Martin Fitz-gibbons, contributor
When it comes to wonderful roads in quiet, unspoilt places, Shropshire is probably Britain’s best-kept biking secret
I thought I’d seen every corner of England, but the Shropshire Hills are now on my 2021 must-do list.
THERE’S NO GETTING away from the fact that for many, the Peak District is motorcycling heaven. But there’s also no getting away from the fact that its popularity stands against it. Sometimes, it feels like bikes, tourists and over-keen coppers are everywhere — and thanks to the wonderful world we were presented with in 2020, where foreign travel was effectively banned, recently it has been worse than ever.
But what if there was a place that offered the joy and scenery of riding in the Peak District but without all the hassle?
The Shropshire Hills might well be that place. I’d heard that Shropshire had much of the biking challenge and beauty of the Peak District yet without the congestion but, like most UK bikers, I’d never paid it much heed. Now, in the middle of an October half-term holiday that saw the Peaks teeming again, this seemed the right time to find out if it was true.