[Closed] Local trails around Bath?

There's the Landsdown loop that should be good from Oldfield Park, the route is on bikely http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/lansdown-loop503279

There's also some riding up the Uni, and around where i'm based at Conkwell, with a few routes in Conkwell Woods and through Inwood/Warleigh to the route up to Browns Folly, which is another nice offroad ride.

I'm sure others will have better routes to give, but if you're still scratching around for one i will try and knock up a gpx route that takes in the above rides, which is mainly offroad and with some good fun singletrack.

Thanks for all that argee. Glad to hear there are some. The description of the one you've linked doesn't appeal much though - I'm not a big fan of climbs & really like singletrack but a friend has just said they might be able to show us a few trails when there bike is fixed - not sure when that'll be though, so any trails anyone is happy to share in the meantime would be much appreciated!

*technical singletrack

Like singletrack but not climbs? Bath may be tricky... There's singletrack, but you'll need to climb for it and it's mostly steep. Have a look at strava - there's sure to be stuff on there.
Trails in bath tend to get very slippy when wet btw

It's a drive from Bath, or 25 miles along the cycleway, but Longleat probably has the best flat singletrack locally.

Cool, thanks guys. Should have been more specific - I don't enjoy climbs for fitness sake (as it states in the link) but don't mind them if they reward me with some nice interesting singletrack.

Good idea re Strava - will have a look.

Thanks for the heads up on trails in wet. At least Bristol is a short drive for all weather trails.

Again it's probably a drive or train but lots of trails round westbury white horse / earlstoke
Again look at strava

Ashton Court is pretty flat singletrack if you're going to drive. Bath has some great trails, but you need to to appreciate climbing and going up hills to make the most of the trails back down.

Get OS Explorer 155.

Bathford, up to the folly, along, then drop down through conkwell to dundas is much cheek but good. Likewise the bathampton wood next to the golf course behind the uni. You can string the 2 areas together into a loop a few different ways.

Lansdown is (mostly) more open doubletrack, more bridleways, some vaguely technical. A few loop variations up there.

Apart from that its a bit here and there, bannerdown, charmy down, englishcoombe, pipehouse all have obvious track on the map.

Further afield:

Box woods is good for a laugh.

Ashton court, or at least leigh woods, is worth a trip if you like technical steep singletrack (get off the purpose built track and follow your nose).

You could go to westbury. I've been there once and technical singletrack is not the first word that comes to my mind, am I wrong?

Mendips, much technical stuff, easy to find.

Longleat is pretty good, only been a couple of times, not sure I'd find a good ride without a local.

Thanks guys. Sounds like I need to get a bit fitter (which I'm actively working on) to appreciate the local riding then? How steep on average would you say the stuff is? Using trail centres as a comparison, on gradient only, are we talking Afan or Cwmcarn steep climbs?!

Just wondering if going ss is going to be a mistake around here?!

We've moved from Bristol so were pretty spoilt for trails there, but will def go for an explore & see what we can find around here as I'm not a big fan of driving to go riding!

Ha! Oldfield Park, where I grew up.
There used to be good back lanes between the streets which were "singletrack" of a sort and didn't involve climbing but they all seem to have been gated now. Anyone know of anything around Beechen Cliff? Also, easy access to the Sustrans Green Park route that leads out through the Combe Down tunnels now which might give access to some woodsy trails. Not lived there for years now though so my knowledge is a bit rusty.

Well, I can't resist:

vid is weston -> lansdown -> lambridge -> charmy down

Most climbs are country lanes, e.g. to start the route in that vid you've got a climb out of weston that starts on the road but is 20-25%, then turns into a track for the last third, but levels out to the top. Total iro 170m elevation gain so nothing like e.g. cwmcarn. I would have been pushing up the steep bits when I rode SS, but not have gone much slower walking.

ps nice work on charmy down

Like singletrack but not climbs? Bath may be tricky...

Yep! 😀

Climbs can be 20-25% quite easily but only last 10 minutes at most (with the gradient reducing over the course of the climb) rather than several times that in duration like Cwm Carn.

Bear in mind that the suggestions around the Uni, Browns, Conkwell are footpaths and somewhat sensitive.

There isn't much in the way of technical singletrack around Bath. There are lots of short sections that are linked by lanes and Bridleways though. Charmy Down (last descent in the video) is a great example of a short but fun descent. I quite also like the natural rocky steps down from the Racecourse in to Beach (cheeky rules apply). Last Sunday I rode 80km taking in the majority of fun stuff on the doorstep of Bath and didn't get at all bored. I think you just have to be prepared to ride a bit to link up the fun stuff and also prepare for sloppy conditions 😀

A lot of the By-Ways and Bridleways south of Bath are also good fun and make a decent route but but twisty, wooded, technical singletrack is not something that there is in abundance around Bath. Certainly in terms of riding out of the front door.

Seems like a good time to mention the two Weds night group rides if someone from either is around?

Bannerdown is another area to explore. It's right next to the Charmy Down descent so easy to link the two together. Some fun wooded, rooty ways down from the top of Bannerdown and a fun, short rocky cheeky trail down on the North side too... the only proper right of way for us is a right boggy mess of a Bridleway but cheeky routes are much more fun 😉

Bannerdown is another area to explore. It's right next to the Charmy Down descent so easy to link the two together. Some fun wooded, rooty ways down from the top of Bannerdown

Some kids have been busy building this and that up bannerdown so there are a few little variations going south. Little.

Or go off to the nw corner, straight over steway lane, and drop right down to northend (then do charmy)

Hi. Also interested in the Bannerdown trails, any more information please?

That descent down to Beach is a bit of a find (you can carry on to Coldharbour farm which isnt bad), that and Charmy Down byeway are fairly techie if you're after that sort of thing. Pipehouse lane obviously isnt what it once was unfortunately.

Any more suggestions like these?

That descent down to Beach is a bit of a find (you can carry on to Coldharbour farm which isnt bad), that and Charmy Down byeway are fairly techie if you're after that sort of thing. Pipehouse lane obviously isnt what it once was unfortunately.

Any more suggestions like these?

Pipehouse is such a mess and so disappointing to what it has turned in to
😥

North Stoke to Swineford By-Way is short but pretty fun, especially at speed in the dry

The cheeky descent North/ NW from Bannerdown is ok as suggested above

The section from Rudloe Manor to Widdenham Farm by Box is the only other bit of trails with bigger chunks of rock like the descent in to Beach/ Charmy Down that springs to mind.

Actually, the bridelway heading North from Twinhoe in the direction of South Stoke is pretty rocky and fun. Snapped a set of bars there and also snapped a mech cage. Not somewhere with good memories 😀

Bridleway from Limpley Stoke in to Monkton Combe has a very short but quite fun rocky section....

Kind of clutching at straws now for rocky, lumpy stuff 😀 I can't think of any gems that most who've lived locally wouldn't know...

Some nice loops around Castle Combe although I wouldn't drive there expecting Cwm Carn. The Longleat area is the only really wooded stuff besides the aforementioned cheeky (sensitive) trails or Bristol which is within riding distance from Bath (would be a big ride mind!).

Seems like a good time to mention the two Weds night group rides if someone from either is around?

Not been on here for ages and first thing I spot on the Forum. Thanks for helping restore some faith today.

There's several groups that now ride, one from NorthEnd on Mondays at 7. The Raven crew on Tuesday's (from the pub) time I'd need to check. Then Wednesdays, us from Widcombe at 6.30pm, The Others from somewhere different (llama will stick you on the email list I'm sure if you ask) and the Folly Flyers (who organise rides on their Closed FB group).

Indeed lots of lovely trails around Bath, some nice sections of ST if you are prepared to seek them out. Does mean riding some hills and the odd bit of lanes to link them 🙂

After a really nice weekend last week with dry trails, it's all wet again south of Bath, which invariably means slippy rocks and roots, and as much clay based mud as you can shake a stick at!

I may need to investigate north of Bath or Batheaston on some of the trails mentioned above, are they any better in the wet in terms of the clay like mud?

Everywhere is muddy and slippy but South Bath seems to stay claggiest for longest! I wouldn't expect a dry ride elsewhere but if you normally ride the South Bath stuff then it should be at least a little better and more fun with the more North Bath trails

Thanks everyone, if I didnt know what the areas was like after a few days of rain, I might head over there tomorrow to explore at bit?!

Thanks so much for the info guys, especially re the group rides. My husband and I would love to join in for one of those at some point, if that'd be ok? (Probably only one of us at a time, since the other would need to babysit.)

Great to hear there's some local riding, even if it is a bit muddy and hard to find! Think we were really spoilt in Bristol with Leigh woods only a 7 mike ride away, but we're excited to try out some new trails!

Thanks again.