what ride would you do?
Bit of background, I'm going up with my wife who's attending a conference so will be free while she's there. Thought I'd take a cross bike for a flexible ride and maybe mix up some gravel and roads - I don't want to be ending up coming back to the hotel dripping mud and with a filthy bike.
Is it possible to ride out of the city a bit on tow paths, do a bit of hard pack off road with some road linking sections and then come back a different way?
Will be in early March.
Miles of canals, that's the easy option. You can do the canal to University then take paths and tracks over Woodgate Valley towards Clent. But, it'll be muddy in March.
If you want to stay clean I'd bring a road bike and head out towards Worcestershire or to Warwickshire. Lots of nice country roads and cafes to visit.
Canal out of the city centre on Sustans 535 then onto 534, through Newhall Country park and into Sutton Park. Could always then head over to Kingsbury water park before returning to Birmingham.
Pull wheelies outside the library.
A loop on the canals is good. You can go out and under Spaghetti Junction and back in, in a circle. It's all pretty interesting. Start wherever there's parking, head into the canal basin for tea and do a big loop.
Train to Hednesford takes 45 mins, chase is 10 mins away from the station.
If it's reasonably dry you wont be much muddier than you would on the canal tbh, and much less likely to be robbed and/or killed.
Sandywell park be good on the cross bike/roads around there way to busy to ride.