my bike, but it seemed the ideal way to work off some that Christmas excess. Chris Hughes and I decided to head for the Long Mynd area of the Shropshire Hills to explore some new trails. Although everything looked good as we started our drive down to Church Stretton, as we approached we could see the cloud hanging on the hills and the rain started as we pulled up in the car park. It seemed prudent to wait a few minutes for things to calm down before getting our kit together.

Starting in All Stretton, we worked our way up The Batch to Jinlye and across to the top of the Mott’s Road. The ground was saturated, making the grass boggy and slippery and making progress hard work. It’s a great area with wonderful views, but there was nothing to be seen today due to the thick cloud – hence no photos today. We shot across the top, past the Shooting Box, over Pole Bank and stopped off at Pole Cottage for a quick lunch under a bit of shelter.

Realising that the weather was unlikely to improve, we decided to cut our losses and head down via the track that run over Round Hill and Callow. This was a stretch that I hadn’t anticipated riding, as it’s marked on the map as a footpath, but the ‘Ride UK’ signs were pretty clear. I’m glad we took this option because it was a great blast across the top and dropping down into Little Stretton. With the ground still waterlogged, the front wheel had a habit of gliding sideways across the ground, which was a little disconcerting at times, but certainly made for an intense experience!

Our ride wasn’t as long as I’d hoped but there’s a limit to how wet and cold you can get whilst still having fun. But I certainly did enjoy our few hours out, and it’s made vow to get back out on the bike soon. Thanks for your company once again, Chris – I’m looking forward to our next outing already.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *