I regularly cycle through Stroud with my club. Only one flat road in to the place and dozens of hilly ones. Character forming. The first few times I rode there I felt like a spider trapped in the bath tub. Stroud Valley Velos seems like a friendly, decent club. I know they meet up on Sunday mornings outside the Upper lock cafe in the town centre.
Are you in Stroud itself or one of the nearby villagey parts? I lived there, in one of the very nearby ex-villagey parts, a long long time ago; but I was very small and we had woodchip on the wall. The people, as you've probably already found, tend towards the eccentric and anti-conventional but also to the conservative and traditional. Hippies and alt-niks side by side with rural pheasant farmers. Of course it's a bit more normal than that in reality...
If you want somewhere non-hilly to ride, there's plenty of flat in the Severn Vale. Head over towards Stonehouse, Eastington, Frampton, or up to Gloucester. Even the A419 to Ciren, if we ignore Cowcombe Hill (and we can, once we're familiar with Chalford, where anything less than vertical can be considered flat), but you'll know that already.
I had Cider with Rosie as my O Level English book. Hated it. Just sayin'In the Slad valley, just out of town.
In the Slad valley, just out of town. We love the area already (we used to visit the place back in the '90s when we lived in London).
Tbh the climbs are a huge physical challenge which I love! I might tag along with one of the clubs to help me get to know the roads.
I had Cider with Rosie as my O Level English book. Hated it. Just sayin'
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Many years ago Simon, a mate of mine, went and joined an old boy sat on a bench overlooking the top of the Slad Valley looking contemplative. As is Simon's way, he soon got chatting and sharing life stories. It turned out it was old Laurie Lee himself.You need to read it again, then! It's one of the best books ever written in the English language, and indirectly the reason we live in this area!