Haldon Hill - Exeter

richlong28

Anybody been there? i'm based in plymouth so i think i might pop up there to see what its like, anybody know anything about it?

punctureboy

i'll start off by saying this is the only proper bike trail place i have ridden as i've only been riding about 6 months. so i dont have anything to compare it to trail centre wise.
i've been there twice, both times in the last month. the first thing i will say is that it is in great condition for the time of year, with only the odd muddy puddle on the main trails.
i have ridden 3 trails, the family, adventure, and red routes. i think there are 3 or 4 others but i haven't ridden them, but i do know this place is pretty big, with lots of scope for exploring and there are a couple of nice suprises around.
i would say give the family trail a miss, but the adventure trail is a cracking run. its a (mostly flat) fast flowing singletrack trail running through the woods, with the occaisional rooty section to to keep you on your toes. this is loads of fun and a great warm up. the only minor niggle is that it crosses a road a couple of times.
the red route, for me who has little experience of this kind of riding, is phenominal. a real test of your riding skills to let you know where your at in your development. it has rocky sections, loads of roots tight switchbacks, drop-offs, a blinding run using loads of huge berms, pretty much the lot. including a tough technical climb, which if your like me, you'll love! my personal favourite part (over the blisteringly quick high bermed section) was the narrow bit of singletrack that skirts around near the top of a hill overlooking a stunning view of the woods and valley below. this route is a few different sections linked together by stretches of fire road, so if you particularly enjoy a section you can easily go back and do it again. hopefully quicker!
you could easily make a day of it here. its definately worth the relatively short run from plymouth. its a great days riding, and a test for most people i would imagine. i would be interested to hear more experienced riders opinions on it though, and whether the red route is supposed to be ridden on a full sus (i'm on a hardtail).

richlong28

alright cheers for that summary, i'll let you know what i think of it when i get some time off work to give it a go!

FSR_XC

Cornwall MTB are going up there at the weekend:

http://cornwallmtb.kk5.org/#/meetsheet/4527215780

Sponging-Machine

Richlong, did you make it up there? I can put you in touch with a load of lads from Plymouth who would be happy to show you some trails. They also tend to travel out to Woodbury/Haldon/Dartmoor/Quantocks on a regular basis.

ExeterSimon

I'd say it's fine for a couple of hours but there is better stuff nearby Woodbury for instance is awesome but you do need to go ith people who know the trails and routes.

There's something I don't like about Haldon but I can never put my finger on what it is....possibly the constant interference from the Forrestry Commission.

thehairs1970

I've ridden at Haldon quite a few times. I like it. It is the only trail centre we've got so I have nothing to compare it to but...

There is a bad report from MBUK about the place but that was b4 they did a lot of work on the red run. It used to be really rutted but now its awesome. I'd echo previous comments on the blue run (adventure) too. A good flat warm up before you drop down onto the red section. There is a lot of scope for exploring of the main trails by using the bridlepaths and minor roads too.

I'd also agree that Woodbury needs som local knowledge too. I've been there a few times and struggled to find anything pleasing.

Martyn