Got a day off next week.
Driving up from Plymouth so should I do the Ashton Court/Leigh Woods thing?
Or…..
Quantocks
Or…….
Cwmcarn
Or……
Forest of Dean?
Answers on a postcard please!

They are great trails. Good fun and work in all weathers. That said, I certainly wouldn’t drive past the Quantocks just to go there.

Depends what you want. The AC trails are a decent, family friendly fitness loop. Not tecnical at all. A world away from the steep stuff at FOD. Not my cup of tea really, tho they are good fun in the dark.

I’m a regular at the Quantocks and Cwmcarn, and occasionally go to FoD. Ashton Court is worth a visit if you’ve never been, but all the others are better options, IMO.

You’re also going pretty close to Dartmoor, maybe add that to the list?!

Do more than one option if you’ve got time, I reckon 🙂

I’d keep going to somewhere with hills – Ashton is fine, but if I didn’t often meet Bristol mate there, I really wouldn’t worry about about riding there a great deal.

That said, if you live in bristol and its on your doorstep, then I’d ride there a lot

I had to sort my passport out in Newport earlier this year, so….
Drove up from Exeter – stopped in Bristol and did Ashton Court and Leigh Woods – back in car and off to Wales to sort passport – drove up to Cwmcarn and did a lap of the trail – lovely day out 8) (though it did piss down at Cwmcarn)

Dartmoor is a local ride for us, so looking for something a bit different to make a change!
Are the Quantock trails pretty obvious?
Don’t want to spend all day in search of the perfect singletrack!
I guess Cwmcarn or FoD will guarantee fun downhill sections.

I’d not travel to AC/LW very often if they weren’t on my doorstep.

Quantocks are great if you can pick someone’s brains about where to ride.

Cwmcarn and Forest of Dean mean you have to pay to go over the bridge, but it’s worth it. They form a triangle of about an hour’s driving time on each side with Bristol on the third corner. I’d do Cwmcarn red loop, then FoD read and blue… or just one or the other depending on how much you have left in the tank.

I guess Cwmcarn or FoD will guarantee fun downhill sections.

That they will! AC and Leigh Woods dont really have down hill bits. They are mostly flat.

Below is a copy and paste from an old Quantocks thread… No credit to me.
——————

But here’s my brief guide to the Q’s top trails.

I’ve always said Bincombe is my favourite, perhaps because it’s not overly rode. It’a a trail of subtle incline that once you get to know it, becomes a twisty playful ribbon of giggles, features to get you flicking the ass end out, jinking left and right as you hurtle inches past tree stumps and roots laying in wait for your bad forward vision. From top to bottom 3-5mins of shits and giggles, thrills and spills. Pure natural fun.

Another fav will always be Somertons top section, but it’s been getting wider as the years go by as riders run wide scrubbing out a new rut. At it’s best it’s a fast and furious descent to the tree line along a moorland piece of single track, the worn shallow rut means that when the turns come, you can get the front tyre to stick so you don’t lose momentum, and after the slight pedally bit around back side the trail is just pure bliss as at speed you’ll get a little drift as you flick left, right, left, left and left mind the rock then into the trees, 80m and slight(18″ step) into rooty braking bumps, sharp right, moist butt and follow the wider track along side the stream, it gets pedally but crank it and enjoy.

Weacombe, mind the drop to the right most the way along it’s mile and a half length, though it’s not on the trail itself, so eyes ahead(once they’ve stopped rattling in side your head from the stuttery first 150m) Pin it at your own peril, Weacombe is just waiting for the over enthusiastic it will bite, It’s non steep and non technical, it’s just FAST!

Frog combe, traverse or Roller coaster. Not an obvious to find trail but if you survive the initial steepish rooty run in, the reward along the traverse is a very natural twisty piece of 400mm trail, that joins the main frog combe trail near the bottom. I like because it bit me tearing my ACJ and collapsing my lung, so i bit it back, harder.

Smiths is a love hate affair for me. Love it because it has a good mix, grass, roots, stoney, hard pack and stream crossings.
Hate because i always have a bad feeling about it once i let go of the brakes on the mid section. It’s not a comfy landing…And the climb out usually bitch’s at me.
From Beacon hill trig, it’s a mile long.

If you want pure speed, followed by a burger, you’ll be after the descent North of the Hill fort (Dowsborough) It’s wide, there’s a few bumpy bits on the first hundred metres then it’s loose stone till it rises for moment, about enough to gather your breath then it’s down, down, more loose stuff making a drifty left and then into the trees to a gate. Careful in there, there’s monsters lurking on the ground ready to spit you off course and watch the long right hander at the bottom, trees hurt.

Did you say your favourites? Then let me continue…

Slaughterhouse, Concrete block, Dead womans ditch north side, and te Hare knapp splits(two choices) even holly bush gives me the necessary smiles.

And that’s just on the Heath and combe.
The Forestry has alot on offer too but these aren’t named so are not so easy to find. There’s Sam’s track and the Chimney dropping into Great wood, then in Cockercombe there’s around 40 DH runs of varying difficulty, most can be ridden on a HT IMO.

That’s enough to keep most people busy for a weekend or two.

Enjoy!

one day off…

for me (also from Plymuff) it would either be a big east dartmoor loop or a day on the quantocks. ashton wouldn’t feature at all with the drive involved, cwmcarn is pretty icy atm uplifts been cancelled quite a bit lately.
there is a lot of rain forecast for the end of the week so maybe figure in a loop which fairs well under water…Qtox would be fine.

can’t send you any loops of the tox as im on a borrowed pc whilst mine is having a pornectomy at the repair shop.

edit ut can give you the name of someone who has a good route on strava including most of those above incluing bincombe (my favourite!)

Cheers BBP!

Thanks Carl that will be cool.
What routes have you got in East Dartmoor?

Bit like the Quantocks Eastern Dmoor is awesome if you know where to look…. Also some of it is right battered at the minute….

most of the good stuff around lustleigh cleave, and surrounding areas, got bits and bobs around most of dartmoor. cansend them once the pc is returned.

Of those choices the Qs win easily BUT I don’t find them the easiest to navigate and spending as long looking at a map as riding can ruin a day.
Bristol is good for a local ride from the door(i’ve just got back from a night ride) but at this time of year you are limited to the man made trails you mentioned. The best stuff is harder to find and not good in the winter or wet.

If the off-piste stuff is riding OK (it’s mostly mush at the moment) and you have someone to show you around, Bristol is a fun day out.

As other people have said though, the surfaced trails here are about 8 miles in total and the other stuff is a muddy ‘mare at the moment, so I’d go with the ‘tocks instead (although when we rode there last week it was the wettest and muddiest I’ve ever seen it too!)

Bristol’s amazing if you live here but I can’t say I’d travel for it.

Bliley, I do write some drivel sometimes.^^^

AC is fine if you’ve an hr or two t spare and you’re local, but never worth a special trip if yet passing D’moor, Haldon, Exmoor and the Q’s.
Even Woodbury or the mandrips, oops! Mendips would be a better day visit location.

In fact you could head SW into Kernow and explore the moor or more.