UK Mountain Biking

[Zed]

All right so I couldn't find a better area to post this under.

I'm about 10-15 years from retirement depending on financial needs. I've been in Australia since I was 13, I'm a UK citizen have the passport etc. Everything is crazy out of control price wise here in Aus and I can't ever afford to buy a house in Aus anywhwere I would want to live, so it seems - despite having a pretty good paying job. I was out of the market when it shot up (divorce) and there isn't much I can do it about as a single dude.

Anyway, I look back to the UK and housing is much more affordable to my wallet so I'm looking around at where I'd want to live. I generally use Trailforks to find places to ride. I can't find much in the way of dense trail areas though in the UK, despite it looking pretty good on youtube.

As a prime example, Surrey Hills, which is talked about a lot on UK youtube channels including by Rob, I look on Trailforks and I get the below. It doesn't seem like much, it seems about equivalent to my local here, but that's not saying much.
Is there a lot in Surrey Hills, and the UK generally, that just isn't on Trailforks? Can people recommend areas in the UK that are good places to live (not just visit) if you're a mountain biker? Is there some other mapping I'm missing?

 

[The Hodge]

Doesn't this also depend on your job?
There are loads of great area's further North ..where the hills & mountains get a good bit bigger ..
The Lake District in N.W.England .
Northumberland ..North Pennines & The Cheviot Hills ( where you get more bang for your buck in terms of housing ) ..
The Scottish Borders which has the 7 Stanes centres ..and the riding hot spot of The Golfie at Innerleithen ..
Living in the aforementioned Northumberland I'm within a couple of hours travel time to all of these areas ..as well as having excellent trails on my doorstep .
However if I had to choose just one area to live in and location wasn't a consideration work -wise then the North West Highlands of Scotland would be my No.1 choice ..but being semi -retired and of pensionable age there's no chance that I would up-root at this stage of my life ( nor would the missus consider leaving behind very close family ) ..
That's my tuppence worth ..for what it's worth ..

 

[cozzy]

I retired last year and am looking at moving to south wales.
Currently live in the south, it ok for riding, but not brilliant.

 

[Zed]

Doesn't this also depend on your job?
....
That's my tuppence worth ..for what it's worth ..

Nah doesn't depend on my job, we're talking about retirement

Thanks, tips on areas that UK people would choose are exactly what I'm after.

 

[Zed]

I retired last year and am looking at moving to south wales.
Currently live in the south, it ok for riding, but not brilliant.

Yeah Wales looks good both in terms of riding and price for housing.

I feel the draw to East Anglia for less rain, coming from Aus But I think not much riding there.

 

[RustyMTB]

You need to elaborate on what kind of riding you want to do. Different areas, different vibes.

 

[Zed]

North West Highlands of Scotland

So you mean like Inverness? Or further west?

I'd love to have a close family I couldn't leave behind... not my situation though...

 

[The Hodge]

Further west ..Fort William and beyond ..but it does get very remote the further North & West you go from there ...

 

[Zed]

You need to elaborate on what kind of riding you want to do. Different areas, different vibes.

All the riding. I guess I gravitate to man-built tech/flow trails, but we just don't have big country where I am in Brisbane. I think I'd love to ride open country on grassy plains and hills, but not something I've experienced. Here it's all forest. ALL FOREST. No trails really in any other environment. I guess for retiring the plan is options for all the above in driving distance, with regular trails close to home to keep active on.

EDIT: Love tech I guess more than jumpy stuff, proper gnarly tech I don't know I've seen a lot of but it would be where I'm leaning.

 

[RustyMTB]

Based on that, I'd pick somewhere round Bath, Gloucester, that way. Loads of open trail riding, Forest of Dean on the doorstep & south Wales nearby for the bike parks.

 

[Zed]

Further west ..Fort William and beyond ..but it does get very remote the further North & West you go from there ...

So I guess from what you're saying here, there is a lot more decent riding in Fort William and beyond, that is not on trailforks?

There is not much there on TF. But I guess if people don't post stuff up it's not there. I think it's different in Aus where trails are very intentionally made and end up mapped. Probably ancient trails all over the UK.

 

[Craig_85]

Rusty's suggestion is good.

Forest of dean, loads of off piste to explore. Wrekin near Telford for steep too. Church Stretton area would probably satisfy your grassy hills/nit in a forest riding without resorting to flat bridleways...

Of course you also have bike park wales and plenty of trail centres to explore for built flow stuff.

Depending where you want to live/work, slightly further east in the cotswolds might be nice, but a drive to the trails mentioned obviously.

 

[The Hodge]

I wouldn't get too hung up on trailforks ..the North West of Scotland is probably the most mountainous area of the UK ..if I lived another hundred years then I probably couldn't ride everything that's available ..if you want a good flavour of what is available then look up and subscribe to McTrail Rider's..You Tube channel ..you also don't have to worry too much about access ..everything in Scotland is "open"..and there are more trail centres than you can shake a fist at ..

 

[Zed]

look up and subscribe to McTrail Rider's..You Tube channel

I will do, thanks...

 

[Weeksy]

Yup, maybe Ludlow area too

Based on that, I'd pick somewhere round Bath, Gloucester, that way. Loads of open trail riding, Forest of Dean on the doorstep & south Wales nearby for the bike parks.

 

[Mikerb]

I realise your main requirement was to move somewhere with access to good mtb but maybe you need to think about overall quality of life.
Weather patterns are pretty variably across the UK and if you are used to Aussie sunshine you may find some areas of the UK pretty lacking in that!!
My choice when I retired was Dorset because my lain sport for over 30 years was windsurfing.........MTB was my fall back for no wind days................or kayaking. I gave up windsurfing at 72 years because I could no longer guarantee I could self rescue and swim kit back a couple miles at sea in strong winds..............MTB, then EMTB became my main sport. Being central south coast ( and in my case only 1.5 miles inland) the weather is probably the best in the UK in terms of sun. My mtb here is mostly local forests but there are also some fabulous Jurassic Coast rides. Then have Van, have travel for a change.
Downside might be house prices!!

 

[Ou812]

I lived just outside of Fort William for a few years, most of the really good trails aren’t on Trailforks. I honestly wasn’t a huge fan of the west coast though, it rains a lot and the few weeks of nice weather in the summer is ruined by the midges. My dogs wouldn’t leave the house in the summer because they’d get eaten alive my wife took a job on the east coast and we moved to Inverness. There’s tons of trails all within a 30-45 min drive of the city, most aren’t on Trailforks though. You can search “mast Inverness” on YouTube for the local spot. I ran into Joe Barnes and Danny MacAskill up there earlier this week. Joe recently moved over from Fort William and Danny moved over from Isle of Skye a while ago.

 

[Zed.]

I wonder where is best? honestly I've no idea....

also, dont come looking for steelworkers jobs as they're getting thin on the ground

Following for shitz&giggles

Rich. (surrounded by hills, mountains & valleys)

 

[The Hodge]

Two Zed's..how did that happen?..
I've never ridden in Wales before even though it has some fantastic riding ..and probably never will..
The pull of the ( even further North..Scotland ) is too strong when planning mini trips away ..
The furthest south Ive ventured for riding would be the Peak District ..which along with N.Yorkshire & The Dales is also a great shout ..and a lot closer to a greater number of cities ..

 

[Zed]

I realise your main requirement was to move somewhere with access to good mtb but maybe you need to think about overall quality of life.
Weather patterns are pretty variably across the UK and if you are used to Aussie sunshine you may find some areas of the UK pretty lacking in that!!

Yeah look New Zealand is top of the list for me. Housing there is dearer than the UK but somewhere rural would be affordable, and with world class mountain biking, hiking and anything else outdoors. There is also the idea of getting an investment property there and sticking a tenant in it, and getting started there in maybe Christchurch.

It will depend what happens with my son though. He will be uni-leaving age when I'm hitting my hopeful retirement age. There is a good chance he will want to leave Aus if he has much sense, as anyone who doesn't already own property here is pretty much locked out of it for good, unless family can help them in, which I can't unfortunately. We moved from Lancashire to Brisbane in 1988 for standard of living, and it was very good here, but that ship has sailed as everything goes steeply downhill - and the housing market is horrendous now. There are too many powerful people who stand to lose a lot if the game is changed, so it won't be changed. If he will come with me back to the UK then I will strongly consider that. If he's happy here in Brisbane/Australia somewhere then I will go to NZ and stay a short flight away.

All I'm really looking for with this post is gauging where the good riding is, and it seems Trailforks is obviously pretty useless for the UK. Got some good tips here on where to start, and finding good UK youtubers is probably going to help a lot too.

 

[Kingerz]

You might be better off staying in Australia and moving to country Victoria in reach of incredible MTB areas like MT Buller, Falls Creek, Buxton, Lake Mountain, Bright etc. The country areas are cheap: even in a mid-sized town like Alexandra you can get a 3 bedroom detached house on 1100 square meters for $325K (167K pounds) and the area you mention, Surrey Hills in England is super-expensive by comparison. Those areas like Wales and Scotland have a LOT of rain, it gets dark early in winter and the level of crime and social unrest is going to astound you compared to where you are from.

 

[RustyMTB]

Lol no. there aren't riots every weekend. That's just a bunch of dopey mugs who got whipped up by a bunch of grifters & are now having the book thrown at them. There is no 'astounding' level of societal unrest

If you want to grasp the actual problems with living in the UK, then you'd be better off thinking about access to healthcare, public transport & the cost of living. There are real problems here but the ones most likely to impinge on your daily life are the mundanities rather than petrol bombs flying about the place.

 

[Dax]

Housing market in the uk is fairly ridiculous too. None of the good stuff in FoD is on Trailforks. Strava heat maps will give you a better idea.

Suggest flying over for a month of riding and try different spots before picking somewhere to live. Generally the closer to London you get, the worse the riding is and the more expensive the housing is.

 

[The Hodge]

and the level of crime and social unrest is going to astound you compared to where you are from.

I had to laugh at this ..please don't think that what you see and hear as a snippet on the news has us all living in fear ..the recent unrest isn't normal ..and has blown up & died down again ..
I live in a part of the country where I could leave my door unlocked and the house unattended and still feel confident that all would be well on my return ..

 

[Zed]

You might be better off staying in Australia and moving to country Victoria in reach of incredible MTB areas like MT Buller, Falls Creek, Buxton, Lake Mountain, Bright etc.

Yeah for sure northern Vic is on the list too, I have seen some affordable places around the smaller towns there, still very easy to spend a lot though, and it doesn't help the situation with my boy. Of course, highly likely he's off doing his own thing, I know. I could probably move there when the kid leaves high school and do my job remotely. But - no uni or anything else for him...

Having a kid makes things a lot more complicated...

Honestly 325K in Alexandra would be a bit of a dive but I take the point, <$500K doable.

I wasn't really thinking Surrey Hills was nosing around Hereford/Shropshire/Norwich for housing, no probs for $400K AUD - and cheaper still up North.

 

[Ou812]

You might be better off staying in Australia and moving to country Victoria in reach of incredible MTB areas like MT Buller, Falls Creek, Buxton, Lake Mountain, Bright etc. The country areas are cheap: even in a mid-sized town like Alexandra you can get a 3 bedroom detached house on 1100 square meters for $325K (167K pounds) and the area you mention, Surrey Hills in England is super-expensive by comparison. Those areas like Wales and Scotland have a LOT of rain, it gets dark early in winter and the level of crime and social unrest is going to astound you compared to where you are from.

Getting dark early in the winter is one of the things that I’m still not used to here. It’s usually pitch black by like 3:30-4PM, it’s honestly pretty depressing. On the flip side the sun doesn’t set until 11-11:30PM in the summer and it never gets totally dark. It’s great for riding but not so much for sleeping unless you black your windows out.

 

[Zed]

Housing market in the uk is fairly ridiculous too. None of the good stuff in FoD is on Trailforks. Strava heat maps will give you a better idea.

Suggest flying over for a month of riding and try different spots before picking somewhere to live. Generally the closer to London you get, the worse the riding is and the more expensive the housing is.

Ah Strava heat maps that's a good idea. I think I'd be picking a general area and renting there, buy a van, scope it out from there. But that's getting ahead of myself

 

[Zed]

Getting dark early in the winter is one of the things that I’m still not used to here. It’s usually pitch black by like 3:30-4PM, it’s honestly pretty depressing. On the flip side the sun doesn’t set until 11-11:30PM in the summer and it never gets totally dark. It’s great for riding but not so much for sleeping unless you black your windows out.

I do remember it from when I was a kid. And do think it'd suck, I think I'd mostly hibernate or you know... go to Spain or something

One of the annoying things here in Brisbane is in the winter when the weather is actually good, it's dark by 6pm. In the summer when I'm living in Satans' armpit it stays light another 90 mins or so. So we never get those light late summer nights I also remember from when I was a kid. It does stay lighter later down south though, like Victoria.

Of course, Spain and Italy are both considerations for me as well. Big commitment to learn a language, big deal learning a new culture and integrating at 60+. Not sure about it being opportunity for the boy, other than partying... There are plenty of pros and cons to consider there too.

 

[steve_sordy]

Consider Yorkshire. I was born there and spent my first 26 years there. It is a large and beautiful county, with many hills and is definite mtb country. The houses are in general cheaper than the other places mentioned. The road and rail network gives you access to the rest of the country relatively easily. Don't forget how small the UK is compared to OZ.

I echo those that said consider moving elsewhere in Australia. People are still emigrating to OZ for the lifestyle from the UK. Right now, I'm keyboarding from my brother's house in Brisbane. He moved out 20 years ago with his wife and two sons, both now in their early 30's, both with houses. Both tradesmen, and like their Dad, all sparkies. None of them would consider leaving for the UK, or indeed anywhere else they think they are living the dream.

 

[Zed]

Consider Yorkshire. I was born there and spent my first 26 years there. It is a large and beautiful county, with many hills and is definite mtb country. The houses are in general cheaper than the other places mentioned. The road and rail network gives you access to the rest of the country relatively easily. Don't forget how small the UK is compared to OZ.

I echo those that said consider moving elsewhere in Australia. People are still emigrating to OZ for the lifestyle from the UK. Right now, I'm keyboarding from my brother's house in Brisbane. He moved out 20 years ago with his wife and two sons, both now in their early 30's, both with houses. Both tradesmen, and like their Dad, all sparkies. None of them would consider leaving for the UK, or indeed anywhere else they think they are living the dream.

Probably though your brother and his kids have property or properties. In which case, you bet it's living the dream. They recently became wealthy and upper class. Sadly for those of us that don't, we never will, and our kids will eternally work for the landlords. We've now got upper and lower class in Australia, not much in the middle really.

Brisbane has a lot going for it but it's not great for MTB or hiking. Excellent for surfing and getting irradiated constantly by gamma rays, but those aren't my thing. 36 years later. The summer is quite horrible. I'd rather a cold winter.

Regional Aus is still a possibility, and it's high up the list - NZ, Northern Victoria, even Spain and Italy are also on that list. However if the boy were to come with me, then the UK might present the best career options for a recent grad out of all those, depending on whereabouts. And it looks from where I'm sitting that he would have a hope of buying a house, which is not the case here anywhere near a city except for the worst suburbs. In the UK there's Europe connected by land, which is very enticing. In Australia traveling anywhere is costly and painful, we're so far from everything (except NZ). Even the other side is f*kin miles away...

It's funny, my parents upped us from Lancashire to Brisbane 1988 for standard of living. Before they left they were doing it tough, but they had a mortgage. They were on their way to owning their house, if they just kept going like they were. I can't buy here. That says a lot about the state of things I think.