Sadly one of the downsides of being a pilot is the need to live relatively close to base. For many years I was based out of London Stansted and living up the road in Cambridge. Sure there are crew members who live much further from base with me, but personally for quality of life I wouldn't want to live much further than 30-45mins driving time. The anti-social hours are hard enough at times without any extra time spent commuting.
Now Cambridge is a great city for cycling, but it's flat, very flat and although I did a lot of road biking, I was really missing the hills, and the challenge of off road. So when the opportunity to transfer to another operator in Manchester came up I took it, and I now live within 30 mins of the Peak, and just over an hour to the South Lakes or Pennines. Perfect location, and although no off-road ride from the door, having such a wide variety of riding within less than an hours drive makes life so much better and I now look forward to my down time an awful lot more.
I live just outside Newbury. The road riding is fantastic. I can do fun MTB rides out of the door in the drier months, or lovely gravel rides. It's not exactly mountainous but hilly enough. Wouldn't fancy a flatter area. Have lived in the Lakes in the past, loved it and loved mtb's but these days I don't MTB much...chicken or egg, not sure...the area works for us as a decent compromise.
Yep, I just like riding bikes. So as long as I don't live in the middle of a motorway with no other roads to ride from then I am okay. I like road riding, gravel riding and off road riding so there is always going to be one of those.
Not a chance - riding from the door is my lifeblood.
Sadly I do, here in shitty Stowmarket.
If I'm riding a bike it's never, ever rubbish. (It can be trying when up to your oxsters in the local clay).
More of this required "grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference".
I would be more concerned about general land access rights than riding specifically.
I used to live in Leamington spa. I got by but spent too many weekends in the car for hours at a time to get to the biking. It was fine but boring and had a hefty dose of climate guilt. Having now moved, the much bigger effect has been on climbing not biking - you can do biking in any weather but driving 2 hours to find wet rock and turn around really isn't worth it. I do miss the easier access to places like bike park Wales which is now too far for a day trip. Anyway moving was a really close run thing, having left behind some really great friends, but overall my quality of life is improved by easy access to hobbies; I can still visit the friends and come home on the train, not covered in mud!
Ironically Leamington now has decent flow trails in the town centre!
Is there anywhere that’s not red (350m+) on that, that has good MTB riding?
Surrey Hills, North Downs, South Downs
Elevation isn't huge but the hills can be steep. Plus there's tonnes of xc stuff and surprising amount of rights of ways (though not always joined up). Huge MTB scene and trail building.
Comes at a cost. Heavily populated part of the country, overuse of trails, lots of conflict with walkers and land owners.
Also where I am much is army land and it's a constant battle with DIO who want to kick everyone off the land (their playground yes, but they're public access common lands mostly).
Still, I can usually find quiet rides and always stumbling on new areas or trails. Can also link almost everything up around Surrey and NE Hampshire mostly off road.
I've been living pretty much in Cannock Chase (right next to castle ring) for the last two years so been a bit spoiled. Moving to Manchester in the new year and still haven't fully come to terms with not being able to ride straight out my front door into some mud.
Ironically Leamington now has decent flow trails in the town centre!
Where? The whole place was flat as a pancake and full of nimbys.
Though,it's been a decade and a half, maybe they all died.
Prob not rubbish, but I've always grumbled about the local riding not being 'real' mountain biking in all the places we've lived. Sussex, Surrey, Warks and now Oxon. But then I look back at pics of great rides, and you make do.
If we move again though, I reckon it will be somewhere remote around Exmoor, to be nearer the folks.
Lived on the Hampshire/Surrey border for 30+ years - lots of good road and offroad riding - I could ride all the way to the Surrey Hill, SDW or coast offroad. Good road riding too if you know the back lanes, plus lot of people to ride with.
I did work on the fens for a bit, near Huntingdon and north of Ely- glad I didn't move there, as the attitude of some drivers and being flattened by a tractor being driven by a 16 year old pot-head was highly likely.
I'm now stuck in a place with just one road, a circular loop so it's down to turning left or right from the end of my road. Offroad is worse, just a few disconnected forest tracks and virtually no single track. In comparison to where I previously lived, I barely ride my bike. But then again, I can sea kayak, run up a mountain or on a day where it makes getting the bike out, it is glorious. Plus I can jump on a ferry across to Ardnamurchan or Morven for some great gravel.
I would be more concerned about general land access rights than riding specifically.
Yeah, this. I have riding on the door... but it's often closed. Currently it's been closed for half a year....and I have probably ridden once in that half year. Not been motivated enough to drive to trails and not had much availability due to reasons.
So if I could choose again, it would be trails from the door that were not subject to closures. Or pick a different sport that also was immediate to the locality.
Ha yep, it's a strange life isn't it. I'm on for Lossie next, but much can and probably will change. Who knows!
Yes, I do.
Wish we didn’t but the house was something we couldn’t pass up and have always needed to travel at least 30 mins to trails! Recently there’s been a pumptrack created nearby though so facilities are improving!
I can do a 10 mile circular on the roadie and climb 12ft in that time 😂
Where? The whole place was flat as a pancake and full of nimbys.
Though,it’s been a decade and a half, maybe they all died.
The Newbold comyn golf course (the one hill in leam) closed a few years ago. Last year they added bike trails with some British cycling funding. Yes I believe it did get quite toxic with some dog walkers who didn't want to share and some riders getting overly defensive, but it got through and built in the end. Obviously it's only 30s to 1 min runs but if I still lived there it would be transformative (and I think they have indeed proved wildly popular)
I'd avoid it if I could. I know Cannock Chase isn't exactly the Peaks but I can get off road in 3 minutes and other than a few crossings I could be off road for hours without touching tarmac. When we last moved we looked at Stafford but would have meant driving to the trails, or a less pleasant road ride. Luckily a house cam up a couple of streets down from our old one that was a 1 minute ride from the chase.
I suppose I'm an extreme example where I'd rather not even have to ride a significant distance let alone drive, if I lived 20 miles away from any good off road I'm not sure I'd even bother.
I spent 22 years of my MTB life living in Enfield, North London and could be on dirt within 2mins of leaving the house into a network of green spaces: parks, woods, farm tracks, bridleways, footpaths etc. I loved the ability to pick and mix my riding across a mish mash of multiple spaces that most people only accessed singularly. I hardly had to touch tarmac to link them all together. We used to do trips to the Welsh/ Scottish trail centres / Alps every so often for some proper mountain bike terrain.
Now in Stroud, Glos. and ride from the door accessing a similar network, just with more hills and prettier. No desire to travel to ride, I enjoy the familiarity of local trails throughout the seasons.
I would not drive to ride.
I own an XC bike not a gnarpoon as it's the best tool for my doorstep riding.
I'd avoid living somewhere I couldn't ride from the door, if I did live somewhere without doorstep riding I'd likely take up another sport / hobby, but I'd always own a bike of some description.
The Newbold comyn golf course (the one hill in leam) closed a few years ago
Ahh, just found a video, looks like it's in the same place/corner/not far from the old pump track (think that got bulldozed though).
I would be more concerned about general land access rights than riding specifically.
Dances in Allemansrätten...
Then goes and rides pretty much anywhere.
Yeah, lived in North Lincolnshire for 6 years. The road riding from the door was nice, but not much MTB. Still, it is what you make it, plenty of bits of woodland to mess about in. Just have to be fitter to ride the flat trails fast.
Now I live somewhere incredible for MTB, but with an inevitable short drive. I do miss the endless country roads and riding from the door.
My from the door is a very long beach with some sandy singletrack. Yes I have a fatty. Not sure if up to it now, but during lockdowns I was able to get to the Tweed from the door, but usually went to the Lammermuirs. It's a good place to live.
Ahh, just found a video, looks like it’s in the same place/corner/not far from the old pump track (think that got bulldozed though).
4X track was rebuilt as part of the same works!
I spent 22 years of my MTB life living in Enfield, North London and could be on dirt within 2mins of leaving the house into a network of green spaces: parks, woods, farm tracks, bridleways, footpaths etc. I loved the ability to pick and mix my riding across a mish mash of multiple spaces that most people only accessed singularly. I hardly had to touch tarmac to link them all together. We used to do trips to the Welsh/ Scottish trail centres / Alps every so often for some proper mountain bike terrain.
Now in Stroud, Glos. and ride from the door accessing a similar network, just with more hills and prettier. No desire to travel to ride, I enjoy the familiarity of local trails throughout the seasons.
I would not drive to ride.
I own an XC bike not a gnarpoon as it’s the best tool for my doorstep riding.
I’d avoid living somewhere I couldn’t ride from the door, if I did live somewhere without doorstep riding I’d likely take up another sport / hobby, but I’d always own a bike of some description.
Very well put @qwerty
Where i live there's no Gnar.. well, a few tiny bits... but no real hills.
That said, the Ridgeway i can see from the bedroom as to get to my first trail is 1mins cycling from my door. So that's brilliant. I can ride for 8 hours in a loop with barely crossing a road or seeing people if i choose. Apart from the lack of techy trails, where i live is exceptional. I know i seem to spend every single weekend away from home these days... but that's only because of the situation in which we find ourselves. Not through being forced. I'd happily ride here week in week out.
I used to live near Guildford, so had the Surrey Hills and Swinley forest near by, but i also had high property prices, very busy roads had a commute to work.
I married a Norfolk girl and moved to North Norfolk, not far from Holkham/ Wells next the Sea, as we could afford a much bigger property, my wife could work in a much friendlier hospital, it was a much nicer place to raise my daughter and she had family close by to help when she was young.
I thought i'd hate the lack of proper mountain biking, but as many have said above, the Breckland area of North Norfolk isn't flat, I can do 1000m of climbing in 80-90 miles, not huge, but no flat, everyone thinks Norfolk is the Fens.
But we do have miles and miles of bridleways, so i ride an SS gravel bike most of the time, and we have some of the best beaches in the country, so kayak and sea swim a lot.
I can ride on the road and see 5 cars in 50 miles if i choose the right route, ride on the road where i lived in Surrey and you'd have constant stream of cars behind you all angry to get past.
So whist i don't have many "gnarly" trails, i can still ride miles and miles off road, bivvy next to a stunning sandy beach and drink in some great pubs, and having come from Portsmouth, lived in London, Guildford, Spain, North Yorkshire, Aldershot and Colchester (another ex-military) it is the place i have found myself most settled in years and the people are the friendliest to.
I live in a terrible part of the country for mountain biking, if I'm honest - jut to the North of Peterborough, so on the edge of the fens.
Go east & it's just pan flat roads & headwinds.
Bridleways near me are few & far between & the ones there are, are hard to link together into a variety of loops. Many of the bridleways just get to a main road & stop. Or you can link stuff together using public footpaths, which are normally mega-wide tracks around the edge of fields.
If you keep going West towards Stamford & Oakham, the terrain gets more undulating & there are a ton of decent bridleways - but still gravel bike territory, rather than gnarpoon.
If I had taken this kind of thing into consideration when moving here, I wouldn't have. But, got a job in Cambridge after graduating from uni (not Cambridge) and wasn't really into cycling massively at that point.
Had I been, I definitely would have looked for jobs in areas of the country where there were more cycling opportunities.
I sort of do...North Leicestershire isn't Wales/The Alps/Tweed Valley...but I have (admittedly flat) wooded singletrack 5 mins ride from my house and can head out for a couple of hours on the MTB and have a quite nice time on admittedly cheeky trails and there are a few hills in Charnwood.
The road/dirty lanes/gravel riding is actually pretty good and a boon in winter when everything is underwater.
The one thing that became abundantly clear during COVID is that my village has really good access to green spaces without getting in a car, it's just that MTBing is seen as an annoyance by the powers that be.
I live on the Eastern edge of Derbyshire, so have Peak District road riding within 15 miles of home and disused railway lines from the end of my street which lead towards the Peak in one direction, and Nottinghamshire woodland (Sherwood Pines etc) in the other.
I think you have to cater hobbies to the strengths of where you live (or move). I've got local friends who are into surfing, and we live about as far away from the sea as possible in the UK. Similarly I used to do a bit of Winter climbing until I got sick of driving to Scotland...
Dead centre of Wales, which is amazing for riding, but not so great for work, schools, healthcare etc.
Lived on the Fylde coast for a while - that was a struggle to find any offroad riding at all!
TBF, other interests took over e.g. sailing instead of MTB.
Another from north Leeds here.
There's a brilliant network of trails in and around the North/West suburbs, little pockets of woodland, twisty singletrack, some rocky/rooty XC-tech, some short, fun descents. I can be on the trails within 100m from my door, and TBH, that's priceless; the ability to get out onto fun trails for anything from 20 minutes to 3 hours is just great.
There's steeper off-piste stuff 40 minutes ride away (doesn't hold up so well in the wet). Stainburn is 20 mins drive; Ilkley 30 (or ride out, train back). Long gravel/XC moorland half-full days are doable from the door. Calderdale, North Yorks Moors, northern Peaks all accessible within 1 hour 15 via train/car.
Riding (and, to a lesser extent, trail running) several times a week, usually 3-6 rides, is really important to me to get, even a quick (30-45 mins) fix of exercise fresh air, escape, reset, being in the woods, whatever the weather, and somewhere with decent access to that would absolutely be amongst the top priorities if moving.
I'm in SE London so have to travel for proper hills. Plenty of great bridleway/road riding from the door and the bright lights of that London half an hour the other way...
Mrs Davy90 likes to visit the sticks but being a city girl at heart, has no intention of moving there... I make do with a couple of weeks a year in the mountains for a proper fix, but I'm ok with the lumps and bumps of Surrey, Kent and East Sussex.
I grew up in Macclesfield which is right on the edge of the peak so had great hilly riding from the door. That's what got me into MTB in the first place. (This was way before most of the off piste emerged in Macc forest....however we were involved in building one of the first runs in there)
When I moved to Leeds originally I thought it was no good because the hills were smaller.... however now I think the riding is in fact overall better. Reason being there is so much suburban singletrack and tech. The route possibilities are almost endless. In Macc although there were bigger hills, there was less variety.
So, interesting that places that you think should be relatively crapper for riding can sometimes be as good or even better.
I do live somewhere where the riding is rubbish. At least that's what other people say. I enjoy it, but when I do get out to somewhere where the riding isn't rubbish, it's always sooooo much better.
I did live somewhere with rubbish riding, partly before I got into MTBing, and a bit afterwards cos that's where the job was (and it was a great job, at least in parts). But I won't again, at least not until I'm in a care home.
Plenty of people live near Swinley 😂
South Lakes, not too shabby ;P
jist need to ride my bikes again! 2024 is the year!
could do rolling wooded rides and a spot of gravel but pan flat would be soul destroying, more so for walking. Nowt like a pie and snifter in a summit shelter
Lucky enough to be right in the heart of the Calder Valley so loads on the front door from steep techy woods to XC loops on the tops, and plenty of hills. Plus I dislike road riding So no I couldnt TBH!
Everything is relative. I lived in Bolivia and then the Dominican Republic. Both, but especially Bolivia had endless amounts of dirt roads, singletrack, long downhills and all kinds of stuff. That was a long time ago now though. Compared to that Gower and Wales is pretty low key - but even though it’s tiny, Gower does have a good network of off road riding so, even though it is very tame, it keeps me happy. Further afield we have the rest of Wales for weekends. I do rely on Scotland for longer trips.
I wouldn’t want to live anywhere where there was less easily accessible riding unless it was compensated for by, say, much better sea kayaking.
Ipswich here. Very flat. Nearest decent ride is Surrey Hills (2.5hrs away) but make the most of the XC for fitness. Was looking at moving to FoD in 2020 but lockdown put paid to that. Recent family illness issues have pretty much put the final nail in a move anytime soon unfortunately.
Lucky enough to have an understanding employer, and means I get a lot of long weekends away with MrsReady to various bikey places - which is nice.
Nope. A few years ago I turned down a significant promotion offer to stay up here in the wilds, simply to keep ready access to the hills and trails. The offer required moving to a city in NW England and to be fair, the decision to sit tight was easy, even for double the pay..
Living in Angus, north of Dundee, we have everything nearby. Trails right from the doorstep and then within less than an hour drive away, Munros to ride and freedom to roam on the bike into properly remote land. Dunkeld is well under an hour away by car and I have been known to ride there to get trails, then ride home again. Deeside is fine for a day trip, including everything from steep woods to big mountains. It's just great. We often do Highlands bikepacking trips from the door. Roads are quiet and well maintained; there's endless gravel routes on mixed terrain in Strathmore and in the Sidlaws before looking further afield into Perthshire. Even the Tweed valley is within reach for a special, occasional treat.
Glenshee is nearest for skiing on lifts, with very good touring and backcountry steeps accessible from the roadside. There's good xc in the woods and on hills a few times a year; sometimes from the house too. Canoe, kayak, swimming, running; all readily available.
Reasonable employment opportunities exist in Dundee, well within easy cycle commute distance. Although nowadays I'm a contractual homeworker, opening up even more flexibility. Travel away when I have to is straightforward, as Dundee is on the main lines to Glasgow, Edinburgh and Kings Cross. I am incredibly lucky to have managed to live this life.
I’d really struggle to live somewhere flat and featureless for many reasons, unless I really had to. I think I’d lose my mind if I lived in the flatlands of Lincolnshire/Norfolk or the like.
Presumably your riding interests and/or patterns would change. Rather that the quick MTB at 6pm on a sunny tuesday eve in summer you'd plan your MTB around long weekends of epic stuff and do more gravel/road stuff close to home? As you get older your interests and fitness changes, families appear, then grow up and disappear etc all of which means you do different stuff. Many of us ride less now than we used to - even if its on our doorstep.
If you do live somewhere boring, what took you there and what’s stopping you leaving. Work, family, you actually like it?
To me living in the heart of London or another big city would be worse than in some flat rural area. Perhaps if there were not so many hills running might be more fun! Or the Norfolk broads would open up leisurely water sports in ways a mountain might not. Only by moving round the country did I come to realise just how much the weather changes in short distances, I can see that slightly warmer and drier, with more winter daylight might offset some of the downsides of geographic dullness.
A flat village is probably more lacking than a town or city, at least in urban areas you can hit stair sets and practice drops, and skinnies etc.
No. I love the riding where I live (SE Manchester, on the Peak District boundary), great MTB and gravel riding from the door, it's about 80 yards to the canal towpath for easy traffic free access and apparently there's good road riding, if such a thing floats your boat. My head needs the space more than I could comprehend somewhere dull. Mrs FBJ's family live around the Humber estuary area and I can see why all the local yoofs love boy racer cars and drugs as the landscape offers as much inspiration to do anything else as a padded cell.
Presumably your riding interests and/or patterns would change. Rather that the quick MTB at 6pm on a sunny tuesday eve in summer you’d plan your MTB around long weekends of epic stuff and do more gravel/road stuff close to home? As you get older your interests and fitness changes, families appear, then grow up and disappear etc all of which means you do different stuff. Many of us ride less now than we used to – even if its on our doorstep.
No doubt they would change, but as I said in my OP, I'm drawn to hills and trees, regardless of biking. Just driving through the fens depresses me, my head would implode living there.
52 yo and some years I barely turn a pedal for various reasons, other years I'm mad for it. This year I think I've ridden more than any year previous
Everything is relative. I lived in Bolivia and then the Dominican Republic. Both, but especially Bolivia had endless amounts of dirt roads, singletrack, long downhills and all kinds of stuff. That was a long time ago now though. Compared to that Gower and Wales is pretty low key
I think you're being a little too literal there, gowerboy. I realise that the local riding may not be as good as Bolivia (I don't know, never been there) or Canada or the Alps or wherever, but from where you live you have an easy ride to three decent areas of permitted MTB trails, graded red+, or plenty of unofficial trails, short drives or long rides to several trail centres, miles of hilly off-road rides. Maybe not actually from your door but certainly we're not short of great riding. I think we're pretty lucky around here!
Cambridgeshire, similar I could go out the door and explore quiet roads and gravel tracks for seemingly ever.
The road riding is really superb around here, hundreds of miles of interconnected b-roads / lanes all over the county and all the neighbouring counties. Plus, one of the driest places in the UK. Same with BWs, lots of options in every direction.
Proper MTB, naff all, but you just use what you have.
No doubt they would change, but as I said in my OP, I’m drawn to hills and trees, regardless of biking. Just driving through the fens depresses me, my head would implode living there.
Driving through is miserable, but that's a blessing because all the through traffic has been channeled onto the straightest, dullest roads possible.
I used to commute from St Neots to Huntingdon and it was (most of the time, the odd driver excepted) a genuinely nice road ride without even having planned it (work booked the accommodation). Just ~10miles of quiet lanes.
Similarly I'd get koomoot to generate gravel rides and it never delivered a crap one, lots of ways to link together farms, the lap round Grafham water, wind farm access roads, etc.
Obviously zero "MTB", but if you really wanted gnarr there were huge dirtjumps hidden away in seemingly every village.
Plenty of people live near Swinley 😂
Which really is the main problem with Swinley 😂
Back in the old days people were discouraged to go due to permit prices or the masses from London would just pootle about with the family on the fireroads. Then it became a trail centre, even if Crown Estate still kid themselves it isn't😄
I think you’re being a little too literal there, gowerboy. I realise that the local riding may not be as good as Bolivia (I don’t know, never been there) or Canada or the Alps or wherever, but from where you live you have an easy ride to three decent areas of permitted MTB trails, graded red+, or plenty of unofficial trails, short drives or long rides to several trail centres, miles of hilly off-road rides. Maybe not actually from your door but certainly we’re not short of great riding. I think we’re pretty lucky around here!
I agree. We are pretty lucky and I did sound a bit ‘flat’ when describing the riding in and easily accessible from Gower/Swansea. I ride from home more than ever now and for a tiny place, Gower is blessed with loads of bridleways.