The Great Horses For Health Relay 2021-Exmoor15k

Approx 15k

Mainly tracks, some fields and roadwork (on quiet lanes) riding through the pretty village of Winsford

A good all year round route. Generally hilly. Several gates and river crossings/ford. May be livestock en-route

Park in Exmoor Farmers Market at Wheddon Cross - TA24 7DT (on the large gravel area, not the concrete) on Sunday 19th September 2021 and Sunday 26th September 2021

Wheddon Cross has a petrol station with shop and local pub – The Rest and be Thankful Inn

From the Exmoor Farmers Market turn left onto the main road

Next turn right into Bouverie Close and ride past the bungalows until you see the pavilion

Go through the gate on your right before the pavilion and head down the bridleway

Carry on down the track and into the field – you will eventually get to a gate at the river

Once through the gate and across the river, keep to the right hand side of the field

At the top follow the track that continues to take you right – you will meet a gate

Go through the gate and carry on along the track (it is rather thin and muddy in places so take care)

Continue along the bridleway and through the next gate onto the hard track – heading left

At the end of the track, when you see the bridge, turn left up the lane

You will eventually see a Restricted Byway sign on your left – turn up this track and follow to the end

You will meet a cross roads – go straight over (Oldrey Lane)

Follow this lane all the way down until you meet another road (Exford Road)

Turn left onto the road and follow until you come to the sharp left hand bend

Do not go around the bend, instead go straight ahead over the bridge in front of you (do not take the bridge on the right with the No Through Road sign)

Once over the other side of the bridge (the bridge gate may or may not be open) you will see a hard track going straight ahead and a bridleway gate with a sign saying Larcombe Memorial Wood to the left of that. Go through the gate and head up the bridleway. Ignore the first bridleway gate that you will come across and carry on up the zig zag track to the top instead. There is one gate directly across the track which you will need to go through, before finally making it to another gate into a field

Once in the field you will need to take a sharp left and head up the field and through the next gate on your left at the top

Once in this field you will be bearing round to the right and will finally come across three gates next to each other. When you get here, go through the one on your right and carry on straight down the field, keeping the hedge on your left

When you get out on to the road (Ash Lane), turn left and follow down until you meet the ford at Winsford

Once through the ford, keep left and turn left over the bridge by the tea shop

Carry straight on and then turn left onto the next road (Exford Road)

Follow this road until you see a road on your right (Furzehill Lane), which is opposite Quarme Mounceaux House

Turn Right up this road – it is steep and long

Carry on past the barn on your left at the top – the road flattens out here for a while – then take the next wide track on your left, by another barn (Ison Lane – there may not be a road name on display here but there is a bridleway sign to Luckwell Bridge)

Follow this all the way up, past the barns. The track can be muddy at the top depending on the time of year. Carry on along this until you eventually come to a bridleway gate into a field

Once through the gate, although you need to go straight ahead, do this by going around the left hand side of bushes as the rock, if you go straight ahead, can be quite slippery

Once through the next gate onto the road, go right and head back up Oldrey Lane

Go over the cross roads and follow the track until the end

Turn right down the road and right again at the bottom before the bridge

Follow the bridleway all the way through to Wheddon Cross and the Exmoor Farmers Market (reverse of the route that you started out on)

If you would like to follow your route as you are riding it on your phone, you can download the OS Maps App from here https://shop.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/apps/os-maps/ It is either £2.99 for a month or £23.99 for a year (cancel at any time). Once the app is on your phone search for routes in Wheddon Cross and find The Great Horses For Health Relay - Exmoor 15k

PLEASE NOTE THAT THESE ROUTES ARE NOT CHECKED DAILY, ARE PROVIDED AS A GUIDE ALONG OFFICAL BRIDLEWAYS AND RIGHTS OF WAY AND ARE RIDDEN AT YOUR OWN RISK. IF YOU FIND AN OBSTRUCTION, HAZARD OR FAULT ANYWHERE PLEASE TAKE A PHOTO AND REPORT THIS VIA https://roam.somerset.gov.uk/roam/map

This route has been created by West Somerset and Exmoor Bridleways Association . If you have enjoyed it and would like to receive more self-guided routes throughout the area whilst also helping us improve and maintain bridleways and other rights of way, please consider joining. Membership starts from just £8 per year

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