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Intending to ride the Marcher-Castles Way in May, 4 days riding, starting in Ludlow and planning on using my hardtail in a slightly 'gravelised' format* - 2.10 wide Thunder Burts, inner bar ends/hooks, Tailfin, handlebar bag. Not camping so will travel light.
Had thought about using my gravel bike (gen 1 Topstone carbon) but think I'll need the hardtail for the bumpy stuff.
Anyone done it? Handy hints and tips? Bike/tyre choice etc?
Did it over 2 days last August starting/finishing in Church Stretton....sunny and dry, hard ground. I did it on a short travel full suspension 29er with rekon race xc tyres as that's what i had available. I also traveled light and overnighted in an airbnb in ludlow.
Given the routes location, the views are stunning but I've mixed feelings on the riding itself, certainly preferred the riding on the trans cambrian i also did last year. Maybe my preconceived ideas were wrong but it was a lot more gravel & road than i was expecting and, despite the many climbs, i never felt i was 'rewarded' on the downs, certainly no advantage to really having an FS bike (last descent off the long mynd was a disappointment as it was steep, narrow and overgrown...seem at odds with all the other descents).
So with that in mind and bearing in mind I dont have a gravel bike, i say the gravelised hardtail is a good choice as there's still a lot of steep long climbs where the lower gearing would be beneficial and, over a long route, it could aid with comfort. I certainly used the dropper post too.
4 days for us, B&B not camping. Mate was on his SC Hightower, I was on my Nukeproof Digger. At the end of that tour I sold it and bought a steel hardtail instead! I'd agree with @nuke that the route seemed to have more ups than downs and the descents were not that interesting- although on the rigid gravel bike, maybe no bad thing. Trans-Cambrian is a far more MTB route for me, but if I did M&C again, I'd be taking the hardtail even tho it'd be slower on the road.
We did it from Knighton (closer to home) and the 2nd day was a brutal 1850m of climbing seeming climbing the Mynd from three different directions. Definitely got easier on the Shrewsbury side of the route.
We went this time last year and the weather was amazing. Tracks were hard. Would have been a slog in the mud.
Wrote a thing about our experience: https://www.pickled-hedgehog.com/marches-and-castles-tour-subtitle-hills-so-many-many-hills/
Ive not done it myself (yet) but will prob do bits of it as its my back yard. I watched this a few weeks back. Although a different timeframe I think it is quite insightful