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    Home > Books > Guides

    Cotswolds Mountain biking: 20 Classic rides, a review

    Jan 28, 2017 by Ian Carruthers | This post may contain affiliate links.

    Review of Tom Fenton's Cotswolds Mountain Biking: 20 Classic Rides

    Cotswolds Mountain Biking (Guide book with 20 classic routes)
    Cotswolds Mountain Biking
    (Guide book with 20 classic routes)

    Cotswolds Mountain biking, Published in 2010, contains 20 Mountain bike rides in the Cotswolds, covering a fairly wide area it contain rides of different type over different terrains and covering routes from 15km flat and easy routes to 70 km hilly adventures.

    I have had cotswolds mountain biking for just over two years now and have done all but five of the rides, most of the rides that I have done from the book I have done multiple times, the last few are on the list to complete this year. A lot of the rides in the Cotswolds are inspired by the routes in the book.

    Review

    So having been using the book for a while, I won't say reading as its not really a book that you read, however here are my rambling thoughts on it.

    There are 20 rides in total  few of the do overlap or use parts of other rides within the book, the rides are graded medium, hard and extreme or easy, medium and hard depending on which reference in the book you use.

    There are a few other bits of the book that do let it down slightly the grading key you can get over, it's still blue, red, black, slightly more annoying are the directions. It can't be easy to write clear concise directions to fit into a pocket sized guide, some of the directions do cause confusion the map of the route does help on these occasions.

    The grading of the rides is a matter for debate, I think that the publishers will always err on the side of caution, the overall classification of the routes are about right but the details of the ascents and descents aren't always accurate, so don't be put off, none of the descents or climbs can't be walked.

    Split into four sections the routes are organised by length from short through to long, I always find it hard to pick a ride based on where I want to go as each section covers the whole area, so you have to flick backwards and forwards to find a ride in the North Cotswolds say.

    Summary

    Over all it covers a good varied  cross section of the Cotswolds, putting together mountain bike routes that are interesting in the Cotswolds isn't easy as its so spread out. Tom Fenton has manage to put together a series of rides that make the most of what the Cotswolds has to offer Mountain biking.

    What's in the guide:

    Route 1. Cotswold Water Park
    Distance: 15km. Grade: Easy
    Route 2. Cold Aston
    Distance: 13km. Grade: Easy
    Route 3. 
    Distance: 21km. Grade: Easy
    Route 4. Charlbury Classic
    Distance: 29km. Grade: Easy
    Route 5. Bredon Hill
    Distance: 20km. Grade: Medium
    Route 6. Winchcombe & Cleeve Hill
    Distance: 20km. Grade: Medium
    Route 7. Charlbury & Shipton
    Distance: 28km. Grade: Easy
    Route 8. Bibury
    Distance: 30km. Grade: Easy
    Route 9. Guiting Power
    Distance: 28km. Grade: Medium
    Route 10. Castle Combe
    Distance: 27km. Grade: Medium
    Route 11. Naunton
    Distance: 34km. Grade: Easy
    Route 12. Nailsworth
    Distance: 30km. Grade: Medium
    Route 13. Crudwell Classic
    Distance: 44km. Grade: Easy
    Route 14. Birdlip
    Distance: 29km. Grade: Easy
    Route 15. Snowshill
    Distance: 30km. Grade: Medium
    Route 16. Bisley
    Distance: 30km. Grade: Medium
    Route 17. Cam & Uley
    Distance: 25km. Grade: Hard
    Route 18. Wotton-under-Edge
    Distance: 21 or 40km. Grade: Hard
    Route 19. Nailsworth and Wotton-under-Edge
    Distance: 59km. Grade: Hard
    Route 20. Winchcombe Beast
    Distance: 77km. Grade: Hard

    You can buy the book on Amazon

    More Guides

    • Mountain Biking in the Lake District
      Mountain Biking in the Lake District, Guide Review
    • South West England Mountain Biking Dartmoor, Exmoor, Quantocks
      South West Mountain Biking guide a review

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    MTB Foodie is a UK mountain biking blog covering routes, maintenance, travel and food. Ian can be found chasing awesome trails and thrills around the South West and beyond.

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    I’m Ian aka MTB Foodie… have bike, will ride! Found chasing awesome trails and thrills around the South West. Addicted to mud, gravel and hills, with a healthy balance of travel and food.

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    I’m Ian aka MTB Foodie… have bike, will ride! Found chasing awesome trails and thrills around the South West. Addicted to mud, gravel and hills, with a healthy balance of travel and food.

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