I’m contemplating a move back south to Shrewsbury / Ludlow area so curious how the area fares with riding opportunities. Aware of the Long Mynd but given conservation sensitivities, routes seem limited.

Should add currently live Scotland so used to decent length descents and general steepness (Think Dunkeld, Tweed Valley natural etc). What do the Welsh Borders offer in this context? Or am I just going to be dissapointed!?

Plenty of riding on Long Mynd still no?

Mortimer Forest/Bringewood still good riding? You won’t get the same kind of big hill riding in Shropshire – at least, not unless you go towards the border.. bigger hills but I dunno about the riding.

I don’t think you’ll find yourself short of places to bike in shropshire mate, there’s tons around the mynd and surrounding area plus Shrewsbury is slap bang in the middle between llandegla and cannock chase, both parks reachable in around an hours drive.

Hopton’s close by . Easy access for Welsh natural stuff and built trails. Forest of Dean straight down the A49.

Any recomendations for decent steep natural Welsh trails? Everything recommended seems a little flat!

I wouldn’t say there’s loads and certainly not on the scale you are used to (I grew up riding there).that said it didn’t stop is riding loads stretton,eastridge,haughmond,wrekin.I’m only 40 miles towards Wales but there’s 10 times as much quality stuff.

I moved to the area ( just west of Shrewsbury) about 2 years ago, so still learning my way around.
There’s some brilliant riding, but it’s in small areas, so putting in big miles off road isn’t easy if that’s your thing.
Some areas are a touch sensitive, but I wouldn’t have said the Long Mynd is one of them, there’s only a couple of tracks you shouldn’t really use that you might want to..
There isn’t much on the borders that’s easily accessible, but there is riding there if you know where to look & meet the right people if that makes sense.

There are a few places with steep sections but these are usually 30 sec to 1min runs. The Wrekin or the black at Eastridge are good examples.
I find places like hopton and Eastridge far more fun than Cannock or Degla.

I got shown around east ridge by a friend recently and that was fun albeit quite short runs. In the afternoon we went up and along to stiperstones which whilst good in terms of the out there exploring feel was quite frustrating as a single blast down to the valley and it was all over.

Despite living in Vancouver and having access to Whistler, Squamish, North Shore etc, I still really enjoyed riding on the Mynd again a few years ago. Funny seeing Facebook pics of people riding Santa Cruz Bronsons and the like. I rode a buddy’s 90’s GT Zaskar with 80mm Bombers and had a hoot! Even walking on Haughmond Hill back in September, the couple of people I saw riding were on enduuuuuro bikes brah! I still remember riding my 80’s Peugeot road bike up there…. So maybe not too much off-piste Innerleithen type steeps but if you hunt about there plenty of stuff to keep you entertained. I do miss 1 minute DH runs that you can keep hitting and know every stone so you can totally pin them.

It’s on the list of the places I’d move to in England (the other is the lakes)

Lots of riding, good access to places.

I’d do everything to stay where you are if riding is the only concern, the riding us fun in Shropshire but compared to the tweed valley etc? No contest