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Glorious Bike Rides
Glorious Bike Rides
Route directions PDF (right click to download)
GPX file (right click to download)
TCX file (right click to download)
FIT file (right click to download)
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Completed this, my first ride from Lost Lanes, last week. Normally cycle around Shropshire and don’t venture this far south but it was definitely worth it.
The Forest of Dean & Wye are both beautiful and the route picks up some nice trails and roads. A few, small, sections of some of the roads were quite busy, around the bridges which I guess really can’t be helped but everywhere else was very quiet.
Somehow I managed to clock 42 miles for the ride, watch out for the dismantled railway track up between Wyesham & Redbrook, there is a fork into a higher and lower path, at this point the higher one looks more like a trail. It’s not ! It does lead to a mysterious derelict and semi blocked off railway tunnel and some beautiful woodland but is ultimately a dead end, unless you fancy lugging your bike down an extremely steep cliff and through some peoples gardens. Investigated this, you can get back to the road by Redbrook but decided against it with the bike.
Jack is quite the sadist, I was thinking on the final stretch back into Parkend. There is a nice short, flat option of returning to Parkend or the longer option via Sling, which is up a brutal hill. The following final descent is fun though, it’s easy to miss the turning onto the forest track from the fantastic high speed road. The road is enticing for sheer speed but the forest track is beautiful, if a little slower, but still all downhill.
Enjoyed this a lot, will try some more !
Hi Joe
Glad you liked it – will add a note to the directions regarding the fork on the track in Wyesham. There’s a third option which is on the Offa’s Dyke Path, a bit higher up – very beautiful but a bit rough in places. Worth exploring if you’re back again.
Regarding the last bit, you’re quite right that I added in a fair bit that’s not strictly necessary, but I think the old railway line from Coleford to Parked is one of the highlights of the whole route. I could have bypassed St Briavels but that didn’t seem right either. Hopefully readers can use their own judgment and make the obvious shortcut from Bream to Parkend if they need it.
Many thanks Joe for the advice will try to watch out for the fork when i do this ride
Brilliant route, thank you! Really loved the mix of lanes and trails. Some were pretty muddy but it is February! And it was all rideable. Beautiful countryside, saw loads of birds and wildlife. The bridges were great, each one so different.
Thanks for the comment above, we kept an eye out so we made the correct turn 😀
We did take the short flat route back from Bream. Plus, there is a nice bike shop and cafe in Parkend where we finished for a late lunch so that was a bonus.
Thanks again, great route, loved it!
I rode this yesterday (2nd Feb 2025). I met up with my daughter, as it’s halfway-ish between us. It was a lovely sunny winter day, but with just a few welcome hints of spring in the air. This is my 4th lost lanes ride and my first from the central book. I think it might be my new favourite! We loved the mix of gravel, forest and riverside singletrack, back lanes, and lovely villages like St. Briavels. We had a coffee in Symonds Yat and finished with a Sunday Roast in the Woodman Inn in Parkend. A perfect day! I recorded 61.6 Km and 1007m of ascent. It was a good workout, but not too much for this 60 y/o, although my daughter was a bit quicker than me up some of the climbs! It really takes the stress off planning a day when you have to travel, to not have to risk a ride that isn’t up to much if you plan it yourself. Lost Lanes is proving to be an ultra reliable guarantee of a great days riding. I’m already looking forward to my next one. Thanks Jack!
David, so glad you enjoyed this one, sounds like a brilliant day out. And in February too, not the easiest time to be off-roading in the Forest. I hope you enjoy the next one!