This is my first ride that I’m posting. I did a ride on Saturday That I planned to post however my phone camera played up so here is my first proper upload.
This ride was going to be a good one. It was the first one that required sun cream this year and I had a day off. Well, supposedly; I had to mark some of my assessments and deliver a lock down lesson to my brother on navigation. I also had decided to cook which left me with a 2 hour window – not quite long enough to complete my usual Exmoor loop but still good enough for a decent ride. The ride started with the short, gentle climb of the the South Molton Road from the war memorial. Just after leaving Bampton, the road followed a small, shallow, marshy valley past cows lazing in the sun and playing crows. A butterfly fluttered besides me. There was a small deer drinking from the stream. Excited for what else I’d see, I pushed on to the top of the hill and descended down to Black Cat; an old petrol station in the Exe valley. This was where I realised I was had a van following me. Oops.
From Black Cat, I started climbing the next climb still on the South Molton road (B3227) up the other side of the Exe valley through the woods. This climb is again shallow but this time a lot longer.The first bit is quite wide road and not to windy. After a little while, you reach some houses and a cross road signed Oakford. After this the road gets windier and the trees to the right thin as you gain temporary views across the wooded valleys of the Exe and its tributaries before curving up to farmland. Through out the whole of the climb I hoped I wasn’t using up to much strength; I had an unknown climb up onto the moor later. My legs didn’t hurt too much; more of a slow burn than an ache.
Through this climb I had been excited for the fields towards the top of the climb where I seemed to remember and hope for frolicking lambs. Alas when I reached the break in the trees the fields were mainly populated with cows. Still, I got views of undulating fields dotted with the odd small copse or marshy valley. I cycled on past a house, the road rising and falling, trying to catch a glimpse of Molland/Anstey common to the right; the moorland ridge we will return along. The top of each small rise brought more of the ridge into view, but each failed to bring the browny yellow of the moorland grass. The second or third from last finally brought moorland into view and by the top I could see most of the ridge.
As I passed each new quriky land mark, the ridge seemed to mature. Past the pub with the boat in the front lawn and you could start to make out the patch work of gorse and heather. Past the Tapas bar and hey bails inscribed with “heart NHS” (at time of writing it looks like we are just past peak of the first wave of COVID 19) and a valley comes into view. By the time we reach the white house at which we turn off the South Molton road, we can see the furthest west reaches of the common (Just a point of interest, the junction at which I turned off has a wrongly cambered bend which can be a bit scary if taken too quickly).
Over a cross road and under an old railway bridge, the ridge is looming larger and larger. A small climb past a farm house has me apprehensive. Is this the start of the climb? When planning this route, I saw that this climb was on route. On Komoot, it looked like it maxed out at 9% right at the beginning however I thought I remembered the OS map having arrows on this road which had me worried. After the farm the road turns to the left and follows a small valley past old barns. A quick loo stop allows me to appreciate the view through a gate way and to check the map. The road keeps rising and falling, tricking me into thinking that this is the start of the climb. Where was it? Past the farmhouse and unclassified road? Nope. The dip with a broken down stone barn and lime kiln? Still no. The road turns the corner and starts to climb through a beautiful wooded valley, typical of these parts except for the fact it isn’t steep. I stop for a photo, regretting it when I have to start up again. As the woods are exited, gorse fields come into view and then Molland. Its very pretty and I almost stop for another picture then remember the regret I had last time.
The road dips into Molland and then picks up steepness. I pass the church and before I know it I’m out of the village and turn left to confront the hill. Banks full of white wild flowers pop up and I try to change down a gear as the road steepens again but I’m already in the lowest gear, probably from the anticipation. Yellow flowers join the bank as I struggle up the climb. It isn’t ridiculously steep and I hope it stays that way. As I come up to a gate, purples and pinks add to the bank. I catch a glimpse of the moorland in the gateway. How high up the climb am I? I try to check over my shoulder but the angle means I can no longer see the common. The road seems to keep going and my legs tire further. Finally I catch a wild flower I know the name of: cow parsley. The banks give way to a hedge on the left and become tree lined on the right and the gradient lets up. My legs are thankful for a small break. Another gateway shows that I am now close to the top. I round a kink in the road and see the cattle grid onto the moor and the road leading from me to it is steepening again. As I approach the cattle grid, gorse comes into view and crossing the grid I can now see right across the common. Some sheep and their new lambs scramble across the road, making up for the lack of lambs earlier. As I struggle up to the top, I hope the wind isn’t against me today; the moorland grass seems to be dancing in a breeze but it is hard to tell which direction it is coming from. The gorse disappears and now I have heather as my company.
I Reach the top and turn onto the ridge. I pass trees sculpted by the wind and am absorbed by the beauty of them. So much so that halfway along the ridge I realise I haven’t been taking notice of the view. To the left you can see across to Winsford hill and Dunkery beacon. At the top of Dunkery, you can just make out the national trust stone pile. To the right there are small ridges all the way in to the distance and on a good day like today you can see Dartmoor, even higher and bigger. It makes the ridge you are on seem almost majestic, looking out over the noticeably lower land only to be shattered by the outline of something greater.
The ridge road, as it is called, is on the 3 national cycle network. It does undulate but is relatively flat for Exmoor. It is a really nice road to cycle on; almost empty of cars, narrow, views, not too hilly and usually dotted with cows, sheep, ponies and the occasional deer. The first bit is slightly up hill to a cattle grid where we pass through a lovely wall. The road after this is a bit more bumpy, having a couple of dips before exiting the moor over a cattle grid. The gorse here is usually out but for some reason, today it is particularly stunning. The decent down to Dulverton starts by going down a lane with trees growing in the wall on either side. The road flattens out a bit going past 5 ways cross before a slight rise past a house that had a plant shop out side to a fork in the road. I’d suggest taking the left fork; It has nicer views and less climbing. The road steeply snakes downwards on a narrow road trough what looks like a new plantation. You can catch glimpses of the Barle Valley, in to which you are desending, clad in trees. The road straightens up and plumets into woods and you arrive at marsh bridge, crossing the Barle.
The Barle is more beautiful than the Exe in my opinion, and you get a taste of it as you follow it through Battleton to Dulverton. As I reached Dulverton, I was greeted with road closed signs and was worried that I would have to go back the way I came up to 5 ways cross. Everything was fine though; work started the day after. I followed the Barle to Exbridge where I crossed the Exe and then started to worry. I had been so focused on the climb earlier that I had forgotten that I would have to get back over Grants hill to Bampton. It is prehaps the worst hill in and out of Bampton; It is quite long and steep. I grinded up the hill. I was strugling but this wasn’t the legs screaming kind of struggle. I needed food so I was thankful when I finished climbing. I got a nice view of Bampton before hurtling down into it to cook super.
If Embeded GPS track not working, look here:
South West Xplorer 