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Looking for somewhere to go for a couple of days with my riding buddies. Based in Malvern so looking about 2-3hours max.
Have done Afan, Coed-Y/Betws-Y etc so looking for somewhere different.
Having a look at other options and came across Haldon forest. The looked to see where Gawton is and it's only 1 hr away so easily doable over 2 days.
What are the general thoughts on the 2? Worth it for a weekend away?
haldon isn't worth a drive.
dartmoor is.
book an uplift for gawton.
quantocks is closer.
Haldon's great if you can get a local to show you the good stuff and how to put it all together. The Red and Blue can be ridden fast but they're not techie / long. A bunch of us meet on Sunday's by the ranger's office at 11am.
Even better would be a Dartmoor trip around Lustleigh Cleave / Hound Tor / Bowerman's Nose - depends how long you've got. Everything from dramatic open moorland to very tight wooden steep stuff.
Not done Gawton but have heard good reports.
haldon isn't worth a drive.dartmoor is.
book an uplift for gawton.
quantocks is closer.
that ^ almost word for word is what my response was going to be...
Just googled 'Gawton'
Gawton Gravity Hub appeared on the RH side with map and identification as..
"Place of Worship" 😆
Gawton and tavi woodlands are ace. Especially now jasper has finished his track 5 'rattler'
Triscombe on the quantocks is also amazing...
Haldon cheeky and cafe side ( if allowed ATM) are also well worth a trip but as mentioned you'll require a guide to make the most out of that.
IMO red and blue trails at haldon are definitely not worth the drive...
Porlock area of Exmoor well worth a look, loads of great riding round there. And not far from the Quantocks so could spend a day there too.
Exmoor has some great stuff, especially around porlock and there are lots of routes around online. Plus you can ride above the sea which you can't in many places!
Quantocks is almost like a natural swoopy trail centre. Both are infinitely more fun than the marked trails at haldon.
Should be stressed that Gawton is proper downhill.
Super tavi & Egypt are. Proper job and HSD are more trail centre red.
Post up when you are coming down to gods own country, am sure someone will
show you around, as in most places local knowledge is priceless.
Forget the trail centres, as mentioned above, lustleigh cleave, bowermans, hound
tor, hambledown, grimspound, easdon tor, northbovey, castle drogo etc etc.
A pint in the rugglestone at widdecombe or coffee and cake at the newly opened
tea rooms should not be missed either!
I met two bikers who had come down to dartmoor last weekend, poured over the o/s
map and spent a frustrating time trying to find the good stuff, did spend a few hours
with them and kinda saved the day 😀
haldon isn't worth a drive.
dartmoor is.
book an uplift for gawton.
quantocks is closer.
that ^ almost word for word is what my response was going to be...
that ^ is spot on.
Although Haldon is fine if you understand its limitations and ride it flat out.
hi everyone.. first post 🙂 also agree with the list..
haldon - (i'm told) on busy days filled with families with younguns and dog leads everywhere. more of afamily forest cycle trail on the wrong day. midweek, probably much better
dartmoor - not been there since i did the "ten tors" training as a teen. its on my wishlist
gawton - dont know much apart from i'd assume it to be full of DHrs in full troy lee get up.
quantocks - as a local, its supposedly hard to beat. I'm there most weekends, and am still exploring and finding new stuff almost 2 years after starting to learn my way around properly. But, I must add though, I don't have much experience of elsewhere other than the mendips (a very different beast), and barely started on exmoor.. so it depends what you're after.
Thanks for all the tips. Looks like it's worth giving Haldon a miss then. Have done Quantocks before too.
Anyone care to share some routes for Dartmoor? Think it could be good to combine that with an uplift at Gawton 🙂
Tick.
Yes, all stay away from Haldon, nothing to see or ride here 😉
I've been there on the busiest day of the year, when cars were queuing to get into the car park, and verges were full all over. And saw nary a soul 200m from the car park. As above, if you know where to look or follow someone who does it had some of the best techy trails in the area. However, the trail centre trails themselves are what they are. Don't visit just for them.
it's pretty awful TBH. screaming kids everywhere, and where there's no screaming kids, dog's eggs. or dogs trying to eat children. or children shitting out dogs.
dartmoor's no better. i suppose you can get a decent cup of tea at the hound ( service with a scowl ), but it's under water for 95% of the year, even at 500m. and when it is dry, the royal marines are throwing rocks at the sun, cos they don't know what it is, or the [s]pikeys[/s] professional foragers are out looking for mushrooms, and that lot'll cut your throat soon as look at you.
i think there's some trails at groggly. cardinham woods?
Haldon is great when you get there either early (7-8 AM) or after 6PM. I went there last night at 7 and I had a fantastic time!
Looks like it's worth giving Haldon a miss then
if you're passing, have a few hours and can get one of us locals to meet you and show the offpiste bits then it's worth popping in, but don't make a trip just for the red/blue without having a local lined up to guide you.
there's a fair few of us on here and most of us ride Dartmoor as well so always worth putting a thread up once you have dates sorted as there's loads of good little loops (and some big ones!) that people can share.
Haldon is great when you get there either early (7-8 AM) or after 6PM. I went there last night at 7 and I had a fantastic time!
"its like everything". one of the groups i ride with semi-regularly meets at hodders combe at 6am. awesome having the quantocks to yourself, and makes getting back home, showered and dress ready for a sunday lunch out at the mother-in-laws a much more welcoming proposition!)
Del speaks the truth.. I seen massive angry badgers with guns an hoooj genitals last time I was up Dartmoor..
I mostly stay in these days watching re-runs of Countdown just to be on the safe side (Richard Whiteley era obvs)
I didn't say haldon was bad, but I wouldn't drive from Malvern just to ride it.
But then I can see gawton from my house and it's been months since I last ride there...
😆 some nice summaries of the places here 😀
As said, Haldon isn't all that bad. Just alone wouldn't make a huge drive to get there. Weekends can be a nightmare. It's very much like Swinley in that regard and likewise the trails. But like Swinley... there is off piste 😉 . Also, go end of day or early when families aren't about and the blue run turns into a nice swoopy blast and link it up to the red it makes a nice run. Once busy, you're stopping for buggies and bikes with trailers every few minutes.
Dartmoor I've only just started to dip my toes into (literally submerged the last time I tried 😀 ). Really would benefit from a guide but I managed to work out roughly where the nice bits were around Lustleigh Cleave from routes I found. Just didn't have time to do it justice. Daft thing is I grew up in Devon but never ridden a bike there. Now I live "up in the smoke" I get far less chance to explore there, just the odd times I pop back to see the folks.
Anyway, at this stage I'll chuck in another...
Woodbury 😉
Again, a guide would sort you out, but I managed with a decent route I found and just explore.
Don't go near the place. I went there nearly 3 weeks ago and haven't ridden since.
Woodbury is properly nice at the moment. Dry as a bone and fast as you like 🙂
woodbury!? ye gads man!
have you never heard for MRSA!??
AND you can only ride fatbikes there ( i think you know why ).
woodbury!? ye gads man!
Knottie and I will be riding there Saturday if you think you're man enough Del?