Exmoor's Best Mountain Bike Routes

Like all national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty in the UK, Exmoor National Park offers up some absolute treasure when it comes to both mountain biking and road cycling. Mountain biking wise, Exmoor’s harsh but beautiful terrain offers something for everyone, and there’s mountain bike routes and areas to suit all skill sets and mountain bikes, from lightweight hardtail mountain bikes to beefy full suspension bikes.

In this post, we look at some of the best routes to challenge yourself on.

Dunkery Beacon Loop

This 22 mile loop is graded as moderate to hard and in our opinion is a must for any mountain biker visiting Exmoor. The route offers some incredible views. The starting point for this ride is the lovely village of Porlock and takes you through dense woodland terrain to the highest point on Exmoor, Dunkery Beacon. The ride is challenging, but those completing it can enjoy unparalleled 360 degree views that have been earnt.

The Doone Valley Trail

The Doone Valley trail is a 15 mile trail which has been graded as moderate. The trail is named after the famous novelist, Lorna Doone - and those taking on the route will enjoy a great mixture of beautiful scenery, as well as plenty of local history. The trail features singletrack, wide bridleways as well as quiet country roads - it’s the ideal route for riders looking for a little bit of everything.

The Exe Valley Explorer

This 30 mile route is classified as hard, and during this 30 mile adventure riders will ride along riverside paths, steep ascents and wide open moorland. This route starts from Dulverton and makes its way up to the upper parts of the River Exe. There’s a wide variety of terrain encountered, ranging from steep climbs to tricky descents.

The Heddon Valley Circuit

This 10 mile route is absolutely brilliant for riders looking for an easy, yet rewarding ride. This route is 10 miles, and provides everything you want from a scenic mountain bike ride - there’s coastal views, the Heddon river and ancient woodlands to admire. This route starts at the Hunters Inn and follows the Heddon river down to the sea, the route is mostly flat - so it’s not too much of a drag to do the return journey either.

The Exmoor Beast

The Exmoor Beast is one of the hardest routes across Exmoor - which the name suggests. The terrain is incredibly tough and relentless, and there’s also tricky descents to navigate. The route encompasses almost all of the Exmoor national park, with open moorland, thick and dense forests, fantastic singletracks and plenty of rugged hills.