[Closed] Dartmoor trails worth a visit?

There was a very similar thread recently... someone staying near Crediton.

You've got Haldon Forest. The blue and red trails are ok, but you've also got miles of off-piste stuff up there.

Then you've got the Quantocks a similar distance north. loads of nice trails + more techy stuff at Triscombe.

Then a but further south you've got Dartmoor, Lustleigh Cleave is a fan favourite.

Also in the area is Woodbury Common. more XC orientated, but there are some nice DH and jump runs near Yettington.

Thanks! I did a search but didn't find anything, will try again.

Here's a 40km loop including Lustleigh: https://www.komoot.com/tour/185571003

It's nice-ish, but certainly more XC than full on trails for the most part. Lustleigh/Nutcrackers is nice but very bouldery, both down and back up! Some cracking sections of bridleway and singletrack on this route though that are very enjoyable.

Yeh, i asked the question recently as the wife to be was booking a child free weekend away. After the responses we booked somewhere in the lakes instead as nothing seemed too appealing MTB wise

as nothing seemed too appealing MTB wise

Crediton itself is a bit barren MTB wise, but within 30mins drive in most directions you've got some ace riding.

Ridden Dartmoor for years as local trails but exploring Exmoor more recently as fairly close and a mixture of great natural and built trails in the Headon Plantation and on Selworthy and my favorite descent, Hawkcombe. It’s pretty brutally steep and did a 45km loop with 1800m of climbing on Wednesday - it was on an eBike and was still wasted. Was great riding with a pub lunch in Porlock.

This ^^^

Crediton itself isn't appealing. But its possible to go both north and south from there quite easily.

There's good riding around Lustleigh, as has been pointed out, but also North on Exmoor (Horner is a good area to aim for). If you're set on Dartmoor then the views from the Princetown - Burrator - Princetown loop are great, but the ride is lacking in 'tech' if that's your thing. Go for the Nutcracker if you want that, its always entertaining.

There are some cracking bits of single track hidden on the moor, but many of them aren't bridlepaths and aren't easy to join up. without some 'meh' in between The loop posted above is your best bet.

If you’re set on Dartmoor then the views from the Princetown – Burrator – Princetown loop are great, but the ride is lacking in ‘tech’ if that’s your thing

Enough tech to scare most people in the woods around burrator if you know where to look.

Thanks, I'll have a look and see if I can get some GPX files for the rides mentioned, will definitely give Exmoor a try if it's not too far.

Has the Nutcracker got a lot easier recently, or have bikes just got a lot better!

I hadn't ridden it for years, when i used to ride a 100mm hardtail, and remember it as FIERCELY steep and technical, but rode it again recently (on my 180mm gnarrpoon) and frankly wondered what the fussy was all about??

Has the Nutcracker got a lot easier recently, or have bikes just got a lot better!

I think it's the latter.

Re riding on and around Dartmoor generally, your options are wide ranging and some are very good indeed. You could follow a gpx file for a great loop in and around Lustleigh cleave if you like it moderately technical. Just an OS map can get you the same on the Quantocks if you like it natural and a bit less technical, and you can incorporate really good tougher built trails riding there too if you know roughly where to look (eg Triscombe). A big ride just on Haldon off piste is very achievable, and is what I ride out of the door, but many trails would be difficult to find without a local guide, and the official trails are very easy. And someone above mentioned Burrator which can be easy moorland bridleways or proper techy, again if someone can show you where to go.

Re how hard/steep/techy things are, depends on your frame of reference. Generally, the area is hard to beat in the south of England I'd say and most of the above options include trails that are quite steep in that context, but not so hard if you're used to, say, the Tweed Valley.

Enough tech to scare most people in the woods around burrator if you know where to look.

Yep, those new massive rock rolls to drops are brutal

Regarding Burrator, took the family up for a day out a few weeks back and somehow i had packed the bike....spent the whole day just sessioning a couple of flowy single tracks with lots of techy rocks sections:-) was great fun. To be fair i could have played around in the car park all day there was so much to play on. def will head back to check out some of the other areas. must be loads of techy rocky stuff there.

Has the Nutcracker got a lot easier recently, or have bikes just got a lot better!

Bit of both I'd say. Unfortunately most of the techier trails on the moor have got easier as people don't ride the original line! There's an awful lot of lines around rocks, widening of trails etc.