Shropshire=Pain!

Yesterday I had to go to Minsterly in Shropshire to sort a little business. I was in two minds what to take with me. The Hardy? My favourite trout stillwater is a little further down the road, I haven't been for ages and the hawthorn flies are just starting to hatch. In the end I decided it was too bright so I took my road bike instead. I parked the car, changed and headed towards Stiperstones. The road went up and then up some more. Then it started to get steep and then steeper. I haven't had to use first at all lately not even for that brute of a hill out of Bridgenorth. Here I was grovelling up a hill barely able to get the cranks around and not even 5 miles in! What goes up then has to go down. The blocks got so hot and shiney the brakes were starting to fade by the time I got to the bottom. Then the road went straight back up again. This pattern repeated itself for the next 15 miles. My daughter loves animals so I stopped to take a couple of pictures (1.3MP camera phone) which are below. Eventually I ended up at Bishop's Castle. The blast back along the A488 was epic. Through a village called Hope, I kept a car behind me for 4 miles. I was keeping in but was going so fast he couldn't get past me on the winding road. I averaged 26-35mph all the way along. When I finally pulled in there were only two cars 'stuck' behind me.
Up the last nasty climb and back to the car with a tongue like a stick of rhubarb and so dehydrated I was a fire hazard.

Really enjoyed it though. It reminded me more of my home county of Devon just with different rocks. At The Bog visitor centre I picked up a leaflet. Have any of you Shropshire chaps ridden Eastridge Woods or Hopton Wood? I could be convinced to join you if you fancy it. I will bring something with a gear lower than 42x23 though.

sure I asked you before but where were you from in Devon?

Me? Topsham.

orange71":3a44u1qa said:

sure I asked you before but where were you from in Devon?

Me? Topsham.

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I didn't know you were in exile too! I'm born and raised in Totnes but moved to Dartington when I was 10.

didnt know you were from that way ed

i grew up in torbay , brixham mostly and later paignton . topsham sounds familiar

i miss riding from brixham through to torquay along the coast . head off noon , cruise along the beaches , stop for a few drinks , hit the woods in torquay , stash the bikes somewhere and drink some more into the early hours , watch some chav fights by the harbour and ride back

if i get a chance this year ill endure the 5hour drive just to do that again

depressed now

Group hug! I know I couldn't afford to move back there. The prices in the South Hams are from another world!

All stuck in the Midlands now

I was born in Newton Abbot hospital

Stiperstones & Long Mynd are my local stomping ground. My wife works in Minsterley & I used to work in Bishops Castle so the road through Hope is ingrained on my brain. It's certainly a fast ride back towards Shrewsbury, but its a right bar steward going the other way.

The roads up onto the top of the Stiperstones certainly sort the men from the boys don't they, just when you think its all over you get to the next climb. :shock:

I go to Eastridge and Hopton Woods occasionally but more often do a big loop over the top of the hills and past the glider station with a mad decent down one of the valleys thrown in for grins. If you're into down hill stuff there's a cracking purpose build course at Craven Arms and there's some ace forestry tracks at Ludlow too.

If you're ever over this way again.........

Group hug! I know I couldn't afford to move back there

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:cry:

its a great place to live if you dont want to go anywhere else , because its a massive drive leaving the southwest . i miss being 5mins from the beach . i keep wanting to move back but it is soo expensive when i was living with a mate our rent alone was £800 a month , add all the other costs on and we were spending £600 a month each . it was a huge place though and we did have a view of the sea

at one point i lived here , its advertising the top flat , i had the one bed below

http://www.cosylettings.com/property_layout.php?idx=194

living here makes more sense . its very cheap by comparison and everywhere seems to be 2hours away

ive been giving something like this consideration for when i have a job

http://www.connells.co.uk/detail.asp?ty ... =GRM301817

http://www.connells.co.uk/detail.asp?ty ... =GRM301856

if you look at the map to the bottom is the A1 and gorse lane is the local roadies time trial and links to the bridle paths i ride

you could do a lot worse in these times. I miss the sea sometimes.

Brute hill out of bridgnorth? You mean the hermitage? My regular training roads, went up that 4 mile climb out of hope valley on sunday on the way to bishops castle. try asterton that goes up onto the mynd by the glider station, thats about 25% that bugger!