I’m looking at doing a route from marshbrook on Long Mynd to Eastridge Woods and don’t really know which way to go. I was wondering if anybody else has do this route before and has some info for me. I can’t find anything on the net at all.

Someone on here may know…

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/long-mynd-or-afan

I have started to look at route options for this too.

Cheers for that. I know the bloke that put up that route on the edgecycles website.

(tick)

Tick what?

Don’t mountain bikers look at maps these days and plot routes or do you need little arrows marking out for you on the trail?

To make you look at a map…… Find a route to Ratlinghope from marsh brook, (i wouldn’t start from marshbrook, nothing there but a bike shop, you’re better off in stretton where theres a bike shop and cafe/food shops.)
On to the road at Ratlinghope (after a pint in the bridges) turn left then left again and the right. `long straight. take the next right , then turn left for Holly’s farm. Up through the farm, here you can work in a loop around the stiperstones by turning left or go across/up the steep grassy field, on again through the next field to the gate on to the stiperstones. Here again you turn left for a loop or turn right and up heading for Eastridge. Once you have reached the saddle at the top of the climb turn right and follow the trail down hill to Eastridge. Its the woods in front of you, just follow your nose.

But don’t come its all crap around here so we try and keep quiet about it.
Don’t come to my house either as i’m off for a crap night ride.

Follow the same route back but when you join the surfaced road after holly’s farm you can do a quick dog leg left and then right on to a Boat, which brings you out the other side of Ratlinghope (Ratchup in the local)

If fact the Bridges (Horseshoes)at Ratchup is a crap place to start as there is a good pub and a YHA there right in the middle of the Mynd Stipers and Eastridge, so if i was you i wouldn’t go there either………
Just stay on the A5 and head for LLandegla.

stay away – go chavdeagla!! no its ace down here… get an os map x2 216/217 and plot the route – easy enough from stiperstones

paul

The above route is very close to what I have planned in MM, I just need to find the time and get out and do it now! 🙂

Quite fond of Portway/Darnford/Ratchup myself. Shropshire Way is ok for bikes isn’t it? 😉

some is and some bits ain’t, but to be honest its not very interesting.
there are better routes

Speshpauls route is what we used to do 20+ years ago. We sometimes went through a field full of poo before getting to the Bridges but I can’t remember exactly where it was!

Well all I’m saying is that as your options for getting to Ratlinghope from Church Stretton involve either dropping down a bit early to Asterton or Medlicott, which means you might as well climb back up again (which is cool, especially if you drop into Asterton after playing in the forest), before coming down to Coates or direct to Ratchup, and if you’re going to do that you might as well climb/stay up and scoot along to Robin Hoods Butts, go left along the Portway and then left again down Darnford, imho of course.