Interested in finding some alternatives to the standard Bristol riding of Leigh Woods & Ashton Court. I know Rowberrow/Blackdown pretty well, but there must be other areas to explore.

Before someone pipes up, I’m thoroughly capable of digging the OS map & compass out, but time is precious & recommendations of where to start would be appreciated.

Anything worth exploring to the West & North of the airport (King’s Wood/Ball Wood, Brockley Wood, Goblin Coombe, Healls Scars, Chelvey Batch, Bourton Coombe)? My mum lives in Hutton, so is there anything worth looking at on Bleadon Hill?

If anyone’s got any gpxs (cheeky or not) they’d like to share, my email’s in my profile. Ta.

Bourton is loadsa fun (the obvious line down the bottom of the valley is probably the best one on an MTB). The descent from the Jubilee Stone in Cheston Combe is OK, Tap’s Combe is meant to be good (but I’ve only ridden it as a climb). Agentdagnamit was saying that Healls Scars is worth a look, although strictly cheeky.

I’d avoid Goblin Combe, it’s SSSI and apparently the good descent through there has also been resurfaced. The BW from Prestow Wood to Brockley Combe is also best given the swerve, when we rode it on Sustrans’s Cheddar Adventure a couple of years back it was a rutted swamp.

From Hutton, if you go up the Hutton hill, turn up Windmill hill road until it turns into a bridleway, then turn right and right again at the triangle, which leads you onto the 100 acres field system to Loxton, then go through Loxton to Crooks peak (up the bridleway past the hotel) along wavering down to shute shelf and back again, which is a half decent loop.

There are some nice tracks around Brockley as well, some old and most very cheeky, However the farmer(s) who own a lot of the woods in the area are very very militant, and anti bike/horses, so if they catch you on the footpaths expect to get a serious amount of verbal.

I’m fairly new to Bristol and if there are any GPX/garmin routes out there my email is in profile
Don’t get me wrong AC and Leigh woods are great but don’t want to over ride them
cheers

Do you know trails around Cheddar/Axbridge/Winscombe/Sandford?

sonofapitch, I’m working on some for when the bristoltrailsgroup.com website gets redone. Will email you a couple of the draft ones later…

Stu, email me (your better half has my addy if you don’t) as I’m sure I’ve got some GPXs of cheekyness in the wood out the back of Flax Bourton.

Just come back from my first bit of exploring Bradley Stoke and Three Brooks area, nothing amazing but it was kinda off road.

Just come back from my first bit of exploring Bradley Stoke and Three Brooks area, nothing amazing but it was kinda off road.

There are some nice (but short) trails around Snuff mills, I would avoid them on weekends though due to the number of walkers/kids