Clent Hills - Worcestershire

It's hardly a demanding ride in terms of
technicalities, but more often than not I find
myself riding places where the missus can come
along too. So, on the cusp of Brummie suburbia, just west of Halesowen, are the Clent Hills. They afford gorgeous views of the countryside (well, except for the one side, which offers a view of Birmingham, of course) and there's sufficient pubs spattered around the area to keep you entertained.


The one thing they do have, and forgive me for stating the obvious, is hills. There is very little flat riding here - you're up and down like a jackrabbits' arse all day - so it's great training on the old pins if you need it. There's no real challenging rides that we found, but there's certainly some interesting speed sections including a nice, fast, gravely downhill section towards the start with muddy bits to catch you out.

If you're okay with the uphill stuff (or willing to take your time) and fancy a gentle days riding around the area, there's worse places (and there's better, I imagine). I could have sworn there's a downhill course there from yesteryear but I didn't see any details of it, and a quick google search didn't throw anything up. It's one of those places where I imagine local knowledge would turn up some much more interesting bits.

As it stands, it's a good days exercise...