This issue, we revisit one of our first ever trail routes – through Somerset’s Quantock Hills – in honour of our 30th anniversary
On MBUK’s 30th anniversary, we ride a classic route from one of our early issues, for a bit of reminiscing and to see whether much has changed over the past three decades
is also on an e-bike, his Specialized Turbo Levo, leaving me to chase behind on my traditional, human-powered Whyte S-150.
We’ve got a big day of riding planned, so, just before reaching Holford, we stop at Paisley’s Farm Cafe for a quick bite to eat and to discuss today’s route options. The decision is made to ride some of the old route, taking in the classic descents, but also to incorporate some of the new sculpted trails in Great Wood. On an e-bike, Tim says he can now cover around twice the distance, with eight or nine good climbs (and therefore descents) – rather worrying for me!
Keep up!
The Quantocks have a lot of long, often technical climbs that an e-bike enables you to attack and enjoy, rather than endure. This is something I witness from the off, as we take the usual Holford Combe climb to get the day started. It’s a nice, easy ascent to start, following a good track with a gentle gradient, alongside a babbling brook and between gnarly, twisted oak trees. The intensity of the roots and rocks increases, as does the gradient, as we join Lady’s Combe, and I start to struggle.
After crossing the road, the track levels out and skirts along the edge of Great Bear, offering stunning views across Somerset. We’re on our way to Great Wood, at the southern end of the Quantocks, where there are numerous new trails down the steep, wooded hillside that are popular with the enduro crowd. Riding is allowed here, but it’s still a working forest, so sections of bike trails sometimes get destroyed or closed. New ones are still appearing all the time, though, keeping things exciting and fresh.
A FAST AND FURIOUS DESCENT AROUND A SHARP RIGHT HANDER WITH A TYPICAL QUA N TOCKS STREAM SPLASH TO FINISH
New paths
Talking of ‘exciting and fresh’, we first have to search out a new descent to Ramscombe, which even Tim has never ridden before. At the bottom of the valley, we ride past idyllic picnic spots to start climbing up the other side. A good trail with a steady gradient draws us up the hillside, where I once again chase the e-bikes as we make our way all the way up to Triscombe Stone. This is the spot where the downhillers and enduro riders all gather, as there are a plethora of superb trails along the hillsides, dropping down to Cockercombe. We’re heading on to some more trails on the far side though, so join the Macmillan Way West, skirting around the edge of the forest, before dipping back into the woods to search out some singletrack.
The trail we pick up is called The Scorpion, and it offers a great root-riddled drop down the hillside – until we get to the second forest road crossing, where we find a sign warning us that the rest of the track is now closed to cyclists. It’s no big deal, though, as there are lots more trails available – this time, it’s one of Tim’s old favourites, Mr Pump. The singletrack heads into the trees, cheekily enticing us to ride fast before it quickly drops and starts twisting down the steep, loose hillside. We get so carried away, we end up flying past Russell, with
camera not quite in hand. We grumble as he makes us hike back up, but we’re soon grinning again as we fly back down.
Ghost town
The climb back up leads us back to Triscombe Stone, and although we’re keen to sample some more of the new, we’ve got a lot of the old to cover too, so we head for an old classic, The Chimney. This narrow, rocky trail used to catch out a good number of riders at Tim’s races and, even on modern bikes, provides a good challenge, before becoming a lovely fast singletrack blast to the valley bottom we were at earlier. This time we ride all the way up Ramscombe to Crowcombe Park Gate, where there’s sometimes an ice-cream van, but sadly it’s nowhere to be seen today.
Heading over Black Hill and down Frog Hill, where a fast and furious descent sees us launch over a fallen tree and around a sharp right-hander, we drop into Somerton Combe, with a typical Quantocks stream splash to finish. It’s not enough to wipe the grin from our faces. The climb out of the valley is a different story – Lady’s Edge starts off narrow and technical enough to keep you distracted and, if that doesn’t break you physically, opens up later on, as if to try and defeat you mentally.
Just desserts
Russell kindly goes to the top with his camera to provide extra motivation for me not to stop. The reward is the superb Weacombe descent – although be careful not to charge in too quickly, as it’s a lot bumpier than it looks. After a left-hander, it becomes glorious flowing singletrack, which goes on for a long stretch before you eventually reach the bottom. The next trail is another classic – Smith’s Combe. Again, it starts with a wide drop down the hillside, enticing you to go fast, before catching you out with a medley of roots and rocks. It then plunges into the valley along a wonderful, fast-flowing section of singletrack with a gentle gradient and splashes through a stream before eventually ending.
Here’s to the next 30!
We’re knackered, but the draw of Somerton Combe is enough to urge us on. The trail starts as narrow but fast stony singletrack, before eventually plunging down into the wonderful oak forest. It continues to twist and turn between the trees, chattering over roots and splashing through streams. We rejoin a rocky descent to a stream crossing, which we did earlier, but this time we continue down the combe, drawing on every last bit of energy we have to keep our momentum, until we come out at Holford Green.
It’s been a fantastic day and, 30 years on, the Quantocks are still delivering the same mix of technical challenges and understated beauty as they did when we first rode them for the mag. The fact that we’re on plush full-suspension bikes with dropper posts and hydraulic disc brakes (and e-bikes!) reminds me of the huge developments the sport has seen. And who knows where mountain biking might be 30 years on from now? Booming, I hope, with such an awesome choice of places to ride in the UK, alongside a steady stream of technical progression. So, here’s to the next 30 years – let’s make them ones to remember!