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I quite fancy living on the edge of Montriond (where they can’t build any more chalets around you. Then it’s a gentle pedal up to Morzine in the morning hut downhill all the way home at the end of the day. Been all over the world and just like the Morzine area but don’t want to actually live in Morzine.
And living that little bit further out (a mile or so) would give my kids a nice place to grow up. They can be park rats in at the weekends and ski in the winter.
If I never had to work again, but had to live in one place and just prioritise the riding it would be NW Scotland.
Balancing the rest, it's Kendal or the western part of Sheffield.
Keswick has become a second Ambleside, Ambleside is bad enough to visit let alone live in and the Scottish borders are too far from everything.
I might consider North Devon if I got back into surfing.
Anywhere in the world? Northern California, or maybe Boulder, CO.
One of my good mates moved to the outskirts of Vancouver about 4-5 yrs ago and regularly posts North Shore riding in the warmer months and skiing in the winter. Fabulous lifestyle. Although mega expensive to buy in Vancouver. They are moving outside Vancouver as they retire in the next year or two.
We are actually thinking of moving back to Abergavenny/Monmouth region at some point in the near future. Mrs is from that region originally.
We moved to Somerset 6 years ago, and still love it. Quantocks is the backyard; 30 mins to Exmoor and hour to Dartmoor if I fancy a day out. 90 mins to FoD, 2 hours to South Wales trail centres for a weekend away.
Trails hold up pretty well during the winter too.
House prices have risen sharply the last couple of years though.
Staying within China for my work another year max, there's a bike park sponsored by Rock rider on the east coast. It's 125km SW of Hangzhou, near Shanghai.
Get in YouTube and stick in "Brave Peak Bike Park" and there's some videos, not many.
Better than the roadie majority of riding you fibd everywhere.
Pre-pandemic I was planning to move to either Snowdonia, the Forest of Dean or back home to the Brecon Beacons so if in the UK then any of those would do. Abroad I wouldn't have a clue as most places I know don't have biking year-round so would limit their appeal.
Purely from a riding point of view, probably Keswick. That's also considering international locations I've ridden.
Riding in that area of the Lakes is my favouritist thing ever, and it is also scenically beautiful which for me is a big part of why I enjoy riding.
I would take that over a bike park-y type place any day.
Abroad I wouldn’t have a clue as most places I know don’t have biking year-round so would limit their appeal.
Italian Riviera or Alpes Maritimes. Great year-round biking. Can get hot on the low down stuff in mid-summer, but you get used to it if you live there (and like hot weather!!) as you can just do more early morning/evening rides or ride up high.
UK - Somewhere in the Aberfeldy/Dunkeld/Pitlochry triangle. Enough local riding to keep you going for years, and close to the Cairngorms and Loch Lomond areas.
Overseas - Squamish. Less than an hour from Vancouver in one direction, and the same to Whistler in the other. Not exactly lacking in trails/scenery. 😁
Loving all the Monmouth and FoD responses, makes me feel a whole lot better.
Well, I moved to Innerleithen. I love it. Great town, nice people and obviously a huge selection of trails. Winter just means more night rides after work and more bike washes. I am pretty sure I would be very happy in Finale or Aosta, although not so easy to pedal to trails there. Otherwise, I think Rotorua would be right up there.
Honestly as much fun as Whistler / Morzine are, and as techy as Squamish would be, I’d like to explore some new stuff. Do some big days in huge unexplored mountains, making some ‘first descents’. Id like to go somewhere no one else has already been on a bike.
Maybe somewhere remote in the Karakoram? Or perhaps that’s too snowy - Chile? I haven’t really thought this through.