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Any good descents off easdon tor? Thinking of trying to get it into a loop but not sure if its worth it.
yup. Bridleway heading NE towards north bovey. Can get a bit overgrown at the top. Then can drop to north bovey and take green lane towards peck farm to get to top of nutcracker.
https://www.strava.com/activities/2499080293
its in this ride. I should have added, one of the funnest descents on that side of the moors.
That's great thanks! I did it once a few years back but think we took the wrong path and it wasn't great. I've thought for a while I should check it out again.
First time I went looking I went through a gate and down through a plantation. Don’t do that, before the trail starts to drop too much, there is a left fork, takes you across the hill to a corner of a stone wall.
then drops across the hill and into the woods, tricky rock garden with no clear path, stay high and right and there is a rideable route through. In the woods after the fire road look for a left turn into the woods for a fun set of corners to the gate at the bottom.
Easdon is a much better way to get to North Bovey from Manaton than the bridleway up at the farm further along the road. Worth going up to Whooping rock on the very top of Easdon as the view is brilliant and then head down towards Figgie Daniels rock and skirting around the hill. As said, don’t go through the gate in to the plantation as it’s just a boring fire road descent but go on further to the left around the hill until you come to the remnants of a wall on the trail and that’s where the descent starts. It gets very overgrown with bracken in the Summer so you may have missed the best time to ride it.
Whooping Rock Easdon Tor
Thanks for that too! I remember that descent in the plantation, dead boring! I couldn't believe the gpx file i was following was taking me there!!! Got to do it again properly.
The descent of Easdon is good, I only ride it at the beginning of the year as not a fan of it once the weeds have grown up. Same with the top part of the nutcracker/lustleigh from the tor to just before the chunky rocks.
Cheers! Great descent that!
Is there a good descent over Haytor towards Hound tor? Normally skirt round the north side of Black hill and drop down to leighon
If you can pick your way from HayTor to Holwell Lawn and then almost along to Hound Tor the descent past the old village and Greator Rocks is great!
I have ridden from HayTor across the valley side before, but it wasn’t too much fun in the spring, bit boggy. There’s a nice little bit of single track along the main road before you get to the cattle grid just beyond Saddle Tor, that’s about the best way round the end of the valley I’ve found.
Smallacombe into dingly dell. Climb up to greator rocks and take the bridleway on the right to the cattle grid at the bottom, road climb up to hound tor car park and then up to bowermans for the descent into manaton.
Usually cycle up to Smallacombe rocks from the car park as part of a big loop from Reddaford taking in some of the best descents on that part of Dartmoor; Smallacombe, Hayne Down, Easdon, Lustleigh Cleave, Water.
The drop in. The trail down is pretty funky, enjoy!
Learn something new every day! Will have to look for that next time! Ta
Does that descent start at smallacombe rocks? Any good coming over black hill from the road to the north to get to smallacombe rocks? Cheers for all the input, been riding the area for years and managed to miss a few good bits it seems!
Yes, the pic is where the descent starts and it’s pretty obvious. Never been over Black Hill as looks like a bit of a slog and not sure there is a rideable trail to Smallacombe from there but let me know if it’s worth riding that way. Generally, ride around from the top of Yarner on the road to the car park and up.