Quantock hills, Somerset

Distance 36.4km (22.6 miles) Climbing 1,320m (4,331ft) Time 2hrs 30mins to 4hrs 30mins

Start/ inish Holford Bowling Green car park (grid ref ST 154/410, postcode TA5 1SA)

Route summary A ride that shows off the huge variety and top quality of the trails that litter the steep, wooded hillsides here. Hilly, but rides well in most conditions 1 Turn right on the road, right at the T-junction and right again at the crossroads. Follow the bridleway along the valley and up to the top. Turn right to cross a road and skirt the hillside. Follow the next road right, then turn o left, through a car park. 2 Keep ahead, downhill, forking left through a gate and right at the fork further on. Follow this fast downhill to a car park. Turn right, left (over the stream) and left again. Shortly after the track starts climbing, turn sharp right onto a narrower trail. 3 After 1km, fork left. At the forest road T-junction, turn right. Go right on the road, to Triscombe Stone car park. Keep left, over the cattle grid. Go left, through a gate. Follow the edge of the wood for 1.2km, then enter it through a gate on the left.

4 Turn right at the T-junction, then left on some singletrack. Go left on the next forest track, to a junction. Continue ahead/right here on more singletrack, keeping left at the fork. At the bottom, turn left, uphill. Go right at the T-junction.

5 Follow some singletrack right, parallel to the road, then cross it and rejoin the forest track from before. Fork left, downhill. Turn right at the crossing, back to a fork from earlier. Go left here, then left again on a narrow track. Cross the stream and turn left. Keep ahead, uphill, crossing a road.

6 At Crowcombe Park Gate car park, turn right, uphill. Keep ahead, across the ridgetop, until you reach a small track crossing. Go left, down into the trees. Turn sharp right, down across a stream. Keep right, then go left at the next stream, up the combe. Continue ahead/right, past Bicknoller Post, on the main track. Bear left at the fork and go over a track crossing. 7 As you start to descend, bear right on a grassy track into Smith’s combe. Keep right (the trail becomes steep). Follow the singletrack to a track crossing. Turn right, up a steep hill. Keep right along the ridgetop, to a T-junction. Go right, then keep left at the forks. Turn right at Bicknoller Post, down a wide grassy track into Weacombe Combe. Go left at the end, over a track crossing. Keep left, to climb up Bicknoller Combe.

8 At the top, go over two track crossings. Keep ahead on a wide, rocky track for 1.8km, to a fork. Bear left and then left again, on some faint singletrack. Descend into the combe, keeping to the right-hand side of the valley bottom. This trail will eventually lead you back to the start.