Cleeve Hill, Mountain bike route near Cheltenham
Hilly by name hilly by nature
As I sit here typing with the wind howling and the rain lashing against the windows in the middle of what is supposed to be summer. I find myself thinking back to the beginning of summer when the sun made an appearance and the trails were dusty. When the sun was a distant memory we tried out a new to me route on Cleeve hill.
If you are a regular on the blog you may recognise Cleeve hill from the Cleeve Hill and Winchcombe route. This Cleeve Hill ride does overlap with other route and shares a descent. This version, however sticks to the hill rather than dropping down into Winchcombe.
This route really does make use of the hill, there are two descents that run to the bottom of the hill. The downside is that there is a climb back up to the top of the hill. The climbs are rewarded by the descents and by the views from the top of the hill. Along with the descents off the hill there are some great sections of single track to ride. There are even a couple of spots on the ride that are bike playgrounds. Old quarries that have trails criss crossing them make for whoops and hollers.
This ride really does make best use of the terrain and with the expanse of the hill most of the ride is off road. Getting over to this ride is a little more out of the way than some others but it really is worth the effort. If you wanted to make a weekend you could also ride the trails over at Cranham or Birdlip.
Cleeve Hill MTB Route
| Distance | 27km |
| Time | 1.5-2.5hrs |
| Climbing | 800m |
| Starting location | Prestbury |
| Pubs, cafes | The Plough in Prestbury |
| Parking | Public car park |
| Route | View route on Strava View route on Komoot View route on Garmin |
Photography is my hobby and I am looking for a different subject. I take pictures to enter into national exhibitions (the only reward is the satisfaction of getting a picture accepted] and wonder if off road biking would be a good subject.
I live in Winchcombe and do not want to travel too far.
Any suggestions welcome please.