Woodbury Riders – Watch out there's a stickman about!

If you ride around East Devon – Woodbury, East Hill, etc. – watch out, as there seems to have been spate of trail sabotage around the area recently.

Over the last two weeks I’ve found big sticks on a couple of East Hill trails, baling twine strung across a trail coming off Mutter’s Moor, and today at least 3 trails on Woodbury Common with logs pulled across them. One especially (I think it’s called ‘S’wonderful’ on Strava) had logs every 20 meters or so, some placed just around bends, and a few on the lips and landings of jumps. So some thought and effort had gone into it!

I’m guessing it’s not the same person, as the trails are miles apart. So be careful out there!

In other news – there was a girt big gorse fire up there today…. nothing to do with me guv 🙂

Is that east of the castle car park?
Riding there next weekend so will keep an eye out.
Thanks ajantom

Yep. The trees at the bottom of the pic are the castle.

Idiots everywhere. Thanks for the heads up as may be that way soon.

Have you reported it fella?

Fires have started up again this evening around 9.30pm..

Thanks for the heads up on the trail sabotage ajantom.. err I’d love it if we could meet up for a ride sometime.. I’m only just discovering the riding east of Woodbury (east hills, sidmouth etc) and could do with a few pointers

Hi yunki, happy to meet up. I tend to ride out from Ottery and do 20-30 mile loops that are probably 70% off-road.

There’s a fair amount of stuff on East Hill, some nice woody singletrack, nothing too gnarly. A couple of lovely trails off the end towards Sidmouth.
There’s some nice stuff in Harpford woods, though Clinton Devon Estates knocked down some of the more jumpy stuff recently.
Mutter’s Moor always seems like it should have more up there, a couple of good descents off it but considering its size not many good trails.

Cheers Tom,

Was planning to go up there tomorrow night, so glad of the heads up.
Wouldn’t it be good if there was a way you could mark up trail sabotage on Strava, warn others? Suppose you could make a mini segment and name it with the obstruction..
Like Yunki, not seen you for a bit, be good to catch up for a ride.

I did move some bits, but I’d have been there all evening if I’d stopped for every piece!

If I actually caught someone putting logs on a trail I’d probably rip them a new rear exit. Boils my wee it does!

baling twine strung across a trail

surely a call to the plod on that? a woman was very badly hurt a few years ago after running through a piece of wire in a park in exeter. probably clinton estates would want to know too.

Hi Del..

surely a call to the plod on that? a woman was very badly hurt a few years ago after running through a piece of wire in a park in exeter. probably clinton estates would want to know too.

Not sure if it was on CDE land, as it was on an unmetalled road running through farmland. I’d be more wary of them then restricting access to the track, because as we know they LOVE mountain bikers!

It was at axle height, and had been strung between the side of the track and a piece of fallen down tree. In my mind it was designed to hinder and slow down, not injure. But it could have been dangerous if I’d gone into it at full pelt. In the end I just ripped it down and put it somewhere out of sight.