With Severnth Heaven finally flushed out of my legs this week, my attention turned to another ‘big’ day out to the Mendips and Quantocks yesterday. I’d been invited along to ride with Ben and his crew again to ride a part of the world I’d only ever ridden through en-route to Babbacombe a couple of times
My alarm was set for 5.45am but I opened my eyes at 5.43am. Those 2 mins seemed like 30secs before it was going off and I was rushing to turn it off so I didn’t disturb Sally too much.
I consumed a decent breakfast and I was on the road just after 6.30am with my sat nav telling me I’d rock up at Yatton Station car park at 8am. The plan was to depart around 8.15am so it was perfect.
The drive down was uneventful, straight there, no traffic and I was the first there with the others a few minutes behind. It’s actually good base to start a ride. Parking is cheap, £2 all day and if you can plan to go a bit later, the station boasts a nice little cafe too (opens 9am weekends) and you can get straight onto the traffic-free Strawberry Line route too but more on that later.
Introductions and pleasantries done we rolled out just after 8.20am with the route initially on some quiet lanes to warm us up. The forecast was overcast with possible showers then sunny spells and warmer later. I’d opted for arm warmers but took my gilet just in case as the Mendips in the distance looked like it could be a bit unpredictable on top.
It wasn’t long before we cut left down a gravel track and missed our first gate which took us across an open field for our first foray offroad which actually wasn’t that bad because it was dry.
From here we inched our way to the foot of the Mendips for the first big climb of the day up Burrington Combe. Over a cattle grid the road definitely had Cheddar Gorge vibes before taking us up high onto the plateau. We regrouped at the top before we tackled the final steep tarmac ascent to some radio towers. From here it was a ride across the open moorland on some singletrack but as I rode behind Matt his front wheel washed out on what looked like an innocuous downhill bit of trail and went down hard. In a split second I went from he’s ok to he’s not ok as he was lay motionless for a few seconds still tangled up in his bike. I thought he was either out cold or had broken his collar bone and couldn’t move. As I dismounted he groaned and began to move. I untangled him from his bike and he sat up complaining he’s hit his head which was a worry. A dent on his helmet confirmed it. We gave him as long as he needed to recover and decide if he wanted to carry on which he did. We rode up past the trig point then dropped off via a quite rocky section of track.
I’d decided to run my tyres quite soft but my front wheel hit a rock quite hard and inevitably began to deflate. The rest of the group didn’t hear my shouts and carried on but a couple were with me and helped me change the tube quickly. I pumped the tyre up quite hard with CO2 which meant I wasn’t going to get anymore but the ride was going to be a bit ‘harsh’ in places.
We carried on and lost half the group that had gone off route but managed to meet at the end of both bridleways. From here, after a short descent we picked up a drove road which was a great bit of trail. This popped us out on the main Bridgewater Rd which we crossed and dropped onto a small section of the Strawberry Line down a very knarly and overgrown footpath. Some of us got a few scratches and stings here.
On the outskirts of Axbridge we got a bit confused where the route was supposed to go but eventually got back on track and had a nice ride through the village centre. Out the other side we picked up a path that skirted the edges of Cheddar Reservoir then from here we were into the Somerset levels proper. We stuck to tarmac mainly but we did do one section of drove before a stop at Sweets Tea Room which was clearly a hot spot for local cyclist given how many racked bikes there were.
I predictably went for Beans on Toast which was delicious and it was a welcome rest from what was quite an energy-sapping headwind so far. The place was so good, I’ve decided to try and re-route my second day when I ride to Babbacombe, Torquay next month just so I can stop there.
Stop done we cracked on across the levels to Bridgwater on familiar roads I’d ridden before including the cycleway that runs adjacent to the River Parrett that takes us under an elevated M5. We were back in a busy part of the world now, the very busy A38 so we took the shared path that ran adjacent to it for a couple of miles before heading off back into the lanes and the long, steady ascent of the Quantocks Hills.
Dancing Hill as I’ve found out it was called wasn’t very steep but was a hill that just kept going. One of those where you think you’re at the top and you round a bend and there is more and more. We regrouped at the ‘false’ summit and carried on climbing through the trees which occasional glimpses of amazing views back across the Bristol Channel. Eventually the tarmac ran out and we rode the last section of climb across open moorland but disaster struck Lawrence. He’d tried to jump a line of bricks on the trail designed to deter erosion but hit his back wheel hard and cracked his carbon rear rim and de-laminated it. He was running tubeless and it was deflating so his only choice was to tube it and hope for the best.
After a bit of wrestling with the tyre and valve he got a tube in and we carried on climbing up to the trig point. From here the views were amazing but time was getting on now. We dropped off the top quite steeply and picked up another drove to Crowcombe Lane. It was around 3pm and the next stop at the foot off the hill was supposed to be our lunch stop so we decided to cut a section of offroad and just descend the hill directly to the Tea Room.
The tea room was at Coleridge Cottage, a National Trust property where the poet Samuel Taylor-Coleridge once lived. I have no idea who he is but it was a nice place, kept in the way it would have been when he lived there. The tea room was at the back but the menu was quite limited. I had a Poets lunch which was cheesy scone, red onion marmalde and a hefty chunk of cheese. Not the most inspiring dish but I actually enjoyed mine.
Ben and Matt rejoined us as they’d briefly diverted to see Matt’s relatives and we were off chasing time now through the lanes to the outskirts of Bridgwater. From here we tracked the banks of the winding River Parrett again buffetted by a hefty side wind including a brief diversion through an industrial estate.
We tracked the M5 north passing over it a couple of times and eventually popped out in Highbridge where a couple left us to go back directly as it was getting late. The rest of us continued along the coast edge into Burnham-on-Sea where Lawrence’s rear wheel gave up again. He and Ben decided to catch the train back to Yatton and that left four of us. We skipped the beach section and rode to Brean with a brief pit stop at a petrol station for a final bottle replenishment.
In Brean we picked up another fantastic traffic-free gravel path that took us to the outskirts of Weston-Super-Mare. Only the stupid barriers and gates let it down. I honestly don’t know how they are allowed because they prevent and discriminate disabled riders from enjoying the route too.
We had one final climb up Bleadon Hill now which wasn’t too bad. It was steady and my legs were feeling ok. We re-grouped at the start of our final bridleway. Initially it was fine but became pretty technical and very rocky. My hands and wrists took a bit of a pummelling and Matt struggled with his headache he’d had all day since his crash too.
Luckily the last few km were back on the Strawberry Line and some nice flat and fast gravel to finish the ride off back at Yatton Station. It was pretty warm now and I think we were all pretty beat. It had been a long day and we still had lengthy drives home too.
I got back home at 8.20pm. I’d phoned ahead to Sally. Be ready. I was showered, dressed and back out in the car to the pub at 8.32pm. We had a couple of drinks but the pub was dead so we ordered a pizza and went home.
A long but superb day out around an area I haven’t had the chance to explore offroad before. Highly recommended although I think we all realised at the end, 100 miles was probably a touch too much on the day.
Adios
PS Thanks to Matt for designing the route, I hope you’re head is ok post-crash, thanks to Ben for the invite and thanks to the rest of guys for great company all day long
That’s a big (and eventful) day out on the grav!