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Since moving to the a place where I can ride a different trail from the door every day of the weak I would struggle to relocate to the suburbs. I've barely visited a trail centre in 18 months and not missed them one jot. A lap of W2 at Afan last weekend reminded me that I'm not missing much. All riding is good though, just make the most of wherever you live.
Lived in Talybont, between Aberyshitswyth and Machynlleth for 3 years, Tis where I started mtb'ing and Is with out a doubt an amazing location for different trails, however not a great place for us to live, Backwards, Expensive and no job prospects 🙁
South Leeds / Bradford.The riding from the door isn't awesome (but there's some, and some of it's reasonable) but with great motorway access that makes it easy to get to:
The train from Leeds through Calder Valley is a good one to get to know as well...drop off at Hebden or Todmorden, then either loop out and back to the station, or across towards Burnley or back to Bingley. Then jump on the train home again
Probably Fort William, shame it's a shit hole.
Big natural riding
trail centres in easy reach if natural is out for any reason
2 proper uplift DH venues
easy access to Skye, Torridon and the like
Even a free ride venue beside Loch Ness (is that still there?)
And the Dudes of Hazard constantly building new stuff
No proper mountains obviously but here on E Dartmoor is pretty darn good. Great and varied natural riding from the doorstep - from open moors to steep techy rock gardens and woodsy singletrack... most of which you get to yourself. Quantocks and Exmoor not that far away for a bit of variety on a day trip.
Haldon is only 30 mins away and its only a couple of hours to the South Wales trail centres should I bore of the natural stuff (failed to happen yet!).
I would have thought the Bath/Bristol area would be pretty good. Both seem like prosperous places with lots going on.
Seems quite hilly round about there.
Plus there are other lumpy bits worth exploring a short jaunt in practically every direction. Mendips, Quantocks, Exmoor, Dartmoor, Wales, FoD, Cotswolds, Shropshire...
That said, there are probably more epic days out within easy reach if you live somewhere that's in the middle of everywhere but just to the north of up north. So yeah, Hebden Bridge or somewhere like that.
grum - MemberTodmorden or Hebden Bridge (West Yorkshire)
That's where I'll be moving to soon in large part motivated by the biking/climbing/walking and proximity to Leeds/Manchester for work. Pretty close to Yorkshire Dales, Peak District and not too far to the Lakes/Wales/Scottish Borders too.
Where are you thinking of ending up?
Since moving to the a place where I can ride a different trail from the door every day of the weak I would struggle to relocate to the suburbs. I've barely visited a trail centre in 18 months and not missed them one jot.
This sounds great!
mrmo I think for a lot of people driving has become part and parcel of mtb lifestyle, using trail centres but living in cities. Not to say that should be the criteria for this thread or indeed what many of us would really want but a reality for a lot. Riding from the door is great, bizarrely I did that when lived in Madrid and not as much when I lived in Glasgow!
Where are you thinking of ending up?
Depends how much we can sell our house for, but we have looked at Heptonstall which is lovely but expensive, and some in Mytholmroyd which are more of a sensible option. The missus fancies living up on't moors but I don't want to be too far from civilisation.
Don't really want to live in Hebden itself - bit dark and no/small gardens in general. Haven't really checked out Tod TBH as I'd heard there might be some people there who don't shop organic/fair trade, which sounds absolutely frightful. 🙂
Don't move to Exeter for gods sake. In fact Devon in general sucks.
Heptonstall is nice, as is Slack (the bit on the main road to Burnley, through the village).
Bits of Tod are amazing, but you have to be careful about how much light you're going to get - check and doublecheck.
Walsden is nice.
Don't ask me how I know....
As you say, Hebden can be dark and it costs a bloody fortune.
Huuuuge alcohol and drugs problems in both Tod and Hebden.
Trades club in Hebden is superb though - great community, always something going on.
Mytholmroyd is great - have a look at Caldene Avenue area. Nice gardens, gets the light, away from noisy boozers, safe for kids and a quick walk into Hebden.
Just moved to Cliviger after 20 years in Tod.
Well worth a look:
Much more light, cheaper, still have great access to the trails and, I know I'll get slagged off for this, in general the people are much friendlier - more approachable, less miserable and just, well, nicer.
Sorry Tod. 😐
Very surprised by Burnley too - much, much nicer than expected - convenient for shopping, cheap, decent cinema, nice food.
Obviously it's got rough bits, but so has Tod and Hebden.
fontmoss, i won't disagree that for many driving is part of the picture, just shocked that the idea of the BEST place still involves driving.
If you want a stab at best, pick somewhere good transport links and good riding on doorstep.
Then comes down to the idea of what is good riding? trail centres, woodland, conifer plantations, rocks, dirt, etc etc. I don't think it is aquestion that can really be answered as everyone has a different idea of what good riding is. I have riden in the welsh mountains, peaks, east midlands, cotswolds, devon, each is different but i wouldn't say any is better.
The 'Diff.
Cheers Rusty - that's very helpful indeed. Cliviger does look nice but it's a bit near Burnley! Interesting what you say about Burnley - I did some work there a few years ago and it seemed one of the most depressed places I'd been, but it might have changed.
We have friends in Hebden/Luddenden too so it might be a bit far.
Huuuuge alcohol and drugs problems in both Tod and Hebden.
Sweet, know any good dealers? 🙂
reading between the lines, the best place to live is the place closest to the motorway so you can DRIVE somewhere. FFS.I would rather live where i do in Cheltenham where i can get plenty of riding from the door, if my mtbing involved driving i would never bother.
Yes, but the odds of finding a job which will allow you to justify expensive push bikes whilst living in Peebles is slim.
I can ride from my door in Wokingham. Doesn't mean I don't appreciate having five or six options within 30min's drive, and Surrey hills and Aston Hill within an hour, and S.Wales in 2 hours.
Similarly, living somewhere like Glossop you'd have the Peaks on your doorstep for a few rides a week, but could be in the Lakes for breakfast on saturday without even having to get up early and have an ace weekends riding.
If I rode from my door four times a week I'd be bored by March.
If I rode from my door four times a week I'd be bored by March.
then your not in the best place, i used to ride from my door 7 days a week and would still find new trails to ride.
So on the basis of what i am reading the best place is Stroud. just off the M4 corridor so lots of jobs, not far from the M5 to go north, Bristol just to the south, Cheltenham and Gloucester just to the north, and Birmingham not a million miles away, FoD few miles away for a bit more variety, M4/M5 for south west, wales etc.
Lakes or Aviemore. What is the point of living somewhere that you can get to lots of places only with a long car drive? 😀 I know that there are no rules here but if there were, being able to jump on the bike and ride epic trails would be mine!
Cheers
Sanny
It's entirely by whatever criteria you see fit, there are no right or wrong answers.
Except maybe stoke, I don't think anyone thinks that's the right answer.
So I have natural trails within 1/2 a mile a trail centre I can ride to (mostly off road) a limestone crag in spitting distance 3 gritstone crags a short walk, yep Gods County anywhere else is well anywhere else 🙂
Sweet, know any good dealers?
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😀
So on the basis of what i am reading the best place is Stroud. just off the M4 corridor so lots of jobs, not far from the M5 to go north, Bristol just to the south, Cheltenham and Gloucester just to the north, and Birmingham not a million miles away, FoD few miles away for a bit more variety, M4/M5 for south west, wales etc.
You're throwing up Straw men.
No one has suggested living anywhere with no trails. Just places with good trails, and access to more within minutes/hours drive if desired.
You're throwing up Straw men.No one has suggested living anywhere with no trails. Just places with good trails, and access to more within minutes/hours drive if desired.
not at all, Stroud has some good trails and going by all the other tick boxes, is the best fit.
Local airport has a scheduled service to Isle of man and the channel islands, bristol and birmingham if you want the alps, americas, etc etc. Heathrow is quite an easy journey to. mainline trains to London. M5, etc etc.
grum - Member
Um no mrmo. There's loads of great riding you can do from the door in Hebden. It's just that you can also do trips further afield when you fancy. One of the main reasons I'm moving is so I don't have to drive to go [s]mountain[/s] [b]hill[/b] biking/walking/climbing.
POSTED 2 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST
FTFY 😉
In terms of riding on your doorstep then Sheffield is hard to beat, but its a fair way from other places. If Manchester wasn't so sprawling I'd say there due to its proximity to the Lakes / Wales / Scotland but as its so big you probably have to drive 30 minutes from wherever to be 'close' to one of those motorway links. Given it only takes 45 minutes (on a good run) to get from Sheffield to Manchester maybe its not that far away.....
Tod and Hebden beats them all especially Hebden....lots of very technical stuff if you know where to go...the hills around Tod has some great climbing to be done..its amazing and im glad i live in this perfect area. :wink:.. i just ignore the valley bottom alienated scroats...but they soon get flushed away when it floods cos we get quite abit of flooding these days...lol...
Having lived in various places around England I think I have found the sweet spot Kendal just getting to grips with the locals and they are not a bad bunch Boozers are a bit hit and miss though.Great transport links(West coast mainline and the M6) Dales very close and obvioulsy trails are rideable from the town.Property prices not to bad as long as you do not mind pebble dash.
Happy Rich
Do we need to factor in how much of the year your house will be underwater?
Pubs in Kendal are ropey, as are Chinese restaurants, otherwise it's hard to beat for getting out and about.
One of the main reasons I'm moving is so I don't have to drive to go hill biking/walking/climbing.
POSTED 2 HOURS AGO # REPORT-POST
FTFY
They might not be big hills near Hebden but they're bloody steep.
http://www.planetfear.com/articles/MTB_Roots_4_of_6_Going_Alpine_in_the_Pennines_1122.html
And I don't plan to live on the flood plain.
Never been that wild about Kendal - it's main quality is it's nearly in the Lake District.
Here, in the middle of the Peak - one the Dark/White Peak border - bridleways 100 yds from front door - what's not to like?
Surely only riding from your door counts in this thread..
so Dorking 😛
Surrey Hills = best and most extensive woodland singletrack in the country...
Plus
the weather is better
the girls fitter
and the beer more fizzy
you earn more money in the south
Sorry, is fizzy beer being considered a plus?
And I thought I'd heard it all...
Mmmmm fizzy beer.....jeebus Southern types are a different bloomin species!!
Living in Stoke is average at best for mtbing....reasonbly close to the Peaks and Cannuck are the best bits. For the rest of life, it's an utter shit hole and I can't wait to move away!
Lancashire
i love a touchy northener..
How about Dundee/Angus:
Good climate, drier than most of Scotland.
Handy for so many parts of the Highlands and the Angus Glens, so epic Munro bagging and glen to glen riding; easy to get to Highland Perthshire and Aviemore, Fairly easy to Torridon, Kinlochleven and Skye. The UK's biggest skiing is at Glenshee, only an hour away. Loads of ski mountaineering within an hour or two.
More singletrack in Angus than Surrey. Way less people too. Riding in and around the city itself, with easy access to heathery hills right on the outskirts. Kulture within easy reach, in Dundee itself, Edinburgh and Glasgow. For roadies- Snow Roads Audax territory.
Aberdeen Angus and Highland Coo beef. I'll have no neigh sayers...
Postierich,
Been meaning to quiz you about Kendal. I am currently over in Ulverston and whilst it has a few charms it is getting a bit wearing now. We keep talking about moving somewhere that direction probably Windermere/Staveley/Kendal. The only downside was hearing people complaining about the locals (although the couple of people I know that way seem reasonable folk).
Going to give it a couple more years to see if the expansion at Glaxo helps house prices even out this side of the county a bit though.
Back to the original question though - Stirling. Still miss the place for the riding and riding buddies. It has some opportunity for decent work, and is commutable to Glasgow/Edinburgh/Perth. The local riding is pretty exceptional and it is generally a very nice environment to live in.
Not the new forest.
Its flat, there's no 'trails' or 'descents' or 'climbs'.
Sometimes there is sand, right now mud, in fact right now there is only mud, mind sapping, leg killing bollock breaking mud. Oh, and don't forget the grim gravel tracks....
Don't come to the new forest, ever... Unless you own a horse!
The above is a statement from the rulers of our kings private hunting ground 🙂
Where I live now - Peebles.
Peebles or similiar would be great- countless excellent trails nearby. But you lose centralness- even south wales is a fair old drive. What's within a day's striking distance is just as important as what's on your doorstep I reckon.
Fair enough Northwind but, I can get to the Lakes in 90mins and get to Perth in an hour which give me all the variety I need.
Although I seem to moan about having no good local riding I honestly am pretty happy with what we have within an hours drive from me in Northamptonshire. Woburn and Chicksands with Aston Hill and Stile Cop a bit further away. Ok so its not really "mountain biking" but its the kind of riding I enjoy most anyway! Loads of great quiet road bike country roads straight from my door as well 🙂
Do we need a new STW, i.e. SouthernTrackWorld ? Riding up north's just bleak, give me the tight wooded singletrack of the south (Swinley, Woburn etc) anyday.
At the risk of being unSTW and sensible,I think we can all agree that we are so lucky to have such diverse riding in such a small country.
If you drove 3 hours from where you are in Australia you will most likely still have the same type of trails as home.
I think somebody has already made the point that riding from your door is only part of the story. I ride from my door at least once a week but that is just for a quickie, if I want something different/more interesting etc. I would get in the car. If you just rode local you would eventually get bored even if you lived at the bottom of some awesome trail. I sometimes ride with local roadies and they drag round the same limited number of routes every week. When I suggested driving somewhere so we could access some different routes, I thought I would be lynched!
So, as ever with most things in life, it is a matter of balance, you need nice close trails but you need easyish access to different riding areas.