[Closed] East Dartmoor - will I drown?

I've been thinking the same thing recently but I end up just riding around the blue and red at Haldon rather than risk drowning in a sea of mud.

I reckon you'd be pretty much safe on the Princetown, down 'Widowmaker', through Sheepstor and back up along the motorway path back up to princetown.

I quite like that loop.

This

I reckon you'd be pretty much safe on the Princetown, down 'Widowmaker', through Sheepstor and back up along the motorway path back up to princetown.

will be tomorrow morning's hangover cure .. 🙂

Did Princetown,Gutter Tor,Cadover and then the pipe track at Shaugh Prior on Wednesday evening.
Some of the ascents are deeply rutted by running water but the North/south Hessary Tor path is good 😀
There were a surprising amount of people about at midnignt 😯
Several riders,walkers and quite a few soldiers in serious camouflage.

So nobody has been over East Dartmoor recently? I might risk a dog walk around the cleave on Sunday

also been doing the same old runs at haldon and any other boring old routes to avoid the trails..consequently the cleave etc i havent touched for months and months.

but i reckon they'll be awful.

@bucko we should really hook up again once the trails are ok..

Carl we really should. I've been very unsocial for the last 12 months, injuries, lost mobile phone, new job and a now 7 week old baby are all severely limiting my riding time so I've been riding solo as all of my rides have been very last minute.

I'll give everyone a sit rep on The Cleave conditions if I get out on Sunday but I'm pretty sure I'll need wellies...

bucko, you've still got my email addy then drop me your phone number, im up haldon most friday eve after work around 5:30ish for a few hours. was going to ask about the baby situation i hope all is well!!

congratulations Bucko!!

I haven't ventured far into the cleave, and haven't been out at all since the snow last week..

It's been hit and miss in most places.. the soggy bits are obviously very soggy, but you can get away with a half decent ride if you plan it right and stick a few extra road sections in to miss out the grottyness..

Cheers guys, I've never been so tired!

Off topic but do any of you folks do the Bowermans nose loop on a 1x10?

@zelak i do all my loops on a 1x10 and up til last month all on a 1x9...you won't die!

@bucko it gets easier, my 5 year old only comes in at 3am when he is hungry and wants breakfast (which is only 3-5 times per week now) hth!

@Zelak, I also do all my riding on 1x10. With a 32T chainring I've never missed my granny ring once.

On the other hand, Zelak.. I'm not as nails as those two hunks and would struggle a bit round a couple of trails on East Dartmoor without a granny ring

1x9 here with 32 on the back....again just can't find the motivation knowing it's going to be such a slog atm . On the plus cardinham woods trails open next weekend and meant to be much fun so think thatswhere I'll be headed until eastern d-no dries out...

Si - cardinham opens tomorrow mate.

heading to cardinham on tuesday 😆 no mud!!!

I was up on the ridge at Blackingstone mid-week (up behind Tottiford [i]etc[/i]), and where it was exposed, the wind had done a pretty good job of drying it out - there was still sticky mud about, but at least it wasn't all running in water like it has been.

As an aside, I think I might have spotted fat-bike track marks at one point up there ...

Carl - I'm heading to haldon for the mini (maxi priced) gravity enduro next Sunday, will be my first time off piste at haldon and only my 2nd visit ever, last time being prob 2007 ish! What are the trail conditions up there at the moment? Loose and drifty or boggy and slow?

I've walked the dog up haldon a few times this week and today, it depends which side of the hill you are on but they are dryish in places, damp in places and very boggy in places. So basically expect to get muddy but its not all bad

Cardinham report required then Carl..

@ Si, report will be delivered!
Haldon for me over the last few months have pretty much just been 'on piste' the off piste stuff is pretty trashed in places, and I prefer not to **** them up for the "summer" the odd time i have bothered to see what they were like it was as bucko says, some bits ok some hideous...I'm not sure what trails they will use for the enduro but it'll be fun whichever, although after a few hundred sets of wheels on it i dread to think what it'll ride like! have fun though!

Cheers Bucko - the course is off piste but not cafe side if that makes sense to you? Means nothing to me, apparently the course is open from fri so the early birds will get plenty of practice, I'll prob end up racing it blind as I can only make the Sunday, should be good regardless though.
Can't wait for lustleigh cleave, hound tor, bowermans etc to dry out a bit, last time up there it was hard work and a bit of a crash fest on the techy downs as there were a few boggy bits too many in between the rocks!

Carl - hopefully the enduro won't destroy your decent stuff, I'll give you a shout once it dries up a bit if you fancy showing a non local around! Are you racing any of the woodlands series? I did rd 1 and will be doing rd2. Did you buy a five in the end?

@ steve haldon not my local as im in plymouth but i ride it on the way home from work quite a bit, i've had the benefit of locals show me the good stuff for the last few years 😆 the race will destroy some of it im sure but hey ho thats the way it is, it'll sort itself out in the end..
yes i did get a 5, quite happy with it so far but got a qr swingarm, wouldve preferred a maxle...i'll gladly show you around, could show you cafe side too (mainly short dh tracks), not racing the woodland series i prefer to save my money for trips away. i may come to watch a few though..
would quite like to come down your way to have a look at poldice etc, if you are up for that..?

edit: just seen that hamishthecat rode the east dartmoor loop today, have mailed him for a conditions report...

Cool, more than happy to show you around poldice, unity woods etc Poldice is best visited when it's not windy as its very open but runs well in the rain which has been handy lately 🙂 Give me a shout any time mate.

quite a few soldiers in serious camouflage.

i was on the blue route to day with my boys and noticed a lot of stone work on the bottom section of smelly after the gully bit where it goes into the really boggy section, it looked good.. hoping it'll go down to flint too!!

@del, what time is the nite ride on wed? my mrs is changing jobs soon so may be able to make it out now...it'll beat riding solo up there on Friday nights!

😀 there's a lot gone in both sides of the blue. we rode it wednesday and it works well. pleased.
i might start to make myself available friday evenings if it works for you still? what sort of time do you go out?
wednesday leaves the ley arms at kenn 6:30, to be ready to go from the top of the tarmac path ( next the flyover, between the red climb crossing and the racecourse r'bout ) @ 7.
think you have my mail? let me know if you're coming and i'll have someone keep an eye out for you at the pub, or come over myself.

Big wheels arrive next week. Count me in for some of these shenanigans.

@del, yes i think i have your mail still, I'd be looking at getting to haldon around 5:30ish so could do a lap or so then pootle over to meet you lot, she starts new job in around 3-4weeks so will contact you nearer the time, will have to go look at smelly if its been sorted now, sorry cant help with building on thursdays...work commitments.

oh and fridays still work for me too..

@sm see you before then for build on at mine..!!

@carl let's hear about Cardinham then?! Would be a good reason to head 'home' over the next couple of weeks...

I'll be going on tuesday, will post up then..

I didn't drown..

Stinky Quarry was ok, The Leighon bridleway was ok, I didn't look at Dingly Dell or the Houndtor traverse.. Bowermans wasn't awful, although [i]how[/i] flippin' sketchy is the decent down the other side after the recent erosion.. 😯 From the look of the recent tyre tracks I wasn't the only person to lose my nerve down there today either..

Hobbit run has benefitted from the recent erosion though, although the new stream running down there is err, wet.. Water down to Bridge too Far was predictably wet but fun on the rigid bike.. and then the climb out the other side and on to Hisley (?) bridge wasn't too bad either... a bit squishy, and an arse of a spot for a puncture in the dark..
Tubeless set-up beckons more frantically than before.. here endeth the report

some recent photos of Bowermans that I took recently

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Me and mikeyd went down Bowerman's yesterday - and Nutcrackers.

I managed to fall off on both, which I don't normally... I put it down to the erosion. 😉