I’m going to be in Torquay next week and I was looking for some rides on Dartmoor. I’ll probably get 2 days of riding, if the weather looks good I’d be hoping to do something big.

Any kindly locals have suggestions?

Most searches seem to pull up similar variations around east Dartmoor (Manaton/Lustleigh/Haytor)

MBR killer loop

Thanks
Mat

Don’t do the way of the dead route that was in the last STW unless you like pushing and bog hopping….

If you want a real epic there’s always north-south…

Don’t do the way of the dead route that was in the last STW unless you like pushing and bog hopping….

Yeah, I did wonder at the time…. thanks for the heads up Jambo.

Ontor- North-South? South -North is where it’s at…

Mat- the MBR route is a good introduction. Let us know when you are doing it, might come with if you would like company?

Some advice I got when I asked about the mbr loop:

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/mtbr-dartmoor-killer-loop-which-bit-to-chop

I may be about towards the end of the week

oooh North-South/South-North sounds interesting…

Perhaps too much epic? It would probably fall down at the logistics side for me. Although there is a train at okehapmpton?

Would be Thursday &/or Friday – company would be welcome!

Plymouth to Exeter off-road is 100km exact.

Si, a big day out with some good techy riding, I’ll be riding a hardtail but that doesn’t usually stop me tackling much, I like to think I’m not too much of a mincer (some may disagree…) tbh I just want to get out and about somewhere I’ve not ridden before. I’m from Aberdeenshire down seeing inlaws, everytime we go up for walks round there I always think it would be fun to take a bike!

P2E also sounds relevant to my interests!

Has anybody got a route for Plymouth to Exeter off road?
Sounds interesting.

jam bo – where are the grim bits on the way of the dead? I was planning a loop from Bellever, heading NW on the way of the dead then back around Cocks Hill over Black Dunghill to Two Bridges, then maybe a bit of wiggling around S of there back to Bellever, or road if it’s been worse than expected.

The MBR killer loop you’ve linked to above is quite out of date now – some of the bridleways they’ve used only exist in the sense they’re lines on a map and are overgrown to the extent they’re impassable.

Nutcrackers / The Cleave is unchanged, albeit a bit more rocky, and has sufficient walkers down it to keep it clear. The path along the top of Hunters Tor is overgrown with bracken but passable. I used to take a horse along it to keep it open but no longer live in the area.

The ride between river and Hound Tor is still challenging and probably a bit of a carry. I remember it being excruciatingly difficult but at the time also thought I’d broken my ankle and was trying to get back to civilisation so it’s possible I’ve exaggerated a bit!

I’d have a search around RideWithGPS and consider sticking a few shorter routes together.

jam bo – where are the grim bits on the way of the dead?

From the back of powdermills to about cocks hill. that was in the bone dry before the wettest july we’ve had for a while, i’d imagine now it’ll be horrible.

The run down from cocks hill past Bagga Tor is pretty crappy as well, better to take the left hand spur and drop directly into Peter Tavy, there is a good DH off the top of Smeardon down.

I’ve done part of that track back towards Holming Beacon as far as the Tinners Hut but it was pretty vague at the western end, I can’t see it getting any better.

http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/issue-98-the-way-of-the-dead

Ah thanks for the heads up then. Don’t think Mrs P would be too appreciative of that. Back to the OS Map – got a week down that way and can do Lustleigh/Manaton area from the door, so looking for options a bit further afield.

The burrator-Princetown loop is always nice especially if the weather is good.

Has anybody got a route for Plymouth to Exeter off road?
Sounds interesting.

I heard that route was constructed in the minds of demented madmen, and that after they rode it they all turned into lycra clad pixies riding bikes with curly handlebars

(there’s an account of the ride on here somewhere, but I have no idea what search terms you would have to use to find it)

and that after they rode it they all turned into lycra clad pixies riding bikes with curly handlebars

TrailMonkey et al ❓

A Dartmoor epic sounds good, i’m off, wondering if i could make it…

yeah was trailmonkey and others.. can’t find it on google though