So, Mrs NBT and I will be down in the south west next week for a few days. We’re staying in Upton (between Bampton and Taunton) and are hoping to get three days riding between Wednesday and Sunday – maybe one day on Exmoor and two on the Quantocks, or vice versa.

so, has anyone got any route suggestions to make, please? We’re not particularly fast or hardcore riders, 25 miles over a full day would be more than ample and 20 miles would probably be enough.

I don’t own a GPS, might be able to borrow one, but will be purchasing some maps later. If anyone is free to join us for a ride then company would be appreciated and restorative post-ride beverages at a local hostelry will be offered by way of thanks 🙂

For Exmoor go from Minehead area, forge the route I did exactly but the descent from Dunkery Beacon was a techy treat on the XC bike, Some great bridleways around porlock as well the locals have a chilled attitude about footpaths (both riders and walkers), and there are LOADS of bridleways, but thats because there is a f**kton of horses, if you’re pimpy about your downtube protect it 8)

I had an OK time on quantocks, but local knowledge more important there I think, I was on bridleways, all pretty wide and motorwayish…

I was asking about something similar over the Jubilee weekend as I am equally lacking knowledge. Sharki is away as he is normally a very good bet, and I have tried emailing Somerset Road Club who have a mtb section, but not heard back yet. I am just digging through some old routes from MTBR etc at home to see if any cover the area and can scan in and send them over later if it helps?

Not sure Sharki is about much on the bike these days.
Upton? never heard of it!
But having searched for it, you should be able to do a loop of Wimbleball from your door (fairly easy 14 miles with not much climbing)
I’m on Exmoor most weeks & the odd visit to the Quantocks, drop me an email with your plans.

To be honest chap, armed with an OS on the Quantocks you won’t go far wrong. There is a fair bit of local knowledge stuff, but when we’ve been we’ve just strung together a load of bridleways.

Basically it’s a big ridge, so any ride is going to be up a combe, along the top, down a combe, repeat. Ideally the key is to know which are best to go down and which to come up, from there you can string it together yourself. But it’s an ace spot for some map-based use of the force 🙂

{edit] if I get a chance I’ll try and knock up some screenshots from Memory Map for you

thanks folks. I’ve spent a weekend in the Quantocks on Seb Roger’s photo course so I’ve a little knowledge – Smiths Combe, Weacombe etc – but it’s nice to have a guide so you know how to link things in a pleasing manner 🙂

any more guidance is more than welcome

14 miles loop of Wimbleball sounds very pleasing 🙂 Will mail you later!

Bump for today’s lunchtime crowd.

Have received a few route guides from Tim, thanks – all printed out now

Offers of guiding most greatfully accepted 🙂

Wimbleball loop is a bit boring and unbike friendly due to boggy bits IMO.
How ’bout this?
Anticlockwise, start from Dulverton, 23Km, a couple of good climbs, varied terrain and a tea stop half way!

Cheers CHeez0, is that route easy enough to follow on the ground? Any route notes I might want to note down? We’re staying a few miles east – 7 miles by road according to Google maps – in Upton, streetmaps shows a bridleway along the river (Hartford Bottom) – do you know if that’s nice enough to ride?

Evening bump …

park Exford
Samaritans way to hilshead cross – steep but rideable
Bridleway to Aldermans barrow past Greenlands [Ranulph Fiennes place]
Trail to Larkbarrow then on to Badgeworthy water[Doone valley] really pretty – follow valley to malmesmead [cafe if needed] road to Oar Church[visit to see where Lorna Doone shot] turn right and follow bridleway – steep, rideable but a pleasant walk.
Follow track over South Common [little indistinct in places] but good views of Exmoor] back to Larkbarrow and reverse rout back to Hilshead cross – instead of descending where you came up, straight on to come out on road at Stone, turn right at road back to Exford – approx 20miles 2300 ft climbing – nothing technical, but descent down to Stone requires care when wet. Did the ride last week – very dry across the moor.

You could spend days exploring Porlock and Horner Woods, hard to give directions, but you cant go far wrong. Good choice of bridleways, unclassified tracks and deer paths that all make for good riding

nbt,

my trail is easy to follow, apart from getting the correct lane at the start, at dulverton, and also the crossing of ‘the allotment’ (at the top right of my map)

from summerway, go across the field where there has been a lot of logging work, head towards a gate, go thru the gate and with your back to it, take the ten oclock path towards spire cross.
a 1:25000 map will help

nbt

I did the MBR route that looks like a figure of 8 with a tail on the RHS. Pretty easy to follow and good fun, but pretty steep climb up Bicknoller Coombe