I decided to come down last night and stay a couple of nights. After dropping all my gear in my AirBnB I walked into Coleford, which took about 20 mins, and filled my boots on Tapas and beer and then decided to go to the pub around the corner when I’d walked back and have a few more. Probably not the best prep for a gravel ride in the morning.
I slept ok and woke quite early. I wasn’t feeling breakfast much after last night’s feast so just a coffee and croissant and a couple of weetabix did the trick. I left just after 9am for the 2 mile roll down hill to the sart at Beecenhurst which was pretty quiet when I got there. I sat outside with a coffee and then a few rolled up and made a nice-sized group.
Speech done at 10am, we rolled out on a warming day in the sun but the shade kept it fresh. We left the car park and picked up the cycle trail south which is a nice wide, slightly downhill hard-packed gravel trail. A nice leg warmer. In Parkend we crossed the road and then climbed to St Pauls Church and dropped back into Oakenhill woods on a quiet, meandering forest road. My route had a bit of a wobble again, trying to shortcut through the trees but we picked it back up a few yards later.
As we popped out onto the road it was only a couple of hundred metres on the road before left and north to Mallards Pike where the real climbing began. As we climbed, parts of it had been logged since I last rode it, opening it up and making unrecognisable. It quite a lengthy climb but the fast descent is worth the effort.
On the outskirts of Cinderford , there was just me and my ride buddy for the day now and we tackled the steep St Whites Rd climb before bearing right througha tight path then a nasty little kicker up Coombs Drive which requires very small gears and a bit of skill to negotiate the rough surface.
After we topped out we passed some dogs being walked that just didn’t like us and then another fast descent to Drywood and another lengthy, but quiet climb in the trees. It’s one of my favourite sections.
Littledean Hill loomed now. As we descended on the main road then went right off down a byway, ahead of us was the ridge and the top. Byway done we rode up the singletrack lane towards the village only for a van to stop, give us hardly any room to pass and then call us wankers. I hate people sometimes.
I’d made sure I told everyone about Littledean Hill before the ride. It’s a nasty little lane that gently creeps up then boom its unrelenting all the way to the top but worth the effort because the views over to the River Severn are awesome. We stopped briefly to soak it up and have a rest after such a hard climb then on we went to a lengthy section of trails which, at times, feel like you’re riding up someones driveway. You are then you shoot of down the side.
We picked up some speedy tarmac on the outskirts of Puddlebrook and then it was one of favourite, fast descents. At the end we crossed the road and picked up a byway which starts of downhill, on gravel and fast then takes you off into the trees where its pretty cut up from 4×4’s and this time there was some really, deep, gloopy mud to deal with and another spicy climb to conqeur once we’d popped out the end.
It was fast roads now as we descended through Drybrook and then turned right for a short section of the A4136 before left and back into the woods for a lengthy finish loop.
When we hit the Colliers Trail, it got a bit busier with walkers and other riders but nothing that held us up really. It’s quite a long draggy climb initially then as it bears around to the right it drops gently and is a great trail to bomb along when no one is about because you can see ahead for hundreds of metres it’s so straight.
Then it was a right now north for the final stretch home. I thought it would a slog back uphill as it felt like we’d dropped quite away but it was mostly uphill peppered with a few descents to break it up and before I knew it we were at the main road again and only a few yards from the entrance to where we started.
The road upto the car park is quite steep and made my legs smart as I trudged up it then across the cattle grid and we were done but the place was really busy with families now, out enjoying the sunshine.
Not mega miles today. Not a massive amount of elevation either but the few steep climbs made for a good workout without burning too many matches for tomorrow.
Looking forward to the pub again tonight 🍺
