psst.. they're waking up..
rode two days running.. got pb's on weacombe (even with soggy bits), and bin combe (also soggy in places), and the newer trails in seven wells (as i learn it)..
guess the non-stop winter riding paying dividends (but bike is off to mechanic tomorrow...) in speed, and being able to ride longer 🙂
some showers to come this week, but its getting better week on week 🙂
I found total oblivion (aka steep coombe?) for the first time the other day, thanks to this thread. In dry conditions it was made entirely of what I believe is known as "brown pow", with an amusing lack of traction. I failed to control my speed after a measly 5 inch drop and ended up crashing! Perfectly doable though.
Anyway to set the scene for winter riding can anyone tell me whether it's worth pedalling up for in the wet? Any hope of getting down upright?
Not sure what Steep Combe is like in the wet, but the Qs are definitely worth the effort in the winter. It's gritty under wheel, but drains very well and still fun and fast in most places.
Haven't found Steep Combe recently, but might go looking for it. Heard it's a bit techy and would welcome some of that.
is that the one that drops into lady's edge just by the stream crossing?
if so, **** that in the wet. you'll get down it faster than in the dry but probably not attached to your bike....
@jonstevens agreed, I mostly ride them over xmas/new year in fact (my folks live nearby).
@jambo it drops in via *a* stream crossing but that doesn't narrow it down much for me in those coombes...
yeah, thats it.
Visiting my mum and managed to sneak out for an hour. Stert, lady's edge, weacombe and frog Combe smashed out in just over an hour before the rain arrived.
On the bad side. Crowcombe hill seems to have killed my van, it's making some horrible noises.
I've uploaded a few more little bits of linking trail that I use on to Trailforks. The map is looking quite similar to my trail knowledge now. There are a couple I've not ridden, which gets me keen to go out again ASAP.
So crowcombe hill was the nail in the coffin for a follower and the camshaft on my t5. Expensive ride.
Might start populating Trailforks for my local area. Seems like quite a good app once you get the hang of it.
Next time park in Bicknoller. It's the best way I've found to do Bicknoller Combe, first climb and final descent 🙂
Really, I don't remember bicknoller Combe being anything special.
Really, I don't remember bicknoller Combe being anything special.
Surely Bicknoller is the best ascent on the Q's. Not much as a downhill admittedly. Although I'm told the pub in Bicknoller village is good.
Sorry to hear about the van Jam bo. That hills killed my legs a few times.
Fixed now. I occasionally used to turn left at the bottom of weacombe, follow the contour round to bicknoller and climb it but not often. Fairly steep from memory.
Used to be a fun line down the side of the quarry at the bottom.
I took this descent off Bicknoller for the first time the other day. It's not marked on an OS map so not sure it gets ridden much, but it's a fun one.
First half is a wide, grassy run with an amazing panoramic view, but then it drops into some steep, sketchy singletrack to the bottom of the Combe.
[url= https://www.strava.com/activities/1156283010/segments/28485328274 ]Bicknoller Hill descent on Strava[/url]
not tried that one myself jono, i tend to peel right earlier into the "alternate" weacombe descent that pops you out just before the gate.
not been about to ride for a while as was prepping the house for the imminent youngun - who was then taken out almost a month early. #teamdad in a few years i hope to be teaching him his way around the quantocks 🙂
i have found a long sneaky trail in deer park. crosses fireroads twice. it could develop with some riding to establish it. potential for a few small jumps in one section.
i've also noticed someones been adding more to trailforks
I went back to the quantocks Sunday for the first time since 1993 when I would have been a rigid fan with my Cannondale M2000! This time I took my Cotic flare and it was more fun!
https://www.strava.com/activities/1188086222/shareable_images/map_based?hl=en-US&v=1505673874
Still trying to fathom out various section names but the most fun by far was a seriously long and fast downhill off a fireroad down through the trees and then following a stream for a while. Surprisingly grippy over the rocks and roots but the muddiest ride in years, I'll be back it was as superb as I remember.
you did narnia / sharki + jamobos / chimney at the start (brings you the car park)
then you went down to holford the way most normally climb up! 🙂 (fits description of the stream)
if you take that holford green car park as an end point, there are approx 8 routes that run straight to it. they're all great fun,
Cheers for the info canopy, yes since speaking with my local (Chard) mate he said we did go down Holford, Christ it was fast!
Would like be to get back there again soon, even with the South Downs and Brightons Stanmer park on my doorstep there was something about the Quantocks. Probably a bit of nostalgia in me old age too
frog combe singletrack into holford combe was always a favorite. especially with 3-4 of you riding at similar speeds there are so many lines that it was always like a 4x race.
you mean "rollercoaster" side? i wasn't feeling that for a while, but it is a blast, and there are those steppy/tricky roots at the start.
the other side is a whole different beast, after the steep start (where sharki punctured his lung?).. proper handlebar wide singletrack with a little log ramp/rollover part way, then joins the rollercoaster
sharki's side, although the top of that has changed massively the last time i rode it.
saw sharki that night riding out at sunset as we were packing up at dead womans ditch. i'll have to dig out the photo he sent me of his chest drain after that incident, I'd been wondering why I hadn't heard from him .
can't imagine fighting for lines in the narrow side
some pics of it i took a while back
https://www.trailforks.com/trails/frog-combe-singletrack/
i was hoping to establieh the the two deer park trails i found (they existed in some form already) hopefully with some riding the rougher bits will get more established and people will tweak them.
they're not anything majorly special, but if you ride the quantocks a lot fancy a change / explore. theres also the hyper fast grass track on the north side (perry combe?) i hit 45mph down that a couple months ago :O
one that winds through and crosses a fireroad, top section is more established than it can be extended onto a path that leads up the fast track mentioned above
https://www.trailforks.com/trails/how-deer-was-yer-bike/
a grass singletrack that has a few fallen trees.
https://www.trailforks.com/trails/do-you-come-deer-often/
they're a bit like smiths combe location wise, in that once you've riden them you have to put more effort in to get back somewhere decent, but if you're riding for fitness or fun exploring as well as thrills, why not
Hi canopy , how do you fancy showing me and a couple of mates around the quantocks at a time that's good for you, pm me if your interested if not I understand
hey - sorry i've not been able to get out for a good month or so myself as just had the littleun mentioned above. i might not make it out til spring/summer at this rate (when i can drop him at my parents and get a ride in!)
your profile says bristol? drive to bridgwater M5 j23, and follow the minehead road to park at holford - use a phone with trailforks on to navigate around? try the well trodden parts like somerton / weacombe first and build on that in future trips? depends how fit you guys are and what you're used to.
@citybs13 - I've got a minor op next week so will be off the bike for a few weeks, but happy to show you around once I'm back riding again.
You really don't need a guide on the Quantocks! Park in Holford, then just go and explore - it's all lovely.
The whole area is riddled with trails, some easy and fast, some more technical (rocky or rooty). You'll definitely have a fantastic day!
After descending Smiths Combe, I normally turn right up that horrible climb back towards Broom Ball/ Greenway Path. Has anyone turned left, and climbed back onto the ridge via either of the bridleways flanking West Hill?
After descending Smiths Combe, I normally turn right up that horrible climb back towards Broom Ball/ Greenway Path. Has anyone turned left, and climbed back onto the ridge via either of the bridleways flanking West Hill?
Yes - don't bother, its not very good, muddy+steep=no traction push for over a mile.
Yeah, diminishing returns heading that way. There are trails, but nothing as a fun way out or back to the top. I explored once many years ago, so maybe I should take another look one day. But I have a list of other trails I want to explore or try again first.
citybs13 - YGM
I've recently been down the further one (through the final O of Stowborrow Hill on the 1:50k map), and really wouldn't recommend it in either direction.
I've take the BW south east towards Holford a couple of times. It's an undulating trail with a few nice bits and good views. Worth doing if you're trying to get some extra miles in.
I just don’t bother with smiths Combe, it’s easier all round. Never understood the mbuk/MBR obsession with it
Nick - rather than climb up to the left at the bottom of smiths coombe, you can come down it. There are quite a few tracks up the top that you can do instead of smiths coombe.
I often think the same jam bo, and then I ride it for a change and think 'cor, that was good!'.
probably the length, and that it pre-dates the discovery and creation of "real" forest singletrack. its also more obvious to non-locals (just like weacombe which also gets a bit too much love..)
I just don’t bother with smiths Combe, it’s easier all round. Never understood the mbuk/MBR obsession with it
after (the mrs) having the nipper recently it looks like i'll be back out again soon! although for much shorter blasts
have also realised, that although i live physically closer to the mendips the actual time-to-ride from doorstep from home to holford cp or dead womens ditch vs going to burrington combe is almost the same. i know what i prefer, especially over winter!
will probably start from either holford or dwd and stick to fireroads / less mucky stuff most of the time until summer.
Lots of Great Wood trails closed ATM for logging works. Narnia and Boneyard are open, but I think that is about it.
Is there another way down after Narnia once it reaches the forestry track? I pushed up at the weekend, to explore the extent of the closures, but is there anything worth looking at if I headed down instead? I think I saw some building there a few years ago.
hey 🙂
so sharki + jambos (chimney link?) is closed.? i guess so as chimney itself is..
not great, but you've got a few options after narnia
1) go left to the top of the rocky farm climb. down it goes into quantock combe
2) go right, probably through lots of mucky puddles to the top of the chimney, you could go up the slope to route 666? / sams trail. personally i like top section, but not bottom part which i assume could be closed too.
3) if open, go through first half of sharki+jambos then left into rocky horror #1 - (i wouldnt)
4) if open, go through first half of sharki+jambos then right up to the forest road junction where chimney starts and follow option 2
btw. I'm finally back up in them there hills fairly regularly.. roughly every other weekend, for a couple hours. been on the 100 quid special Kona 'dad' bike I bought to ride around nearer to home, and been having much fun. I've got my Santa Cruz ride ready again now with wider carbon bars + shorter stem as i put the bars + grips on the kona! 🙂
tending to start from holford or staple plain at the moment as things are mucky and i'm more about fitness than fun right now.
i'm plotting a route that does
1) all 3 standing stones (the longstone, boundary stone on ridge track near slaughterhouse IIRC and triscombe stone
2) all 3 trig ponts (beacon hill above staple plain, black hill, wills neck)
3) both wooden finger posts ( halsway and bicknoller)
you know it must be more than 12 years since we built that.
we did start some stuff directly below from memory but then I moved away.
Narnia and Boneyard are open, but almost everything NE of the forest road on exit is off limits, including sharki + jambos, chimney, rocky horror #1, route 666, and the fireroad climb.
I'll have another look at the weekend.
Strava heat map doesn't show any more trails, so I guess it's either turn straight down, or miss the area out completely until forestry work has finished.
there's definitely scope off to the left after crossing the rocky horror junction.. i know that in thge area past chimney a few trails have appeared and been closed down. The FC don't like exits into quantock combe or by the great wood camp due to higher horse+ people traffic. all trails along that edge of the coach road (scriptures union, dark tunnel and chimney) have had their exits altered to account for that.
narnias changed a lot even in the last 18 months. in the quantocks sessions video goes a completely different way in the gulley half way through - wouldn't be at all surprised to find that otehr trails have too. annoying thing is that narnia doesn't line up with sharki + jambos anymore. (and bone yard is a 200 m to the side of it)
I can't wait for the seven wells wood trail to dry up, probably my favourite right now after bincombe for different reasons. love the little jumps/drops and twisty bits. it has a lower section that seems rarely used too.
bet it doesnt look much like this anymore. 11 yrs ago...
yeah it's barely recognisable even less so than in the ballroom blitz video.
found a recent-ish narnia video hero from just before the ending was changed early last year. what he calls witches cauldron is aka Steep turns and aka dark tunnel .... its a very steep alternate route avoiding lower chimney. i can't do it. Its too darn steep for me.
the signpost is just before the gulley, i'm assuming top part hasn't changed much as there's little issue with other users there
there are three routes to it.
1) do top of chimney and hang a right into it instead of doing lower chimney
2) do sharki + jambos / chimney link then go straight over instead of left into lower chimney
3) do another trail further up the fireroad from chimney called sweep or fudge packing which is also challenging and you can go left to lower chimney or go down it
so strava lovers.. just like coming from triscombe car park you can do "though the wardrobe" (which is just the road) -> narnia -> "shark + jambos" -> "lower chimney", you can do.. "sweep" -> "lower chimney" 🙂
Tried the straight down route a couple of weeks ago after I broke my chain. It was actually a pretty good fun high speed blast. Rockier than many of the local trails.
I have a new bike which has given me enthusiasm to find some new climbs. I rode up Dead Woman's Ditch last week, which was better than I'd feared it might be. Next I will be exploring some trails up to Dowborough Fort.
Oh, and the forestry work seems to have stopped too.
Yes, Forestry work has been stopped for a while. Dry as you like up there at the moment.
Qs featured in Singletrack this month by the way. Weacombe and Smith's included in the route, but some other stuff too around Dowsborough and what looks like Five Lords / Bincombe.
i also as of yest have a new bike... I'll now be on new a black and green marin b-17 650b+ jobber..
i should be out on sat morning, probably up from holford, bincombe, seven wells and something like higher hare knap/rocky horror or slaughterhouse after. depends how i'm getting on with the new bike and what fettling needs doing. want to ride a mix of familiar stuff to get it set up to my liking.
the00: i've hear numerous times the dead womans ditch trail is closed off and that logs have been put across near the top by the bumpy part?
there's not much around the fort but there does appear to be an alternate route down into the start of bincombe instead of the usual clearing / through the wall start? the route from the main road to teh north is wide and more fun to go down than up. i do sometimes prefer the track that goes left... errr the zig zag on strava / holford edge on trailforks (i do edge->contour to get to the bincombe trail head clearing)
Dead Woman's Ditch proper is blocked by trees / branches, but that has meant that a new trail has developed out of the ditch, on the right hand side as you go down. It is brilliant down, and a real challenge up.
I've taken two new routes up the Fort from the road near Bin Coombe / Greenway. Both were steep and tough going even in the dry, so I doubt I'll add them in the the regular rotation though.
I now wonder if there is a rideable route back up Bin Coombe? I'll probably be out next on Friday morning.
we tried riding parallel to the road last time we came up bincombe but quickly ran into holly bushes so had to climb up to the road.. there might be a way without riding up the main trail.. i've ridden on to the shervage wood/fort side before - pretty hard going as its not used much
I was thinking maybe the other side of the earth bank.
That’s probably not a bad shout - not explored there much but I’ve seen there’s a trail that runs into it from the south - off of the lower great bear crossing
Sunday I rode from the bottom of Bin Combe a quad 'track' on the Southern side of the earth bank. Quite ridable, pretty and nice alternative to the very steep trail up through the holly bushes to the road.
From the bottom of Bin Combe I did see another trail up to the south, which I will have to investigate another day. I did ride along lower Great Bear, but couldn't see any trail heading down toward Bin Combe.
I found a nice fun trail from the SE end of Great Bear that links to the centre of the lower Great Bear trail. Riding on from there was actually a really nice way to approach Bin Combe singletrack, so I will add it to Trailforks.
I also tried a trail in to Rectory Wood, near Seven Wells Wood, which I would like to ride again.
i auth;d what you added to trailforks.. but for one of them you didnt add a gpx? (goldilocks?) so had to fail the request
btw hoping to out saturday. probs with at least 1 other
OK so a thing happened..
Someone was asking about quantocks riding groups on facebook and although there is one for Triscombe, and there is a xc & kids oriented group there's a gap. I've thought about it for a while, but am short of time. Turns out Jono thought the same. So I created a FB group, set as both as admins and first social ride is this sunday (23rd sept). Tthere will be different types of rides run by us, and hopefully others. There's also chatter about routes and trails.
Quantocks Trail Riders Group :
Sounds good, sorry I missed it. Keep posting on here any future dates and it would be good to meetup sometime. Seeing more riders up there than ever these days. I even saw a couple of ebikes yesterday.
Where's that second photo taken from @the00 ?
Found Oblivion the other day. Having ridden it I can now concur that it definitely isn't a trail for winter ha.
^ hah yeah oblivion is nasty, and in summer the entrance is so overgrown you can barely fight through (like slaugtherhouse has been this year and then some..
my guess at picture is its on the track that parallels the main halways to bicknoller path on the minehead road side looking towards minehead (paradise combe side)
the00... theres a ride sat morning 10am starting at DWD going to session the seven wells wood trail
following weekend jono is doing a ride, smiths mentioned but not much else yet?
there was a group out this morning too.
the e-bike guys met via the fb group as well
I reckon that photo is near the top of Bicknoller Combe. I spent a while there last month, searching for a track into the combe.
nah, its just past the start of smiths combe. looking northwest towards minehead with the deer park at west quantoxhead in the foreground.
Jam bo has it. Not far north from the trig point on Bracon Hill in the first photo. Just a short ride to watch the sunset.
I'm away for a few weeks, but maybe one day…
11yrs ago last week since I moved away from taunton. still miss those hills.
I’m away for a few weeks, but maybe one day…
and you don't do facebook? there are going to be fairly regular rides once we're out of winter
bump..
bit of bad news. Narnia has been trashed by latest forestry works, bone yard probably too.
the works stop in april, wont know how bad til then the but the first couple 100 metres are out for sure. it will be rebuilt, but until we know the extent of the damage...
managed a quick spin up there on saturday morning while visiting family, parked at west quantockshead, up onto the ridge, down slaughterhouse for the first time in a very very long time, up to bicknoller post and down weacombe and back to the car.
ice in the puddles, but pretty dry overall. saw some fresh-ish tracks but not another rider out there.
I'll be riding there for the first time in months this weekend. Anybody fancy joining me?
cant this w/e 🙁 should be out somewhere 19th but been mostly ridden away from quantocks over the winter as i've not been out on my own much and on winter rides my gang have preferrred the more guaranteed stuff at haldon. not organising another QTRG one until the weather perks up.
word is narnia may not be as bad as feared and a few people are actually riding it. (its still supposed to be closed until april due to felling). the first section has been trashed by machinery two tracks so but, i have permission from the forestry to go in with a few mates and reinstate things. there is definitely scope to improve the entrance. even just a basic levelling. i also think after reviewing old footage the small drops and berms in there have sagged/collapsed over time most likely due to rain/water erosion. so could probably do with a closer look.
quick update. so far narnia may have gotten off lightly but seems half of bone yard (parallel trail next door) is gone. probably scope for something there
Hi all! Found this (fairly) recent thread so decided to keep it going with a question. I'm looking to check out the Quantocks either tomorrow or Sunday. This will be my first time there, I was wondering if this MBR route would be a good introduction to it?
https://www.mbr.co.uk/routes/western-england/quantocks/quantocks-gps-route-download-320421
Also, sunny weekend - how quickly do the car parks fill up? Just so I know how early to get there. I'll be driving from Bristol.
Yeah thats an OK route, if you start from Holford there's plenty of parking - ride up Hodders combe to pick up that route.
Just a heads up if you do follow that route, the Chimney is out of bounds due to Forestry work.
If you can do Sat I’m leading the 5th QTRG social ride from Desd Woman’s Ditch at 10.
heads up: the whole bottom of The Chimney after the corner and i think just after the bit where you drop from left side to right) from about 4/5ths up has been turned into a logging road.
as more work is happening this might not be the end of it.
(this is after mini chimney suffered the same fate last year and over winter, and narnia + bone yard which are still rideable are criss-crossed with machinery tracks.
I remember an old boy I used to work with in taunton telling me how he used to drive up & down the chimney. great woods has always been a working wood and things come and go.
crazy! i guess as it was obviously formed by water actions it will happen again.
from all reports right now the flattened section only goes up to the bottleneck where you swap sides from right to left after the loose right corner.
everything south of dead womans ditch is unnatural planting for the war effort. seeing pre war pics of ramscombe really drove that home. ironically now the FC have realised that planting ona scheduled monument isn't brest practice.
i remember walking dogs with a mate only 12 ish years ago and didnt notice anything on the road side of cockercombe/triscombe trail wise and people were building shelters in there.
btw sharki+jambos. nowadays the bit between narnia and chimney has been affected heavily at narnia end.. and in between on the wider part too. will get up and explore later in the year once the felling is over and use the good weather to explore the new mendips trails and other local-ish bits
5th QTRG ride where spotted this had 14 people. we did seven wells, narnia, 'route 666 -> scriptures union' (once known as wagon wheel i've been told?).. bone yard then a few triscombe runs.
I don’t get up there much anymore and only really ride the Combes north of the crowcombe road these days.
Great woods was never that great. That trail me and sharki built was a few bored days maybe 15yrs ago, I’m amazed it’s still there.
the original triscombe DH track was awesome though. i'm guessing its long gone.
i believe geex/GW may have had a hand in building it...
might still exist? was that the one with the road gap? the road gap was lost but has been rebuilt better and bigger. there are a few new DH trails popping up even now. know of at least two this year.
