Is there any decent riding down there? I've heard of this place called, er, Dart- something, moorland place apparently….

Anyways, I'm down there a week on Monday and it seems a good opportunity to do a shortish ride on Dartmoor.

Any recommendations? I'm coming from Sheffield so will be knackered and fancy something relatively untaxing, but not boring

I believe Trailmonkey off here did some Dartmoor routes for STW mag 49.

Haldon is your best bet. On the edge of Exeter, by Exeter race course. Plenty to had in there for a 'short but fun ride'

Dartmoor with all this rain. Thanks but no thanks.

How long are you down for?

It's going to be boggy pretty much everywhere. Oddly enough 🙂 but there's a pretty good route heading south from Princetown you can extend it round Burrator reservoir easily…

just the day. I'll be driving down Monday morning, staying overnight in Exeter, working there the next morning then coming back.
So if you've also got some recommendations for somewhere to get decentish food and a pint for a lonely travelling STWer that'd be good too!

Check out Haldon and Woodbury, which are both a bit closer to Exeter.

Haldon has some proper marked trails and freeride stuff, while Woodbury is natural moorland-type riding.

Haldon

feed yourself at the Double Locks. Or go ride on Haldon, start and finish at the Ley Arms

Real India for a curry

and

The Hour Glass for a pint (and the food is good, but not cheap)

or

the fat pig for both a pint and food.

The Old Firehouse near central station is good for food and a beer.

Also The Fish Shed near Topsham is a blindingly good chippy!

don't go to the double locks for nice food. much as i love the place i wouldn't recommend it to anyone for that, or the beer either TBH. usually a nice fire though, this time of year.
The Ley at Kenn is very handy for when you come off haldon ( you can ride up, ride around on the hill, then ride down st. andrew's lane, which is the bridlepath nearest kenn ). food pretty good, beer pretty good. they don't mind if you drip mud on the floor.
the beer engine is an excellent pub for food, is also a micro-brewery, and accessible by train from town, though maybe a little hard work for you on such a short trip.

Haldon near Exeter, Dartmoor, Exmoor isn't far, neither is Cann Woods, Princetown,

i wouldn't recommend cann woods as a venue from exeter. at the moment many of the unofficial xc trails have been blocked by an enthusiastic FC volunteer who seems to take great pleasure in doing this…
he has also taken to wandering around at night on the off chance he meets an mtber…a sad situation indeed.

so its boring fireroad stuff there or dh madness. (unless you know the cheeky stuff on the other side)

also as of the anount of rain recently id avoid haldon also(again unless you know the cheeky stuff as the new route is boring imo), woodbury is a good wet ride though imo

woodbury is probably a better bet in the wet, but beware of the drivetrain-destroying sandy gritty flinty properties of the place 🙂

Agree with Del
Double locks was great years ago but now spoilt by the hoards who pay anything for a nice location. Poor/overpriced food/ service and v.average beer . We used to camp there 25 yrs ago and it was great but as soon as something gets popular you know what happens.

🙂
as soon as something get's bought by youngs….

i would agree about the Fat pig and would also agree about avoiding the double locks my sister and brother in law live in Exeter and they go to the fat pig and took us to the locks last time we went down there and i know which one i preferred 8)

Pook – shame I cant be free Monday otherwise I would be out showing you a kick ass little route which just rocks. Start at Bovey Tracy (the closest bit to Exeter) and there are some lovely bridleways which are more like rooty steep twisty singletrack:

What's going on with Cann and the FC? They were always good when we were building there.

they still don't mind the DH stuff built there, but all the other xc trails are out of bounds now with logs laid everywhere to stop us using them. shame really.

For Food?

The Rusty Bike of course!

ooh yes we're having a christmas do at the rusty bike. I'll cycle there obviously

Avoid double locks it's shite now

Is it the 14th or the 21st that you're down? I'm probably free on the 21st if you fancy some company?

Personally, I'd stop by at the quantocks on the drive down.

Jambo, that was my thought too.