Buy the OS Route Map and instructions for this route

Shropshire has long held a place in the mtb Hall of Fame, with most of the best riding concentrated around the Long Mynd — a 15km whale-back ridge of pre-Cambrian rock that dominates the Marches skyline from miles around. In case you’re wondering about the name, it’s derived from just over the border in Wales, where Mynyd means mountain.
This ride, a short but sharp classic, hurdles that Long Mynd ridge twice, providing plenty of challenge for those that enjoy a climb, especially on the second pull over Stanbatch, which really does ask a few questions of legs and lungs. But it is all about one descent, Minton Batch, one of the finest ribbons of natural singletrack anywhere in the UK.
It kicks in easily, sloping away almost casually from the broad ridge-top drive, allowing you to build speed steadily but effortlessly as it slides sneakily down the hillside, brushing close to the infant stream as it goes. But slowly and surely it introduces the odd little techie section, usually when you least expect it, leaving you with a battle on your hands just to stay on-line, often with a sizeable drop down to your right hand side. Thankfully, it relinquishes its height gradually, enabling you to squeeze every last drop of pleasure out of the narrow, gravelly serpentine. But no matter how much you draw it out, it’s still guaranteed to leave you wanting more.