Rode down St Andrew’s Lane yesterday, and the whole bottom section (from the tree gap onwards) has been widened and flattened 🙁

It’s not just they’ve cut back the undergrowth, but also dug out all the lumps and jumps and made it very flat & boring. So if they were trying to make it safer, they’ve failed in a way – as it can now be ridden very fast! But it isn’t half as much fun.

Where is St Andrew’s Lane? Not many clues in the pics….

is that a timing beam?

Sorry – Well known & loved bridleway/singletrack descent from top of Haldon Hill to Kenn, near Exeter.

It’s a walker/horse-rider counter. Though now broken, as whoever did the path clearance has knocked the front off one side 🙄

OK ta. Wondered if it was around my way – but it’s not!

Footage of how it used to be

NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

ere! that’s me that is. looks slow dunt it? 🙁
Tom, if you rode it yesterday it was riding better than it was wednesday.
it’s had time to bed down a bit. we’ll get some small lips, like the old ones, put in at some point in the near future, but i don’t want whoever has done this work upset by that, so it needs to be done properly and carefully.
normal service will be resumed, but we’ll let the dust settle a while yet i think.

Can anybody point it out on a map, trying to ride at Haldon at least once a month would like a bit more variety.

locate the a380/a38 spilt at kennford, southbound. off the east side of the a380 there are two bridlepaths marked more or less parallel to one another. st. andrews is the northern most one.
the Ley Arms at Kenn is a good starting point for haldon riding.
shout if you want a guide, or rock up to the wednesday night ride. it’s a sociable one that leaves the Ley at 6.30, or meets at the top of the cycle path next to the a38 flyover at 7.00.
few beers after.

Hi Del 😀 Yeah, it had settled down a bit by yesterday. Very fast but boring now!

I’m guessing it might have been a farmer improving access to a field up the lane, as I could see what looked like quadbike tracks going up the path.

Going to try and make the Wednesday ride this week – school keeps getting in the way with parent’s evenings, etc.

Anyone been down it lately?

Yep, still flat and boring……and actually quite dangerous as the corners have started to wash out, especially in the wet.

Corners? I must of missed them when i rode it last.
From what i understand, SAL goes through a continued evolution of being sanitised then re worked by locals, it’l happen again and be lubbly again, then someone will ruin it. This continued evolution will keep it interesting, the ever changing lines etc. It’s a means to an end one best served in a glass.

If flat and wide makes it boring, don’t ride it in a way to make it dull, make it fun and create new lines.

Am I correct in thinking St Andrew’s lane is a bridleway? If so, doesn’t that mean that motorised vehicles (ie quads) aren’t allowed on it?
Gutted it’s been cleared. It’s been a goodly while since I’ve ridden it due to only getting short rides in after Baby Kip was born but was going to finish a ride tomorrow night on it. May change plans now. Bu**er!