Description
Plymbridge Woods
Plymbridge Woods mountain bike trails sit on National Trust land on the edge of Plymouth, in the wider Plym Valley. The network is a compact pairing of graded singletrack: a 2.0km Blue trail with technical climbs, berms and a repeat loop option, and a shorter, steeper 1.5km Red trail with technical climbs, descents and drop-offs. Drake's Trail, a compacted gravel path along the old railway line through the valley, runs right past the woods and gives riders an easy, waymarked extension towards Plymouth or out towards Dartmoor.
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The Trails
Both trails are graded and waymarked by the National Trust, and start from a junction on Drake's Trail around 1.5km north of Plymbridge car park.
- Blue Trail (2.0km): Technical climbs, singletrack and berms through the wooded slopes of Plymbridge Woods. Blue arrow waymarkers mark a repeat loop option over the first half of the trail, letting riders extend the ride to around 5km.
- Red Trail (1.5km): Steep, technical climbs and descents with drop-offs, all on singletrack. Some off-road riding experience is recommended before tackling this trail.
Gravel Riding
Drake's Trail, signed locally as the Plym Valley Trail and part of National Cycle Route 27, follows the trackbed of the old Great Western Railway along the valley floor, right past Plymbridge Woods. It has a wide, compacted stone surface that rides well on a gravel or cyclocross bike year round. Head south and it runs into Plymouth at Laira Bridge, head north and it climbs gently towards Clearbrook and the fringe of Dartmoor, giving a long mixed surface option to add onto a visit here.
Getting Here
Plymbridge car park, off Plymbridge Road, PL7 4SR, is the main access point for the singletrack trails, with free parking for around 100 vehicles. There are no toilets or permanent cafe on site.
Cadover Bridge and Shaugh Prior car parks, both also run by the National Trust, are alternative starting points further up the Plym Valley towards Dartmoor.
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