Exploring the Shropshire Hills by Mountain Bike

The Shropshire Hills boast some really great mountain bike trails, not least on land managed by the Forestry Commission, where you’ll find everything from family fun rides to cross-country and serious downhill challenges. The Commission publishes its own well illustrated guides to bike trails in Eastridge Woods and Hopton Woods, which you can download.

A Love for the Long Mynd from SMN film on Vimeo.

But you don’t have to cycle only in forests – the Long Mynd is criss-crossed by bridleways that provide excellent mountain bike enjoyment and the National Trust publishes a map of suitable routes that you can also download.

If you are planning a longer ride in the Shropshire Hills and doing your own route finding, remember these basic rules:

• You can cycle on bridleways, but always be respectful of other users
• You can cycle on Byways, but you may encounter motor vehicles on Byways Open to All Traffic (BOATs)
• You can very often cycle on forestry tracks, but should stick to waymarked routes
• You can ride on green lanes, or unmade roads
• You very often have the right to cycle on roads that are marked white on the Ordnance Survey map
• You are not allowed to ride on footpaths or disused railway lines, unless the latter have been specifically designated for cycle use
• You should always ride responsibly, braking carefully to help avoid erosion.

If you want to hone your mountain biking skills, Gateway Outdoors runs two-day courses on the Long Mynd, and also rent out bikes. Pearce Cycles near Ludlow sell and rent bikes and run uplift days so you only need to cycle downhill..

Accommodation in and near Ludlow

The Feathers – historic hotel in central Ludlow

Accommodation at Bucknell

Baron at Bucknell – country inn with rooms, including luxury garden rooms

Accommodation at Hopton

Hopton House B&B – luxury bed and breakfast

Accommodation near the Long Mynd

The Bridges Pub, Ratlinghope; Womerton Farm bunkhouse, All Stretton; All Stretton bunkhouse; Castle View guesthouse, Craven Arms.

This product has been developed as part of the Shropshire Hills Tourism Cooperation Project, funded by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs under the auspices of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development. The project is delivered by Gravity Consulting Ltd on behalf of Shropshire Hills and Ludlow Destination Management Partnership.