Haughmond Hill Mountain Biking with Kids – Everything You Need to Know

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Where Is It? (And Why We Picked It)

Haughmond Hill is our second closest spot that came up on a “mountain biking in Shropshire” Google search – just 5 miles further than Hanchurch/Swynnerton. Despite having many lovely walks near us, it would seem that good mountain biking places are few and far between (or at least, very well kept secrets!). We are making it our mission to find them all, and the second on the list was Haughmond Hill.

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Parking & Getting There

• Location/Address: Haughmond Hill, Shrewsbury SY4 4PW. //////fries.wakes.nearly
• Parking Facilities: A fair bit of parking, each in little sections off the main looped road in.
• Parking Costs: £2.20 – 2 hours | £4.40 – All Day | Members – Free
• Ease of access with bikes: Fairly good access, some spaces are longer making them ideal for vans and those with bike racks.

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Trail Overview

Haughmond Hill didn’t have any info online about mountain biking (or biking of any sort actually). It appeared to be geared up for walking, yet our recent discovery of the Trailforks app seemed to show a pretty good selection of mostly blue, but also red and black trails at Haughmond Hill. Googling didn’t really help me find too much more information, and the info on Trailforks for each section hadn’t been updated for several years in some cases, so we headed out here with the view that we would just make the best of whatever we found…

• Mostly Blue Trails with some Red and Black
• Mixture of made up gravel pathways, some with rocks, and some muddy sections with roots
• The sections we found were all very mild off-road pathways with just a handful of steeper descents but not big jumps. Ideal for newbies of those building confidence.
• Selection of loops with various places to cut across to other pathways. Outer loop was approximately 3 miles, but most of the inner sections we found were overgrown.

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Our Ride – The Good, The Bad & The Muddy

We rocked up at Haughmond Hill mid-morning and instantly clocked a bunch of cars parked along the roadside – perhaps, half a dozen or so. Cue that little moment of panic: “Is the car park full already?!” 😬 But no need to stress – it turns out those were just the folks dodging the parking fee, because there were loads of spaces still free. Phew!

Now, earlier that morning, my husband had tried to be all prepared and pull up the trails on his AllTrails app… but nada. Nothing showed up. Then he faffed about with Trailforks trying to sync it with his Garmin – only for it to crash entirely. Apparently, this is a pretty common occurrence (not the best way to encourage you to subscribe to Trailforks, eh?). He’s the type who needs to know exactly where he’s going. Me? I’m a bit more chaotic, so I told him, “Let’s just wing it – we’ll figure it out as we go around!”

After parking up in a van friendly spot, we headed up towards the café from the car park (already a win in my book – there’s coffee!) where we spotted a big area map. No mention of biking trails, mind you, and nothing matched what we’d seen on Trailforks, but we spotted a few bikes knocking about near the café so figured we’d just follow the Orange walking route and veer off whenever we saw a sneaky side trail.

The advertised paths were really well maintained – ideal for walkers or even buggies – but they were a bit tame for mountain biking for our boys, who are always after that little thrill. But they’d be great for younger riders or anyone just finding their balance. We did manage to find one trail off the main path and dipped into the undergrowth… but that turned out to be the only trail we actually made it down. The rest were so overgrown we had to abort mission and head back to the main path.

That said, sticking to the main path wasn’t exactly a let-down – we came across two epic viewpoints! The kind that make you go “quick, take a photo before they ruin it by wrestling again!”

We even spotted a trig point, tucked in the oddest spot! Then, as we neared the end of the loop, we heard a cuckoo! The second one this year!

My eldest did in fact say, “This is really boring, isn’t it?” early on… but fast-forward to the end of the loop and guess who wanted to go round again? 🙃

So we did! This time, no side-trail hunting – just the full loop along the main pathways. And would you believe it, we stumbled on another viewpoint!

It was all going great until the youngest ran out of steam going up a hill, got off and took a slip – landing right in a thorny bush. Of course! The least technical ride we’ve done so far and that’s where we get an injury.

Luckily, I’d shoved a mini first aid kit into my tiny bikepack (thankfully I’d made this mini version as my hiking one was too big for my bikepack), so we got the thorns out and cleaned him up. He was a bit grumpy after that, dragging his wheels, until we heard the cuckoo again and I said, “That means we’re nearly back at the van!” And just like that – off he sped, totally reinvigorated.

By the time we got back to the van, he’d completely forgotten he’d even fallen and was all about whether we could go grab a snack at the café!

So, not the best spot for a thrill seeking adventure but still a place we could visit again if we were just seeking a gentle, rewarding cross country option (with coffee at the end!). It’s also a great one for walking – in case you’re wondering, there were loads of signposts along the way (we started on orange, somehow ended up following green?), and loads of benches too – perfect for a snack stop, water break, or a “Mum, my legs are tired” moment.

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Facilities & Family-Friendliness

• Toilets: There were 2 toilets at the cafe, however their Facebook site seems to suggest that these are only open on weekends (as of June 2025)
• Café or food options: There was a café onsite, with benches outside, some under a shelter and 2 tables inside. It was open when we came (Sunday) and a chalkboard stated: Sunday-Friday 10am-4pm, Saturday 9am-4am
• Bike hire available? No
• Pump track, play area, or extras for younger children? Stick Man Trail (walk)
• Is it pushchair or scooter-friendly in parts? Gravel main footpaths are pushchair and pump bike friendly. I wouldn’t recommend a scooter.

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What to Bring

• Helmets (obviously!)
• Gloves (we had several close encounters with some thorny bushes!)
• Spare layers or waterproofs
• Snacks or packed lunch (or money for the cafe)
• Tools or repair kits (for bikes and little humans)
• Water – this might not be too strenuous a route but you’ll still build up a thirst!
• Map / phone charger

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Costs & Booking Info

• Is the trail or park free to access? Free to access and use – just parking to pay for.
• Need to pre-book parking or passes? No – Members get free parking here.
• Cash/card accepted at café/parking? Café accepts cash and card, as does parking (ANPR)

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Would We Go Again?

Haughmond Hill wasn’t as exciting as we were hoping for (we had been spoiled at Cannock Chase, with it’s purpose built trails) but that’s not to say we won’t be back! It was actually quite nice to enjoy a more relaxed ride (especially for Mum!), and the views we got to see were stunning! I’d recommend Haughmond Hill for family walks, or for biking with younger children, or those looking to build some confidence from tarmac riding – and of course those looking to enjoy a gentle ride. We don’t regret coming here at all, and we will be back for some walks, or when we fancy another gentle ride.

We did see a fab map at the café which shared a map of some other Forestry England spots across Shropshire – and 4 of them had little bike icons by the names – so watch this space as we plan to explore Eastridge Woods, Bury Ditches, Hopton Wood and Mortimer Forest in the not too distant future!

Optional rating section:
🌟 Overall experience: 4/5 (It wasn’t what we expected but it was still a lot of fun.)
👶 Kid-friendly rating: 5/5
💰 Value for money: 5/5
🚿 Muddy mess scale: 1/10 (Despite the recent showers we only came across 1 muddy puddle!)

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Tried this trail, or know any others in the area? Let me know in the comments!

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DATE OF ADVENTURE: Sunday 8th June 2025