Hey Guys,
I have some free train tickets to use on First great western.
Im always hearing about how good the quantocks are.
I've thinking of getting the train from reading to taunton on the 22nd of october.
Do I need a guide really ? Or just use the OS map ?
Theres one train much quicker than the others so I'll take this. I arrive in Taunton about 10:50 then its about a 5 mile cycle to the hills ?
Its more like 12 miles really, to get to Crowcombe Park Gate which is fairly central. It's a bit of a slog though to ride out there, then up onto the top is a beast of a hill. That's 24 miles on the road before you have done any offroad! My mate did it last year and he suffered a little.
A guide is advisable if you haven't been before to make the most of your trip. Unfortuantely I'm not about this weekend. If you get lucky you may find someone from Taunton on here who will give you a lift out.
There are a few guys on here who regularly ride there. Other than that, just head up and join a group when you see them. I'm sure they won't mind.
A few of us are riding the quantocks on the 22nd. You're welcome to join us (email in profile). Know most of the main routes and a few sharki has shown some in the group
cheers for the info DJ. I had a feeling some of the good riding is in the north. Shame the steam railway doesnt run a decent service straight from Taunton would be easier to do it north to south.
Hey tricky. Would be interested in meeting up with the group, but Im fairly constrained in my times. I want to use my train ticket as its free (and helps makes yearly ticket seem more worth while).
Which basically means I arrive at 10:50 no matter what in taunton. What time will you be riding from and where do you meet ? Im reasonably fit so happy to ride on road to meet you first.
def get a guide. there are a couple of locals on here with excellent knowledge of the area and are usually coerced with the promise of cake and or beer. as suggested, it's a bit of a (doable) trek from taunton to cpg.
have you thought about the train to newton abbot then the easy ride to bovey tracey for an eastern dartmoor epic ?
scu98rkr> Just gunna find out from the group. Probably looking at about 20 miles if that's cool with all the good bits of the quantocks
Not so bad as all that DJ, I regularly rode from the train station and took around the hour mark to get to Lydeard Hill car park, though i may press on a little keener then others, even with the trailer and panniers loaded was never more than 1hr 20. A journey of around 9 miles via Kingston st Mary.
Like most places a guide is preferable for day trips when you just want to be riding and not guessing where to go, though with good use of a OS and some key pointers of where to go, you should be able to work out a loop.
Be prepared for a tough ride, as the ride up there will certainly warm you up, the tox themselves are fairly uppy downy and you'll need a little left in the tank for the ride back, it's not all quite down hill..
Depending on what sort of riding you want, the trails to the north of he crowcombe to stowey road are heathland and woodland fun swoopy trails. Where as most stuff south of there specifically in the area of cockercombe and slades are more DH orientated fun, more technical than the northern hill, expect slick, steep off camber rooty chaos. 
This means if you're not keen on DH style riding, the trail type riding is a little further on meaning off road miles will be around 18-20 miles with about 3500ft of climbing in that distance. That's the bulk of your mountain biking during the day.
The 9 mile road commute there, can be made a bit more fun on the return leg with an off road BW descent, this is around a mile long piece of singletrack which takes you down to a place called Cushuish.
http://www.endomondo.com/workouts/v2Yb1I0JsCo
This is a scenic route taking a few of the trails Stert, weacombe, slaughterhouse, hill fort, holly bush and willoughby's.
It doesn't take the off road route back to town, instead retraces the route up there.
That's a 4 hr ride time and at a steady to fast pace.
Looking through all my logged routes since April i realise now how few i've done suitable to share..
Have a butchers at that route and if you need a guide i'll see where i am and what i'm doing, i'm happy to ride up from the station with you.
Oooops, 45 mins of trawling through my rides and a cuppa or two and it seems you've had some replies. 
Its more like 12 miles really, to get to Crowcombe Park Gate which is fairly central. It's a bit of a slog though to ride out there, then up onto the top is a beast of a hill. That's 24 miles on the road before you have done any offroad! My mate did it last year and he suffered a little.
only if you ride the main road, turn off at crowcombe and pick the steepest climb on the quantocks.
As sharki says there is a more direct route that gets you on dirt quicker, uses quieter roads and takes about an hour.
Hey sharki cheers for the GPS if I cant meet up with anyone that exactly what I need
ta
I maybe about on the 22nd for a Qs guide .Will know nearer the time. You mentioned tickets so just you or more ?
Bugger.. just been told we're supposed to be meeting at Holford at 11am.. They'll be quite a few faffing as half of 'team faff' are in attendance. So looking like 11.30 11.45 start
If you could get to bristol i could pick you up?
Hi tricky thanks for the offer of a lift. But I dont want to get in anyone's one way. When you have to pick up someone you dont know if becomes a real faff.
I mean I have my own car so I could drive down if I wanted.
Really I just want to use my free train ticket and I thought that maybe I could meet up with someone, but it looks like most of the best riding is in the north which complicates things.
Hi knottie are you are asking whether its just me ?
I do know some others who might want to come, but if the guide was a fairly quick rider I'd just come on my own, as im not too slow (i think) so I would nt put them out too much.
If i am free could give you a lift up maybe.
As Sharki and Jambo suggested, there is a shorter ride out there but I only suggested the main road as it would be easier for a non-local to follow. Lydeard Hill is a good place to start though and that way you can pick up the trails earlier. Up to you really. There's plenty to do at both ends but the combes such as Weacombe, Smiths and Somerton are all beyond Crowcombe Park Gate.
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