Best place to live in UK for Road & MTB cycling?

Hi, as an australian currently living in london, I was wondering what I'm
missing out on and as I'm hoping to move out of the big smoke soon, I have a
few questions:

If you had your choice of anywhere to live in the UK and you had
"opportunities to cycle" at the top of your priority list, where would you
live?

Ideally, I would like to find somewhere that has some hilly (singletrack and
fireroads not big air type stuff) trails within 5 miles of my doorstep, and
decent roads that have especially have some nice long climbs when I'm out on
the road bike.

I would also like a fairly active road club and race scene.

Rural areas prefered. Any suggestions? Do you currently live there? Have you
been somewhere like that on holiday? Is there such a thing as a British
cycling mecca?

cheers in advance!

Hi Oz Dude,

Come to Belfast. We got Cycle paths, mountains, trails, lakes and plently
of rain to keep it all green!

T

"Me" wrote in message ...
Hi, as an australian currently living in london, I was wondering what I'm
missing out on and as I'm hoping to move out of the big smoke soon, I have
a
few questions:

If you had your choice of anywhere to live in the UK and you had
"opportunities to cycle" at the top of your priority list, where would you
live?

Ideally, I would like to find somewhere that has some hilly (singletrack
and
fireroads not big air type stuff) trails within 5 miles of my doorstep,
and
decent roads that have especially have some nice long climbs when I'm out
on
the road bike.

I would also like a fairly active road club and race scene.

Rural areas prefered. Any suggestions? Do you currently live there? Have
you
been somewhere like that on holiday? Is there such a thing as a British
cycling mecca?

cheers in advance!

So long as you've got cycling as your top priority, I would have to
recommend the Lake District (you can chose where to live depending on
how much you like/dislike crowds of tourists). Originally I come from
the 'west' side of the lake. But it's got everything you said, lots of
off road trails, and so long as you get off the main roads (although
even when they are busy they don't compare to city traffic) lots of
fantastic road routes. Especially good if you want the challenge of
good climbs and descents , or if you don't like that stick to the
flatter valleys and coast roads. If you base yourself on the East side
of the lakes then that opens up all routes (on and off) you can do over
the Pennines.

If you want a big city, Birmingham was good (lived about three miles out
from the city), even there it only took ten minutes to be out in the
countryside (although off road might be a bit limited). Purely on
cycling merits don't come to Liverpool (where I am now), if you want off
road you've got to get in the car and drive to Wales. On the road it's
difficult to get anywhere as all the roads a busy and it's one big Urban
area that sprawls into St.Helens, Wrrington etc.

That's my little bit of advice.



--
--------------------------
Posted via cyclingforums.com
http://www.cyclingforums.com

West Yorkshire around Bradford, Huddersfield, Halifax. I live just south
of Leeds in Morley and regularly ride to the top of the Pennines or over
Holme Moss. Also I can have long flat rides in the Vale of York.



--
--------------------------
Posted via cyclingforums.com
http://www.cyclingforums.com

"Me" wrote in message ...
Hi, as an australian currently living in london, I was wondering what I'm
missing out on and as I'm hoping to move out of the big smoke soon, I have
a
few questions:

If you had your choice of anywhere to live in the UK and you had
"opportunities to cycle" at the top of your priority list, where would you
live?


Come to the City and County of Kingston upon Hull, or 'ull as we call it.
Top road racing clubs include Hull Thursday
http://www.hullthursdayrc.co.uk/.

Dozens of bike shops, very cycle friendly city with good facilities see map
:
http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/visithull/hull_cycle_map.pdf

Cheapest houses in the UK, you can pick up a nice 2 bed terrace with garden
and garage for 50k. 260 pubs to choose from and all the usual city
facilities including luxury ferries to Belgium and Holland on your doorstep.
Cheapest telephones (own system) - a local call is 6p for as long as you
want.

If you cycle to the east of the city, you have the plain of Holderness, a
perfectly flat terrain with little traffic and the Spurn Point nature
reserve at the end. In the city itself, you can cross from one side to the
other along the Humber Estuary banks.

To the west of the city you have some very testing trails in the Yorkshire
Wolds up to around 350 ft amongst beautiful countryside.

--
Simon Mason
Anlaby
East Yorkshire.
53°44'N 0°26'W
http://www.simonmason.karoo.net

Me wrote:
Hi, as an australian currently living in london, I was wondering what
I'm missing out on and as I'm hoping to move out of the big smoke soon,
I have a few questions:



Hey mate, come home. You're missing out on life in Aus, isn't
that enough!



--
--------------------------
Posted via cyclingforums.com
http://www.cyclingforums.com

The message
from (marc) contains these words:

Me wrote:

Rural areas prefered. Any suggestions? Do you currently live there?
Have you
been somewhere like that on holiday? Is there such a thing as a British
cycling mecca?

Wales or Duns.


I second Wales - the Swansea area in particular.

It so happens that I'm working up a website which shows in words and
pictures what the Swansea & Gower area has to offer cyclists. A bit of
the Sustrans Celtic Trail runs through this area and has a high
proportion of excellent flat off-road sections. For the more
adventurous, you have the Brecon Beacons National Park close at hand.
But sadly my own days of mountain forest trails are over.

My site is at

http://homepages.tesco.net/~warings

and I would welcome some feedback on whether the particular format of
words and pictures that I have adopted

a. is likely to encourage you all to come to Swansea, and

b. be helpful once you get here !

And we do have some of the best beaches in the UK, so emigre Aussies
will feel very much at home.

George Waring

The message
from (marc) contains these words:

Me wrote:

Rural areas prefered. Any suggestions? Do you currently live there?
Have you
been somewhere like that on holiday? Is there such a thing as a British
cycling mecca?

Wales or Duns.


I second Wales - the Swansea area in particular.

It so happens that I'm working up a website which shows in words and
pictures what the Swansea & Gower area has to offer cyclists. A bit of
the Sustrans Celtic Trail runs through this area and has a high
proportion of excellent flat off-road sections. For the more
adventurous, you have the Brecon Beacons National Park close at hand.
But sadly my own days of mountain forest trails are over.

My site is at

http://homepages.tesco.net/~warings

and I would welcome some feedback on whether the particular format of
words and pictures that I have adopted

a. is likely to encourage you all to come to Swansea, and

b. be helpful once you get here !

And we do have some of the best beaches in the UK, so emigre Aussies
will feel very much at home.

George Waring

On Thu, 4 Sep 2003 16:40:24 +0100, George Waring
wrote:

The message
from (marc) contains these words:

Me wrote:

Rural areas prefered. Any suggestions? Do you currently live there?
Have you
been somewhere like that on holiday? Is there such a thing as a British
cycling mecca?

Wales or Duns.


Radnorshire.... They dont do footpaths! They mostly lovely dashed
red or green lines....

Richard Webb

Rural areas prefered. Any suggestions? Do you currently live there? Have
you
been somewhere like that on holiday? Is there such a thing as a British
cycling mecca?

cheers in advance!

Mid Wales; Brecon Wheelers are roadies (I think) and from Brecon to Rhayader
(through Llanwrtyd Wells) gives you loads of off raod stuff.

However; I see from the other replies that most of Britain offers you
excellent cycling opportunity - hope your choice works out. Let us know.

John