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Going to the Quantocks for the first time in a year tomorrow (dont know how that happened!). Where is the "entrance" to Bin Combe and is it worth a ride? Presumable it's off the minor road that you cross at the top of the Holford Combe climb to the start of Great Bear?
Do I turn left and go down the road a little (toward Nether Stowey) and look for something off to the right? Or is it best to continue from the top of Holford Combe up to the fort, take the leafy sunken trail (name?) down to the road and then presumably turn right and climb uphill a little, then look for something on the left?
Hope that makes sense?
And is it worth riding all the way down to Bincombe Farm?
Have things changed much in the last year, I hear some trees have gone?
cheers
great bear and turn right or holford combe turn left . its a good blast but a bu55er to get back up from .Sharki loves it but Id prefer the concrete block and follow all the way to holford.
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thanks, good map. might give it a go and get tea in Nether Stowey before climbing back up
Best accessed from the top of ladies combe at the end of holford combe. Where there's a clearing it the top with a tree in the middle of a grassy area, go through a gap in a bank and follow any single track down the hillside to the road. Cross the road and you're into the BC descent, after about 120m there's a fallen tree to hop over, with another one to jump over(there's a soil ramp over it), just after that go left around a further fallen tree then rejoin the obvious path. Stick to all the left hand lines where you see them, staying out of the leafy ditch as much as possible but you will need to get in there on occasions.
At the end of one section of ditch as you graze past a holly tree, there's a slight booster, just after that cut through the earth bank and drop into a dried up stream bed(by an old metal Safe(from a nearby PO robbed about 20 years back)Follow this stream bed along the valley floor in the direction whence you came, to get back up to the road crossing for the best way back up. Or to get to Stowey you can continue down the stream bed. Beware though as it becomes extremely boggy and probably unridable down there for a good way. My preferred route from there to get to stowey is as follows.
From the safe in the stream bed, continue down and under a fallen tree taking the next left hand gap in the earth bank back up onto the trail you'd come down on.(it's not rideable up there for a section due to a hole on the trail and a low hanging tree) Follow the trail along and you'll begin to climb again, after a hundred metres or so, and before you ride under some dense Rhoddies turn right on a very vague leafy single track traversing the hillside heading east. After some 50m or so, you'll come to an area of dense holly bushes, here drop down the hill and slalom said bushes down the obvious lower track. There will be a gate to you left along the track. Go through it and follow it, at a crossing by a house continue straight on. After a muddy section you'll see a stream to the right and steps on the left, you can ride them if committed and keeping to the left side of them. Follow path to the end and turn left at the road into Stowey.
Knottie. Yes i really like this trail and after doing i, i'd ride up and do CB after it gaining my and extra descent. BC descent and climb is only a 30minute max section so a nice inclusion to a loop. IMO 😉
Oh, and if the OP does go to stowey for tea. Coming back up BC is ok apart from the boggy 100m or so you'll have to wade along.
Cheers guys, went out before Sharki's post but did pretty much what you said having carried up to the fort from Ladies Combe. Could have done with a drier day to be honest, and the ride back up to Lydiard wasnt straight forward... Always good to check out new trails though.
You've got a good memory for directions, I did notice the rusty safe etc
Dead Womans Ditch decent in semi darkness was interesting.....
PS - "CB"?
Missed the end of that route, steps etc, probably shouldnt have ridden along that stream where the sign says horses left walkers right.
Next time...
cb=concrete block trail.