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Rides Report for Saturday and Sunday by Richard Harris

A sunny Saturday morning saw a good crowd gather outside Bridges Youth Hostel. We first picked up a stony lane that wound up to ridge of the Long Mynd. Although involving a long climb the track was nearly all ridable, in fact all tracks we used over weekend were easily ridable and dry. An hour brought us to the viewpoint on Pole Bank, highest point on the Mynd, where although the sunshine was still hazy we could pick out the mountain groups of Wales and see far into England. Beyond the gliding club we turned off  to drop through the forestry to Hamperley, where we picked up the attractive lane that runs along the foot of the Long Mynd through Minton to Little Stretton, with various peeps into the steep-sided recesses of the hills.

At Church Stretton we split up for various cafes, shops and butty-eating spots, all amazingly finding our way to the bowling green rendezvous after lunch. Our way now led onto a cart track to Cwms Farm. This  becomes a sporting bridleway  through the bracken, but still for most part ridable. There are not so many off-road opportunities on this side of Church Stretton, but this loop offers good cycling with excellent scenery. Eventually we joined an old road up from Church Stretton at the Col below Caer Caradoc, and followed it east to the resumption of  tarmac at Willstone. At the hill foot near Comly a few weak souls yielded to the temptation of the Copper  Kettle cafe at Leebotwood, while we of sterner stuff headed across the A49 to All Stretton. Here we entered The Batch - one of the smallest of  narrow valleys incised into the Long Mynd, but one of the loveliest. The bridleway winds along the valley floor for a mile, then shoots up hillside onto a spur of  the main hill. At the top we rested in the sun as we waited for the tailenders  to arrive.

Sundays rides on these weekends is bit like cycling with the von Trapps: you set off with a big group that gradually sheds riders so that by time you get back only few dedicated riders (or those who forgot to bring a map) are still with you. Having done the Long Mynd on the Saturday, we turned our attention to the Stiperstones, the long line of rocky outcrops that crown the ridge to the west. We looped round to end and followed the bridleway  below the main summits, the bulk of us enjoyed a nice suntrap while the combined brains of Lancashire  fixed Simeon’s puncture. Heading up to join the ridge, we then followed the bridleway  northwards taking in views  extending into Wales and enjoying  the long  downhill gradient. This is a really splendid track, but needs to be taken this direction. The only one disappointed was Andrew, who couldn’t find any puddles to ride through.