[Closed] Malverns

rain friendly on the hills

Most of the main (and hidden) trails are fine when it's wet. They drain well and are pretty much all weather.
When it is wet I do tend to stay on the higher tracks as some tracks in the trees can be a bit boggy as they don't get too much sun.
I'll be out tomorrow so will try and remember to report back on how it's riding.
Have you got any routes to follow?

Hi stevied,

No, I'm woefully unprepared. Basically I've only got as far as texting my GF and asking if she fancies riding there this weekend. We are both news to the West Midlands and starting to explore the places to ride locally*

*sort of

Sorry to be unhelpful but it's a real mix. The ridge lines are rocky and mud free but then at a weekend are to be avoided to ensure there's no confrontations with and spoiling of flow by walkers. The multitude of tracks that go along either side of the ridge lines are varied surface wise but to be honest non of them will ruin your ride as the mud only lasts for a 20m stretch. The mud gets stickier as you go south down towards the eastnor estate as countless mountain mayhem veterans will tell you.

We are both news to the West Midlands and starting to explore the places to ride locally*
*sort of

Which bit are you in? There's a few of us about

What sort of riding do you want to do? Main issue with the Malvern's is that it's a fair climb to start.
There's a couple of routes on the back on track (local bike shop on West Malvern Rd) website here:
http://www.backontrack-bikes.com/home.html
There's an easy and medium route which are both good as they keep to the weather friendly tracks and combine plenty of decent riding. It takes a while to find where all the really good bits are..
Have a look at the routes and let me know what you think as I should be able to give you a few pointers if you want some extra excitement 😉

@Rocketdog - we moved to a village called Berkswell a couple of months ago. It's between Coventry and Birmingham.

@stevied - cheers I will have a squint (when I've finished the ironing, rock on!). I'm always up for a bit of - ahem - something extra. We will be going at the weekend though so there maybe limits to what we could get away with

Some of the cheeky stuff is actually better to do at the weekend as the walkers don't tend to use them as the 'out of townies' stick to the main paths.
I'll put some info together tomorrow for you. Do you mind some big-ish climbs?

@stevied - no I don't mind at all. That's really kind. My GF will be quite pleased bc I promised to ride my new (to me) Knolly Delirium and the big climbs might slow me down!

Not bragging, I'm not quick but I'm quicker than her

There's a GPS route on MBR that covers some of the main bits: http://www.mbr.co.uk/routes/midlands/gps-route-malvern-hills-315136

I'd recommend starting in the car park by the clock tower on West Malvern Rd. The bike shop is just slightly back down the road and might be a good idea to pick up a copy of the route map.

I'd also recommend, if you want a bit of fast tight stuff, doing the Bracken Run.
It's a bit of a gentle (but long) climb back up to the start point but it gives one of the longest runs down - I love it.

There are also some routes in the Trail Guide section of this site.

[url= http://singletrackworld.com/trailguide/uk/south-west/the-malvern-hills/ ]http://singletrackworld.com/trailguide/uk/south-west/the-malvern-hills/[/url]

stevied & jimster

That's awesome guys, very helpful. STW at its finest in fact.

And not a mention of wheel size anywhere.

Will it be obvious where the Bracken Run is?

Bracken Run is pretty easy to find. See the attached pic..
[img] [/img]
Easiest way to find it is climb back up the tarmac road towards the beacon then at the base of the beacon you'll see a track going off right around the right side.
Once you get to the bench (taking the left track) you can follow the main path straight ahead. On the corner you'll find a track dropping right into the run (you'll see the path clear enough). When you've done the first bit you wan to head towards the big rock on the corner of the hill. This track goes down a fair way (don't turn left at the bench). When you get to the end of this you'll come to a junction with a track left, one straight on and a very rooty section coming down from your right. Go left. At the next junction go left. From here you can keep going around the hill or drop down to the road. Nice, easy pedal back to the car..

Fantastic. That's my Saturday ride sorted out then. Cheers guys.

Enjoy 😀 and let us know how you get on..

I did the medium route that's on the Back on Track Bikes website last week. Nothing particularly technical up there and it was pretty quiet, although it was a week day. I have heard it gets very busy with walkers on weekends.
Enjoyed the ride, gives the legs a good workout and great views if it's a clear day. Posted a video on YouTube. Here's the link.

It is the end of half term, so if the weather is anywhere close to being OK it will be quite busy. The earlier you can start, the better to avoid problems. doing the main ridge paths earlier in the ride would be a good idea.

I'm heading up the Malvern Hills tomorrow. I live so close yet have hardly ridden them, I have been watching footage on YouTube trying to piece together a mental image of all the fun bits.

How did you get on? Weather was good Saturday 🙂

I was up there on Friday for the first time in ages (I'm local, but haven't been riding much) - surprised at just how wet it was. Still not too bad compared to most places when it's wet, but for the Malverns it really is quite soggy. As mentioned above not really anything to ruin my ride, but on one wheel there were some bits I've always been able to ride before but couldn't due to the amount of gloop.

I was up there on Saturday - walking the dog rather than riding, but conditions were good