Description
Hanchurch Woods
Hanchurch Woods near Stoke-on-Trent, officially the Swynnerton Old Park estate, is a compact natural trail network with around 6 miles of mountain bike singletrack, plus fire road and bridleway loops that stretch a ride out to around 11 miles. The woods host rounds of the Midlands XC Series and Midlands Champs, and the fire roads and bridleways here also make for a decent gravel ride.
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The Trails
- Hanchurch Woods has a good few miles of natural mountain bike singletrack woven through the trees, with long climbs and technical descents over roots, sand and loose ground. The compact layout makes the network easy to get your bearings in.
- A longer loop of around 11 miles and 850ft of climbing links the singletrack with bridleways and fire roads, rated medium difficulty, with narrow technical sections mixed with faster fire road. It can turn very muddy in autumn, winter and spring.
- The woods host rounds of the Midlands XC Series and the Midlands Champs cross-country races a couple of times a year.
- Trails here are informal and rider-built rather than official or waymarked, so download a route or use GPS navigation before you set off. Outbiking publish a route guide and GPX for the longer loop.
Gravel Riding
The fire roads and bridleways that connect the singletrack sections at Hanchurch Woods hold up as a ride in their own right, not just a link between trails. They form the backbone of the longer 11-mile loop above and are a good option if you're on a gravel bike rather than an MTB.
Getting Here
Park at the Hanchurch Hills picnic site car park, Hanchurch, Stoke-on-Trent, ST4 8SN, on the A519 towards Eccleshall, a short distance from Junction 15 of the M6. A second, smaller parking area lies about a mile further along the same road for those wanting to start deeper into the woods.
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