Any recommendations for a fun but night time navigable ride in or around?
Although close, Bristol and the Mendip are really two separate venues.
January is really not the best time for Mendip riding. It's pretty crap up there unless you know it extremely well.
I'd head to Ashton Court personally.
Ta, any particular place to head off from that is easy enough to follow/find some routes.
The marked trails in Ashton Court and Leigh Woods are great for a night ride. Easy to follow and nice flow. Nothing too tech or scary(apart from monsters and doggers). Leigh Woods trail starts on North Rd, Ashton Court probabably easiest from the gate house near the suspension bridge or hop over the wall opposite North rd. You can do both easily.
Cheers for the info, looking forward to it.
Bristol and the Mendip are really two separate venues.
Though I have ridden both in the same ride, you can do it with very little on-road though you're looking at at least 100kms, not ideal for at night unless you're unusually keen.
Thanks for the warning IA.
With no local knowledge I was looking for recomendations in [i]either[/i] area that looked promising from a quick google.
Sorry to hijack the hread, but IA can you give me a steer as to the Bristol/Mendips mainly offroadroute?
Interested to know how you get from Long Ashton to the Mendips with very little on road.
Cycle path from Long Ashton to Nailsea, Kenn Moor from Nailsea to Yatton and Strawberry line from there?
That'd be a nice ride on a gravel / cx bike.
Happy with the hijack mattspb, nelim just set out a great ride for the tripster that arrived today. Not gonna be ready for tomorrow however but will add it to the must do's. Thanks all.
Ashton Court and Leigh Woods are you best options for easily way marked trails at night. If you're quick you can do both in less than an hour easy. There are usually quite a few riders out at night and it's all year rideable without getting totally filthy. There is much better riding to be had in the area but the weather takes it's toll and you'd need a local to show you. If you're about in the summer time then there are loads of Bristol folks here that will be happy to show you around I'm sure.
Used to do a regular ride with the Mad Cows on the Mendips every Thursday night, 6:30 from The Crown pub in Churchill, not sure if it's still going (time, fuel costs, and Bridge tolls pretty much put paid to it a few years back), but may be worth a look.
Mad Cows still go out, see them now and then on the trails
Yeap we ride every Thursday night from the crown as above, new riders always welcome, we ride 10-16 miles depending on the conditions and finish up in the crown for a beer 🙂
I also run a group www.ridethemendips.com and we ride regularly on Mendip at the weekends and Tuesday nights in them summer.