Just in time for the Malvern Festival of Cycling (Sunday 29th July), the first signposted mountain bike route on the Malvern Hills has been created.

The Malvern Hills Trust has been working closely with local riders on the Malverns by Mountain Bike project to encourage responsible riding on the hills and commons. There has also been input from Natural England and Worcestershire County Council.

The first of a set of signposted routes, this is the shortest with medium and long versions to come. A route card to accompany the trail, including directions and further access advice, is available from MHT offices or local Tourist Information Centres, and local bike shops should have them soon too. Check the MHT cycling page for the forthcoming electronic edition, or read the Malvern Hills Trust news item for more.

Festival of cycling

Sunday 29th July, from 2pm at The Cube, Albert Road North. For all ages and abilities: family fun, locally sourced refreshments including cider, beer, getting the right fit to your bike, cycle gear and advice, etc.

Get along for more on local cycling developments, find local groups or other ways to get out on your bike, cycle routes around town and further afield. Probably the route card mentioned too, certainly the new ‘Walking and Cycling on the Malvern Hills Map and Guide’.

MalvernTrail event info.

A new map and guide for cyclists (and walkers) who want to make the best of the Malvern Hills has been produced by the organisation which manages most of the land.

Printed copies of the Malvern Hills Trust’s ‘Walking and Cycling on the Malvern Hills Map and Guide’ should be available at tourist info in town, local bike shops, some cafes etc. or MHT offices. Or download the two pdf files (totalling 15MB) from their website. The MalvernTrail cycling page has also been updated with links and the expanded advice – we previously had extracts from the old Code of Conduct for the Hills.

The Trust has worked with other bodies (including Historic England, Worcestershire County Council) to “open up a series of permissive cycle paths” to improve access. From a quick look these may well have already been well used by mountain bikers but don’t the fit the officially defined bridleways. Also there are to be three waymarked cycling trails – Short, Medium and Long – with the short version due to be completed this spring.

Malvern Hills Trust news  item on the new map and guide.

A wild ride in The Guardian

The guide came out just in time for the Malverns to get a prominent entry in The Guardian’s travel feature ‘Rides on the wild side’ on 21st April. A “ten of the best” – Malvern Hills get top slot online but number 3 in the print edition, with large photo.

Do note that the article is bit misleading- you can’t actually legally ride along the ridge itself all the way – only a small section north of Wyche Cutting (around Worcester Beacon, the part nearest town). But there are plenty of routes just below the ridge line and elsewhere.

Elgar’s Birthplace has re-opened today (1st Sept.) as a National Trust attraction. Reports on whether it is a suitable cycling refreshment stop welcome.

As they note, Elgar was a keen cyclist – the old museum did have a cycling map of his on display at one point. So doubly sad that the cycle racks didn’t quite make it for opening day. See this tweet from @NTTheFirs.

Newly released, the Golden Fire app “pulls together the rich history of cider production in Herefordshire with an up-to-date guide to all the ciders being made in the county today”.

The app includes a useful map. Good stuff – for Android devices currently, Apple iOS to follow soon.

Do still check out the MalvernTrail Cider and Perry page for even more.

The book link below isn’t actually  connected although it shares a name. Amazon review says “quite simply the most comprehensive book that has been written on cider history – in particular English Cider History”.

Golden Fire: The Story of Cider

Price: £11.99