[Closed] Just moved to Corsham, Wiltshire

You could try the Swindon MBC, they're just down the M4 and seem like a decent bunch. 8)

Can you not get the staff to go out for a ride with you? Or you'll have them beaten? Or press gang the local peasantry? On the threat you'll evict them from their houses?

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[url= http://www.spambiking.co.uk/ ]http://www.spambiking.co.uk/[/url]

Remind me to buy you a new wax jacket, Binners. That one is looking a little tired.

Oh, and OP - http://www.thetwopigs.co.uk/index.html Pigswill on tap!

Get in touch with Chippenham Wheelers, the best bike club in the area. It hillier then you think if you gat out and explore.

Lots of hills round those parts, you just need to go looking. Corsham's a strange place though, be wary.

My Dad lives there, say hello!

Got to be some decent riding around, you can't go far without finding a decent hill.

Quite often do a night ride from Biddestone, which is about 20-30 mins ride away. There this Wednesday as it happens, 7pm by the duck pond for a 2-3h ride.

Drop me an email (in profile) happy to send you a bunch of riding routes.

Stroud, or West Woods near Marlborough

I used to be posted there, Box woods was ok for a bit of a play about. Just look out for the aliens underground... you never know if they'll escape when you are out on a night ride!

I do believe we store a lot of wine under the hills at Corsham.

Once you get North of Corsham, you start to get into the valleys around Ford, Castle Combe, Slaughterford, Thickwood, and other villages. You'll find it's anything but flat! Just look at the contours on an OS map. There's a great little ride from Biddestone down Weavern Lane, up towards Rudloe, then down into the valley and back towards Thickwood and Biddestone. Gets very steep and sketchy in places, and it'll certainly get your heart-rate up. Lots of good pubs, too: the Quarryman's at Rudloe, the White Hart in Ford, the White Horse, (my local) in Biddestone, the White Hart in Castle Combe...
If you're out along the Foseeway, then there's a little hotel/restaurant/tea-room at the Nettleton junction, not too far from Castle Combe, where you can get tea and cake most of the year. Closed at the moment, Caron, the owner is in Japan doing tea and cake making demos. I've been stopping there, even close to Christmas, since 1988, so I know Coo well,
Oh, and if you head from Corsham towards Lacock, there are several good pubs there, with the Rising Sun near the top of a lung-busting climb up Bowden Hill, and there's the canal towpath from just the other side of Reybridge that takes you to Chippenham. The end of the link to Lacock is in dispute with landowners at the mo' though.

Here's an overview of the area North of you, lots of lanes to explore, and bridlepaths that you can link up using the lanes. You can go much further afield, like down to Bath on the road, then back along the K&A towpath to Semington, then back through Melksham to Corsham through the lanes.

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Welcome to Corsham....

First things first.

Hare and Hounds is a good pub.
Jaipur will make anything you ask them

Theres plenty to ride here. However im stuck with my road bike until the funds for the new rig are there!

drop me a message if you want to know more.

Ahh the 'Hairy Mound' .... Been over ten years since I drank there. If it's still there and open you should check out Flamingo Joes club next to the camp. One visit should be enough!!!

I've been here for just over a year and not come across said club?

Welcome to Wiltshire! I recently moved from Corsham a few miles down the road. I've shamelessly plundered MTB Swindon's website for ideas. This route in particular is good for dry summer days and as a basis to expand on. So no good for right now :D[url= http://www.mbswindon.co.uk/ride-castle-combe-sept-2011/ ]link[/url]
One of these days I may actually join MTB swindon for a ride...

There's a nice short loop from Rudloe Manor in Corsham off the A4 up to Colerne using bridleways and lanes, as Countzero's map suggests.
Also happy to send some routes your way if needed, or to provide an excuse to go riding. Email in profile.

Beware the Wiltshire clag. It gets very timesome this time of year. Some of the tracks on the Ridgeway and Marlborough Downs are OK in winter. Plus West woods as mentioned.

I miss the Marlborough Downs. 🙁

Cheers guys, thanks for the ideas. Realised that there is plenty of good hilly stuff within a short drive / long ride, just meant the immediate area.

@Binners. Its great to know you're out there! I see hora is still peddling knock off vehicles. Everyone down here has wax jackets and owns an estate don't you know! I'm back with my own people now, following the community service in South Manchester ;). Basically I'm just trying to recreate a south West version of the SMM. like a grown up version of the inbetweeners!

@Outspoken. I was based at Rudloe Manor and there was a club next to the camp. This is the best part of ten years ago so there is a good chance its not there now.

You shouldn't struggle for riding out of your front door and there is lots to keep you occupied only a short drive away.

From Corsham, Box Woods, Hazelbury Manor, Blue Vein, Kingsdown takes you in to Bath and there's tons to ride in Bath. Check out some of the past Bath threads on here. In the other direction, riding to Biddestone then on towards Castle Combe open ups some nice trails too.

My weekend ride was Bath, Kingsdown, Blue Vein, Hazelbury Manor, Box Woods, Rudloe, Bidderstone, The Castle Combe MBSwindon Loop, lanes to Bannerdown, back to Bath. Quite a nice, long varied route with lots of off-road besides the lanes from Castle Combe direction back to Bannerdown.

There might not be 20 minute climbs but the repetitive short sharp climbs will certainly keep challenging the legs...

You're not far from Longeat.

Give [url= http://www.blackcanoncollective.co.uk/activities/weekly-night-ride/ ]us[/url] a shout 🙂

Oh, and if you are heading to Castle Combe direction I would take the Brideway from Rudloe direction towards the bottom of Weavern Lane but then take the lanes in to Bidderstone and on to Castle Combe- Weavern Lane in to Slaughterford was one of the boggiest most miserable pushes I had to contend with last winter. Didn't bother heading that way in the Summer but best avoided in Winter I would say

is the weather any better down there?

I'm getting seriously fed up with the high peak weather, need to move somewhere where I can see the sky

Thurman, I'm just south of Warminster, next time I'm home (I work overseas) I'll see if I can get out for a pedal.

lordsalop, as llama says, there is a meet tonight at Biddestone by the duck pond starting at 19:00. I will probably be there at 18:59:50 gasping for breath and sweating like it's going out of fashion. Never seem to have enough time from getting home to getting ready and cycling out from Chippenham.

You will need lights. Did I really need to say that?

Hope to see you there.

Maybe a bit far from you but [url= http://www.testvalleytour.com/cool_mtb.htm ]Gorrick Test Valley Tour[/url] this Sunday if you fancy something Andover way.

DanW, I don't know what the bottom of Weavern Lane is like at the mo', I've only walked down as far as the Macmillan Way gate, and down to Weavern Farm, which can also get pretty boggy in the wet. The route I've ridden in the past goes straight on, through the big gate, and down into the valley then up the other side towards Rudloe, before dropping steeply back down to the right before getting to the cottages, and going past Widdenham Farm and towards Euridge Manor Farm. Weavern Lane used to be a bit of a 4x4 playground, as did Summer Lane, before it was resurfaced with road scalpings, which makes it a useful little route to cut off the main road from The Gibb to just before Yatton Keynall.
Still, lots of places to explore, on your own and with others; summer evening pootles out to a pub are especially well favoured. 😀

We've been looking around Corsham the last two weeks but have decided to stay just south of Bristol. I will be spending the odd weekend over there though so good to know I can take the bike.

Weavern Lane West from Collets Bottom Wood then North towards Slaughterford along the Macmillan Way was very, very cut up last Winter. As in knee deep mud cut up by 4x4's and only a few inches in places to pass along the sides.

I would also avoid the Bridleway between Weavern Farm and Widdenham Farm in the middle of Winter as the little stream flooded last Winter- we did have a lot of rain though!

OP, some descents you might like close to Rudloe/ Corsham (some of which CountZero has already mentioned) include:
- The bridleway from No Notion Cottages, through the Larches and through Collet's Bottom Woods
- The bridleway just under Colerne running North East to Euridge Manor Farm. It does end in a footpath which is a bit of a pain though.
- The "lane" which heads west from half way between the A4 and no notion cottages and ends at Widdenham Farm
- Box Woods
- The bridleways around Hazelbury Manor

Should be enough to start exploring very locally 😀

Should have said, names are as they appear on an OS map... explore and have fun 😀

Thanks again guys

Thanks for all the suggestions of routes. I actually assumed there would be lots out there, the local countryside is gorgeous. It was more about finding like minded souls. In Manchester I fell in with a very dodgy crowd, especially that Binners.

Llama and hoodoo, is Wednesday a regular haunt? Could never have made it tonight, got to sort my stuff out post move so will try to get my life in order this weekend.

west woods hey? a few years back when I lived round there, went walking up there with the wife and found a couple 'testing the suspension' of their car...
ridgeways great riding, but real claggy and slippy when wet.

I think you should start proceedings with recreating the legendary South Manchester Massive Bonfire Nightrides, which in all honesty, you could probably do without a bike. All you need are some mahoosive fireworks, a pub with a beer garden and a pissed or clinically depressed landlord and a few hip flasks full of Absinthe. Waxed jackets optional.

As an ice-breaker it's unbeatable 😉

Binners, does your seeming obsession with rural folks wearing wax cotton jackets include Belstaff Trialmaster jackets?
'Cos that's my wax jacket of choice. In black, of course.