2024 Weekly Rides Register
Whether you want to ride a course again or gaze in wonder at what you achieved (or missed out on), we thought it might be nice to build up a simple diary of our Sunday rides.
Alongside a screenshot of the longer route and its corresponding elevation profile, you will find a couple of headlines and a picture which tries to capture the essence of that particular ride. Click on the buttons and you can go to the full gps details for both longer and shorter options.
Easter Sunday: Ludlow out to Witley Court
You approach the Witley Court tea room through the grounds of, and past, the burnt out remains of the spectacular Witley Court palace. Great Witley church, open and next to the Tea Rooms, houses an incredible 1735 Italian Baroque interior taken out of a Middlesex stately home.
You can’t get to Witley Court without some climbing. Even the Shorter route going out mainly on A roads, ideally before they get too busy, has nearly 1,000 metres of ascent. The longer route out explores lanes through Milson, Neen Sollars and Mamble before the café. The ride back along the Teme valley, shared by both routes, is delightful, especially in spring, even with its ups, downs and puddles.
Mar 24: Ludlow out to Wenlock Edge
A good ride to do when you have a brisk WNW wind to blow you home back over Wenlock Edge after a stop at the friendly if small Hollybush café in Church Stretton.
To get there, you’ll ride up the Corvedale, and cross the Edge and Stretton hills before the old Watling Street takes you into Stretton via a tricky A49 crossing.
Quite a lumpy ride particularly on the longer route but lots of wonderfully changing views of the hills as you wind along the beautiful country lanes up around Church Stretton.
Mar 17: Ludlow out to Shobdon Airfield
An anti-clockwise circular from Ludlow out west, especially good if there is a south-westerly to blow you home. Mainly decent roads, although the back lane from Ludlow
Racecourse to Onibury has standing water after heavy rain. The Shorter route is relatively flat for these parts whilst the Longer route tackles Shelderton Hill, a long (but picturesque) slow climb then a frighteningly fast descent.
At the café stop at the inimitable Meg’s on Shobdon Airfield, cyclists will be be outnumbered by motorcyclists, plane spotters and amateur pilots. Great atmosphere although the fayre is fairly basic. Café stop: Meg’s café at Shobdon Airfield
Mar 10: Ludlow out to Wyre Forest
If you ride in these parts, then once in a while you need to tackle Titterstone Clee Hill, the crouching lion of a hill that overlooks Ludlow and is named on the mediaeval Mappa Mundi world map. To the direct east of Clee Hill, the next higher ground are the Ural Mountains!
On the Shorter route, once you’ve climbed Titterstone Clee (mostly avoiding the A456 main road) the rest is not too hilly. The Longer route descends to Bewdley and there then a climb to the café stop. Both routes feature above average amounts of climbing, and are better to do if there an east wind to blow you home. Café stop: the busy Wyre Forest Visitor Centre Café DY14 9XQ
Mar 3: Ludlow out to Wellington
A trip south mostly in Herefordshire, out on the east of the A49, back on the west. You cross the River Lugg both going out and coming back.
The lanes out are pleasant cycling in decent weather but are not good, especially on the shorter route, if there are floods, ice or muddy conditions. The longer route includes the long haul up Bockleton Hill before a lovely descent to the A44. The Wellington Garden Centre café is always busy but does great scones!
Coming back, the route has a fair amount of A4110 although less on the longer option because of the climb over Upper Hill and then home via Leominster. Quite fast home if there is a S or SW wind.
Feb 25: Ludlow out to Kinlet
A tough route around the Clees with a sequence of ups and downs, great from Ludlow when there’s an E/NE wind. Mostly good surfaces except for some rough patches after Loughton near the end. The B/A road start, good when risk of early black ice, can be varied. When weather permits, some great views in all directions.
The long route option route has a very lumpy pre-café extension down to Bewdley and then through the Wyre Forest.
The Kabin at Kinlet is a popular unpretentious café stop for passing traffic and bikers. https://kabininkinlet.co.uk/
Feb 18: Kingsland out to Penyybont
To reach the unique period piece Thomas Shop/Cafe/Museum https://www.thomas-shop.co.uk on the River Ithon in Penyybont, near Llandrindod Wells, this route starts from Kingsland’s Coronation Hall, about 10 miles south-west of Ludlow.
Radnorshire’s mountainous landscape means that A roads there and back are the only viable cycling options. They are not the busiest and the views over wild landscapes are stunning in good weather; surfaces are relatively good and surface water less prevalent if conditions are wet. A decent pace can be maintained with gradients gradual, although there is a fair amount of climbing overall.
If there has been recent heavy rain, you can avoid the wet lane between Kingsland and Shobdon by starting and finishing in Shobdon, about 5km in.
Feb 11th - Ludlow out to Penrhos
Out west near Kington to Penrhos Court, a fine mediaeval house where Queen practised Bohemian Rhapsody in the 1970s, Monty Python’s Terry Jones ran a microbrewery and Mike Oldfield played music! Its huge converted Cattle Shed serves fine coffee and cakes, with a roaring fire in winter https://www.penrhos-court.co.uk/.
The routes feature many country lanes, with their potholes, surface gravel etc - though not Herefordshires worst - so it’s not a fast day out. The long hillier route includes ascents of both High Vinnalls and Wigmore Rolls, worth having decent weather for, whilst the short more direct, routes only significant climbs are the hill up to Penrhos and one shortly after the café.