bump..
bit of bad news. Narnia has been trashed by latest forestry works, bone yard probably too.
the works stop in april, wont know how bad til then the but the first couple 100 metres are out for sure. it will be rebuilt, but until we know the extent of the damage...
managed a quick spin up there on saturday morning while visiting family, parked at west quantockshead, up onto the ridge, down slaughterhouse for the first time in a very very long time, up to bicknoller post and down weacombe and back to the car.
ice in the puddles, but pretty dry overall. saw some fresh-ish tracks but not another rider out there.
I'll be riding there for the first time in months this weekend. Anybody fancy joining me?
cant this w/e 🙁 should be out somewhere 19th but been mostly ridden away from quantocks over the winter as i've not been out on my own much and on winter rides my gang have preferrred the more guaranteed stuff at haldon. not organising another QTRG one until the weather perks up.
word is narnia may not be as bad as feared and a few people are actually riding it. (its still supposed to be closed until april due to felling). the first section has been trashed by machinery two tracks so but, i have permission from the forestry to go in with a few mates and reinstate things. there is definitely scope to improve the entrance. even just a basic levelling. i also think after reviewing old footage the small drops and berms in there have sagged/collapsed over time most likely due to rain/water erosion. so could probably do with a closer look.
quick update. so far narnia may have gotten off lightly but seems half of bone yard (parallel trail next door) is gone. probably scope for something there
Hi all! Found this (fairly) recent thread so decided to keep it going with a question. I'm looking to check out the Quantocks either tomorrow or Sunday. This will be my first time there, I was wondering if this MBR route would be a good introduction to it?
https://www.mbr.co.uk/routes/western-england/quantocks/quantocks-gps-route-download-320421
Also, sunny weekend - how quickly do the car parks fill up? Just so I know how early to get there. I'll be driving from Bristol.
Yeah thats an OK route, if you start from Holford there's plenty of parking - ride up Hodders combe to pick up that route.
Just a heads up if you do follow that route, the Chimney is out of bounds due to Forestry work.
If you can do Sat I’m leading the 5th QTRG social ride from Desd Woman’s Ditch at 10.
heads up: the whole bottom of The Chimney after the corner and i think just after the bit where you drop from left side to right) from about 4/5ths up has been turned into a logging road.
as more work is happening this might not be the end of it.
(this is after mini chimney suffered the same fate last year and over winter, and narnia + bone yard which are still rideable are criss-crossed with machinery tracks.
I remember an old boy I used to work with in taunton telling me how he used to drive up & down the chimney. great woods has always been a working wood and things come and go.
crazy! i guess as it was obviously formed by water actions it will happen again.
from all reports right now the flattened section only goes up to the bottleneck where you swap sides from right to left after the loose right corner.
everything south of dead womans ditch is unnatural planting for the war effort. seeing pre war pics of ramscombe really drove that home. ironically now the FC have realised that planting ona scheduled monument isn't brest practice.
i remember walking dogs with a mate only 12 ish years ago and didnt notice anything on the road side of cockercombe/triscombe trail wise and people were building shelters in there.
btw sharki+jambos. nowadays the bit between narnia and chimney has been affected heavily at narnia end.. and in between on the wider part too. will get up and explore later in the year once the felling is over and use the good weather to explore the new mendips trails and other local-ish bits
5th QTRG ride where spotted this had 14 people. we did seven wells, narnia, 'route 666 -> scriptures union' (once known as wagon wheel i've been told?).. bone yard then a few triscombe runs.
I don’t get up there much anymore and only really ride the Combes north of the crowcombe road these days.
Great woods was never that great. That trail me and sharki built was a few bored days maybe 15yrs ago, I’m amazed it’s still there.
the original triscombe DH track was awesome though. i'm guessing its long gone.
i believe geex/GW may have had a hand in building it...
might still exist? was that the one with the road gap? the road gap was lost but has been rebuilt better and bigger. there are a few new DH trails popping up even now. know of at least two this year.
Anyone riding this weekend?
not this weekend.. but..
QTRG group ride from staple plain on Sat 29th from staple plain car park. 940 for a 10am ride out.
doing smiths -> greenway -> willoughby cleeve -> up from holford via fort 'zig zag' -> whole top ridge from CPG to bicknollerpost -> weacombe finale
this is the 7th QTRG ride. the last 3 have been designed to showcase the best of The Quantocks. this fills in the lsat two gaps. we've had around 12 people on the last 3 rides.
Video of my Quantock Trail Riders group filmed by a local youtuber (dropped the G now so its just QTR)
Saturday was super hot. mateys gopro didnt get smiths due to the heat! but he did get willoughby cleeve, bincombe and weacombe
i'm in the light blue short sleeve top - last part is of him following me doing weacombe (i didnt know who was behind me til after!)
I don't suppose you have a gpx of that ride please @canopy? I have ridden the Q's just once many years ago pre recording rides, but recognise the names you mention and some of the trails in the footage. I'm hoping to pay a visit early next week, possibly based at Holford. No problem if not though.
All the routes for all QTR rides are on Trailforks. this one was #7. 🙂
Thanks very much @canopy, I'll look some of those routes up (ones that avoid the chimney as that I believe it's out of action).
Any suggestions for the easiest way up from Crowcombe as the road looks brutal ! Likewise the best nearest descent to finish on, much appreciated.
The road is brutal but it gets you up the quickest. Or you could ride along to the blue ball and go up the quarry road which is slightly less brutal..
Best descent on that side is weacombe and then traverse around back to Crowcombe. Triscombe Combe is flat out fun but not very technical.
i wouldnt take anything other than a jeep up from the blue ball. take the other road that goes from crowcombe over to dead womans ditch.
popular parking places really are : holford, lydeard hill, staple plain or dead womans ditch. there is parking in great wood too but it costs (i heard machines currently out of order.. but best assume you need to pay)
i prefer to park low (holford) or low ish (staple plain) and finish on a descent 🙂
(first part - i meant if driving! - i have ridden up the road. brutal, but depends what youre heading out to ride!)
I assumed he was staying in crowcombe. If I’m at my mums which is close by on that side I always drive up to crowcombe gate.
I used to be able to get my golf gti up the quarry road. I guess it’s eroded a bit...
Indeed I am staying in Crowcombe and not intending to use the car. Looking at the map was thinking of going up Little Quantock Combe to pick up The Drove - no doubt some/all will be a push but I've got all day. Then looking at picking up route #7 above. Which is the descent at 7.21 in the vid above as I remember loving that on my previous visit 8 years ago?
Any suggestions for another ride which doesn't overlap too many descents included in #7 most grateful. Looking for flow opposed to overly tech as riding with the other half. Thanks all.
thats bin combe. stick to north of the crowcombe gate road if you want flowy.
if I'm short on time up there which I normally am and want a short fun ride this is loop I'll do:
https://www.strava.com/activities/1107093342
never done little quantock combe but looking at the contours I'd expect to be pushing the whole thing. only 1/2km or so though...
Thanks @Jam-bo, I've copied that route and will be good for a quick blast, much appreciated.
I was up there early this morning Route
Only saw one other MTBer, loads horsey ladies & squirrels!
Weacombe
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Hinkley point looks busy
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I was thinking the other day how much bigger Hinkley is looking all of a sudden.
The quarry climb isn't too bad. Best choice from Crowcombe I think.
This is another good short one, couple of different descents to jam bo's route.
https://www.strava.com/activities/2360780460
And this is all of the best ones in one ride 🙂
https://www.strava.com/activities/2436332065
If you do Bincombe, well worth a coffee and cake stop at the Foxy Bean in Adscombe, and then a reasonable climb back up through Seven Wells Wood.
Am up there tomorrow morning on a blue Whyte T130. Say hello if you see me.
Just a quick thank you for the route advice from @canopy and @jam-bo.
Had a lovely couple of rides up on the Q's even if the weather was baking.
From Crowcombe, rode up Little Quantock Combe to The Drove. It's rideable all the way up and definately nicer than the road, although my g/f did have to walk a bit.
Rode Weacombe once on each day and frustratingly my bottle got flung out on the top section both times, that's really quite bumpy on a hardtail !
Really enjoyed Stert/Somerton. My g/f wasn't so fussed on the top eroded section of the Frogcombe singletrack but overall a cracking couple of rides. I must not leave it another 8 years until I return.
