Good rides around Brum?

Hey,

Anyone got any particular favourite rides/places to ride in/around the birmingham area they would recommend? I live east of the city (stechford) and would like to get out to a bit of countryside ideally. Nothing too far, 20 miles or so round trip. I've only really commuted in birmingham, and am looking for something a bit more inspiring than the bordesley green road. Any recommendations?

riding to stratford is be nice, you have to go a bit of dual carriageway which is shit but I think you could find a better route, rideable fixed/SS I guess, think It's about 25miles, you can get the train back if you are weak.

stratford is a pretty good ride. has a few annoying hills if your riding in a harder ratio and there are some nice pubs when you get there and a rly good ice cream shop and pub about half way there in henley on arden. best to do it in not rush hour times cus the stratford road gets hella busy.

i'm fairly sure you can ride to stratford without touching the stratford road. i go through hollywood, earlswood, tanworth in arden, danzey green, henley in arden, then i forget the names of the villages, but you're not far from there.

your best bet is to find your shortest route out of 'the city' (for me that's the maypole), then just find circuits from that point. keep a few village names/relative locations/bail out train stations in mind and you can't go too much wrong. it's not exactly duelling banjos country...

a loop around sandwell valley can be quite nice on a sunny day.

Stratford sounds like a plan, I've actually never been, which is a bit odd considering how close it is.

I'm riding over on Sunday. Happy for the company if you fancy a morning ride....

any that go outwards

I'm riding over on Sunday. Happy for the company if you fancy a morning ride....

Thanks for the offer, couldn't though as I'm in london at the mo.

I like to go out south and towards reddich, then come back over the lickey hills back towards town, its a nice 1.5/2 mile climb, quite stenuous!
and you can hit ~45mph down the other side,
although i wouldnt like to try to descend fixed.

A group of london forumengers came over Birmingham for the brooks ride a few months ago, I was left with leading duties. This was quite a task considering I have non-existent navigation ability.

the ride went from city centre to smethwick factory (city centre canal nearly bamboozled me at the beginning) then all the way to the south-west extremeties of Birmingham, past the lickeys and cofton hacket to the brooks mansion.

It is a fairly nice, very 'birmingham' flavoured ride. Taking you from industrial centre to the leafy and slightly hilly outskirts.

Unfortunately on the ride day it was bucketing down with rain. I dont think anyone who went actually spoke off it again. especially mrsmyth who was close to hypothermia. Nearly everyone was riding fixed, and anyone who had brakes found them to be non functional due to canal grit & water.

Route looked something like this:

[ame]http://www.bikely.com/maps/bike-path/Brooks-Factory-to-Mansion[/ame

Also, if anyone fancies a 'relaxed' ride past solihull to baddersely clinton kind of area - give me a shout. Theres some National Trust sites there and I have a membership if anyone fancied it.

I live out in Knowle about 3 miles away from Baddesley, there is also Packwood House which is another Nat trust place.

Loads of lovely little roads round this way. Some nice pubs as well to warm up and refuel in.