OS explorer map 190
Mid October and after much speculation of getting on the road and exploring trails beyond our local remit. Bucksmtb decided to travel up to the Malvern's for a taste of some different type of track.
The visit was to the Malvern hills, with the nearest town being that of Malvern. We parked up on the west side of the hills but there are also car parks and access to the trails in Lower Wyche.
First impressions were that this was an area which was much smaller in size than Buckinghamshire but this area was far richer in trails that anywhere to be found locally in Bucks. The Malvern's also offered far more rugged terrain and the tracks were far steeper than found around the humble Chilterns.
A quick look at the map of the area before leaving the car park showed that the whole area consisted of bridleways and therefore free for us to explore to our hearts content.
The first leg of our ride took us straight up the side of the hill up to the Worcestershire Beacon. From there we were greeted with some spectacular views across the surrounding area...
We decided to head Northerly and after a steep ride off the top (I have never had my weight so far off the back of my bike) we circled round the Northern part of the Malvern's, in which was reasonably flat and fast flowing double track trails.
On completing the loop we followed the ridge back up again and towards the South. Following what was possibly THE best track in the whole area it led us onto a rocky single track route that took us out to the road which led us off to the 2nd section of tracks.
We followed the track through into the woods and up onto yet another ridge where there were plenty of alternative tracks to follow and to explore. Up on the ridge we again followed some fast downhill tracks and ploughed through some demanding rock gardens and finally then back down to the road once more.
We were able to complete the designated loop twice and with the benefit of knowing the tracks the second time around it made for some exciting biking. The second tour of the area also gave us a chance to take some pictures - a sample of some of these can be seen on the right of this page...
The second trip round was worth it just for the views, simply stunning...
A trip to explore the Malvern's is definitely worth the journey as there are some real highlights in such a compact area. If your used to riding in just the Chilterns this is one of the most perfect places to go to experience some different terrain and tracks but not too far from home.
There certainly is some superb potential here for all riding, and lets face it its almost worth going just for the rocky tracks and super steep descents which we don't exactly find in the Chilterns very often.
We look forward to making a return trip in the near future. I'm sure we will bring you another review and photos. Watch this space.
By Mark Baines
bucksmtb.co.uk
