Gone Gravelling – The Trailhead Shrewsbury, Shropshire

A two hour trip North to Shrewsbury was on the cards today, panning for gold in the Shropshire Hills. That’s exactly what Sandy of The Trailhead Bicycle Company promised, as we met on the misty morning at the town centre bike shop, a throng of uncharacteristically clean and waterproof-clad cyclists spilling out over the lip of the pavement into the street.

The brainchild of Sandy and Toby, who own and work in the Trailhead respectively, Gone Gravelling was their first social gravel event and a whopping 80 people turned out for it, from locals to our South West crew, and a South Wales contingent.

50km of sloppy goodness following a lot of recent rain, the route heads South West from the town, and up into the Shropshire Hills AONB. From mucky doubletrack lanes to slippery, rocky descents, sluggish grassy climbs to rutted descents, this route is perfect for gravel bikes or hardtail/rigid mountain bikes. At this time of year you might want to pack your waterproof socks too, for the pretty deep puddles…

It’s an exposed route with minimal woodland, which would no doubt be spectacular on a clear day. Alas, we had mostly mist, but not complaining as at least it wasn’t rain!

The great news is that this is just the start, and the Trailhead are going to be hosting ‘Gone Gravelling’ every 8 weeks or so. Make sure you do join them, as their knowledge of the local hills are second-to-none. Oh, and they’re a pretty friendly bunch too! Until then, enjoy this route from today:

With great thanks to Sandy and Toby from The Trailhead Bicycle Company, Shrewsbury for hosting, plus Amber’s Woodfired Pizza Kitchen for the ace refuel after. Apologies in advance to my washing machine…