Quantocks Mountain Biking

Quantocks Mountain Biking

The Quantock Hills run from the Bristol Channel down to the edge of Taunton in Somerset, a compact ridge of heathland, woodland and steep-sided combes that hides a genuinely wild network of natural mountain bike trails. Riders head here for hand-built singletrack around Triscombe, fast fire-road climbs and technical descents dropping off the ridge, with something for both cross country and downhill riders. The trails are ungraded and unwaymarked, so download a route or use GPS navigation before you set off.

The Trails

• The Quantocks pack a lot into a small area, just 19km by 7km, with trails spread the length of the ridge from Triscombe in the south up towards Nether Stowey in the north. iBikeRide's own historic record puts the total network at well over 100km, last touched 2020-05-12 and not independently corroborated, so treat it as an estimate.
• Triscombe and the surrounding combes, reached from Lydeard Hill car park, are the most popular area for riders and home to a wealth of hand-built singletrack. Somerton Combe and the Frog Combe descent are among the local classics, and The Chimney is a fast, technical line through a tree-lined gulley down towards Great Wood.
• Further north, Great Wood also has trails, on land managed by Forestry England and accessed separately via the A39 at Nether Stowey. Forestry England began thinning work across the site in late summer 2026, expected to run for around a year. No trail closures are planned at this stage, but do follow any on-site signage.
• The terrain holds up well in wet weather, though the grassier tracks and the bottoms of the combes can get muddy in winter. The Quantocks are essentially one long ridge with descents of up to around 250 metres, iBikeRide's own historic estimate, so expect plenty of up and down, along with swooping open hillside, woodland and exposed heathland.
• Nearby base: Taunton sits around 10 to 15 minutes south of the Quantocks and is the main access town for visiting riders, with bike hire, accommodation and train connections.

Gravel Riding

The Quantocks' fire roads, byways and bridleways also make for good mixed-terrain riding away from the singletrack, and the area features on longer gravel and bikepacking routes linking through to Exmoor. Stick to legally rideable rights of way, bridleways and byways, rather than footpaths.

Local Organisation

Triscombe Riders Collective is the local rider community for the area and works with Forestry England on the trails around Triscombe and Great Wood.

Useful Sites and Route Guides

• MBR's Best of British Singletrack route covers most of the Quantocks' classic trails in a single day out, with a GPX download.
• MTB Foodie's guide to the Triscombe enduro trails.
• Bikepacking.com's Exmoor and Quantock Hills route is a mixed-terrain option linking the Quantocks into a longer gravel ride.

Getting Here

Off the A358 Taunton to Minehead road, about halfway between Bishops Lydeard and Crowcombe, take the turning to West Bagborough. Continue through the village and bear left opposite Milton Farm up a narrow lane. At the top turn left and the car park is a short distance on. Lydeard Hill car park is the busiest starting point, but there are several others along the ridge, so check your chosen route in advance.

Share

If you have ridden any of these mountain bike trails and tracks in the Quantocks, then please share your experience with the community and leave a short review, post some pictures or a video.