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From WhatMountainBike? MagazineTHE QUANTOCK HILLS, SOMERSET

Distance: 23.08km (12 miles) Time: 2-3 hours Rating: Moderate Maps: Landranger 181 Minehead & Brendon Hills, Dulverton & Tiverton or Explorer 140 Quantock Hills & Bridgwater.

Essential Info

Best Time to go: The majority of the route is rideable all year round, though the grassier tracks and the bottoms of the Combes get muddy in winter. You're likely to get wet in the Combes, whatever the season.

Maps: Landranger 181 Minehead & Brendon Hills, Dulverton & Tiverton or Explorer 140 Quantock Hills & Bridgwater.

Getting there: From the M5 take the A39 from Bridgwater towards Minehead. Two miles after Cannington turn left at the Cottage Inn, signposted Over Stowey. Follow this road for 1.5 miles to the next junction, and go straight across towards Over Stowey. Take the second left and then follow the brown signs for Rams Combe. The car park is the second one, at the far end of the one-way forest road.

Food and where to stay: Bring a barbecue if it's fine as there's a good spot next to the car park. You can get cream teas and home made ice cream at Stella's tea garden (01278 741529) at the bottom of Hodder's Combe. Bicknoller Inn (01984 656234) will serve you lunch between 12pm and 2pm. There are plenty of B&Bs in Bridgwater, Taunton and Minehead.

YHA: The nearest is in Holford, tel 01278 741224.

What to take: These hills are very compact and you're never very far from help - if you do get into trouble it's usually downhill to the nearest village, too. It can be exposed on the hilltops, though, so take a windbreaker. And money for beer/ice cream. Plus the usual spares and tubes.

Bike Shops: St John St Cycles, 91-93 St John St, Bridgwater TA6 5HX. 01278 441500. Ralph Coleman Cycles, 79 Station Road, Taunton, TA1 1PB, 01823 275822.

Covering an area of only 19km by 7km, and sitting in the shadow of the Brendon Hills and Exmoor, the Quantocks down in the south west of England are easy to miss. But even a cursory glance at an OS map will hint at the wealth of mountain biking to be had. There are hundreds of kilometres of top trails and twisty singletrack tightly packed into the hills, and the quantity doesn't disappoint with a lack of quality, either.

In 1956 the area was the first in the UK to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, plus there's some superb riding to be had, with an amazing diversity of terrain for such a small area. From open heathland and pine forest to ancient wooded coombes meandering down to sleepy hamlets, the Quantocks has a little bit of everything. Will's Neck is the highest point at 384m (1,260ft) and from the ridge of the hills you'll be treated to superb views of Exmoor to the West and over the Bristol Channel and South Wales to the north.

This ride gives a good flavour of the area. The undoubted highlight is the descent into Hodder's Combe, over two miles of grin-inducing gravity assisted fun. Starting with twisting singletrack at the top to test your gorse dodging skills, the trail descends into the woods, over a log jump (avoidable if you see it in time!) and continues through the bottom of the Combe, even disappearing into the stream bed for a while. The two main climbs are very different in character. Holford Combe is an enjoyable spin up the bottom of the valley, with a stern technical test at the top. Bicknoller hill is a bit of a grind and quite exposed, but is at least a direct route back to the ridge.

Our trail also passes by some sites of local and historical significance. You'll ride along Dead Women's Ditch, where in 1789 John Walford, a local charcoal burner, strangled his scheming wife and buried her in a shallow grave. He was tried and convicted in a trial lasting only three hours, and was later hanged at Walford's Gibbet, a couple of miles to the north west. The route also passes by Trendle ring, an Iron Age enclosure on the steep hillside above Chilcombe. There's an abundance of wildlife in the area too - you may see native red deer or Quantocks ponies on your travels.

At just a quick blast of singletrack over 15 miles the route is not over long, and there's a wealth of options if you want to make it an epic day. Try looping down through Smith's Combe at the northern edge of the hills, or exploring the Forestry land
to the south of the car park. The Quantocks is essentially a single ridge, and many of its trails run all the way from the spine down to the levels, a vertical drop of about 200-250m. It's easy to rack up a boast-worthy amount of ascending/descending, even in a relatively short ride.

Route info

The start: The car park at Rams Combe, at the farthest reach of the one way fire road from Over Stowey.

1. 0.00km (0.00 mile) From the car park, head west up the wide track leading from the hairpin on the forest road. Follow the switchback after 0.80km (0.50 miles) and the track narrows as you climb up. Turn left at the top onto a wider track between a fence and a wall.
2. 2.50km (1.56 miles)Turn right through a gap in the wall and follow the aptly named Dead Women's Ditch up to the car park. Turn left onto the road and immediately right onto a wide stony track for 2.08km (1.3 miles).
3. 4.81km (3.01 miles) At the junction of tracks by the tall post, take the grassier left fork and continue for 1.28km (0.80 miles). Keep the strand of trees to your left as you turn left down a steep, bumpy descent (through two gates). Turn right onto the road.
4. 7.16km (4.47 miles) Carry straight on as the road turns into doubletrack and then into a very rocky descent - slippery when wet. At the junction of Chilcombe Lane and Trendle Lane at 7.99km (4.98 miles), turn right up the hill.
5. 8.25km (5.14 miles) Turn left before the cottages onto the bridleway, which narrows after the gate. After a sharp climb the trail forks - take the right fork and follow the singletrack down into the woods.
6. 9.06km (5.65 miles) Turn right onto the main track, and climb for 1.36km (0.85 miles). At the fork by the lone holly tree take the right fork, and turn right again at the next junction, following the wide track up the hill. Climb up to and follow the ridge.
7. 12.62km (7.87 miles) Fork left, passing the the tall post again. After 100 yards, turn left onto a singletrack trail that descends into Hodder's Combe. The top is very narrow, but it widens as it descends into the woods. At times there are two or three tracks to choose from, but they all head down the valley. Watch out for the log jump and fallen trees.
8. 15.20km (9.48 miles) The track turns into a stream for a couple of hundred metres (there's a dry option up to the left) however, you can always dry off at Stella's Tea Garden at the bottom of the Combe...
9. 16.39km (10.22 miles) Turn right onto the road at the bottom of Hodder's Combe. After the left-hand bend, turn right again. This is the bottom of Holford Combe. Follow the path as it climbs - again, there are two or three different tracks in places. See how many stream crossings you can fit in. Our best was 11.
10. 18.80km (11.72 miles) At the clearing the track forks - take the right fork and keep climbing. Stay to the left of the stream, and when you see the steep rooty section, get your granny ring ready. This section is a real technical challenge - only racing snakes will still be in the saddle at the top.
11. 19.53km (12.18 miles) Turn left onto the main track, and fork left at the next junction. You're back on the track that you took from the road - follow it back to Dead Women's Ditch, and retrace your steps to the car park. You'll find there's a stream to wash your bikes in, and a barbecue spot if you remembered to bring some sausages and floury baps.

Total distance: 24.11km (15.03 miles)

This route was provided by WhatMountainBike? magazine.

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