The important bit!
The e-bike group plans to meet every Saturday morning at 10.00 am, weather permitting, with rides lasting approximately 2 hours including a brief refreshment break.
Please remember to check the Calendar in case of any late changes to schedule.
Our group is led by Kay Male, and she may be contacted at 07549 617020, or by email at .
About the group
The e-bike group is around and about on Saturdays
This is a fantastic opportunity to explore beautiful countryside on quiet country lanes, in the heart of unspoilt Somerset.
The three regular 25 mile summer rides, starting from Minehead, are as follows:
1) Luccombe, Webbers Post, Cloutsham, Porlock Post on the Exford Road, Chetsford Water, Porlock via the toll Road (£1.00), Bossington, Allerford, and home.
2) Luccombe, Webbers Post, Dunkery, Wheddon Cross, Drapers Way, Dunster, and home.
3) Dunster, Croydon Hill, Luxborough, Roadwater, Blue Anchor, Carhampton, and home via the cycle track.
On occasion, we will ride to the end of North Hill, down the track to Selworthy Church, Piles Mill, Luccombe, and home.
Latest rides
Saturday 3rd July 2021
> The weather held for us to do a leisurely 12 miles from Heddon Cross to Horner tea rooms, where they have had to delay their opening from 10.30 to 11.00 due to lack of staff. However, as we had arrived and their website is not up to date they very generously allowed us in and served us with another excellent coffee. We journeyed via Wootton Courtenay, Huntscott, Luccombe , Chapel Cross where we turned right to go through the Honicote estate path. Over to the old main road and along the cycle path to Brandish Street. Here a “local” informed us, in response to my asking Chris’s question, that the name is a derivative Brandy St, which the locals wanted changed due to its past links with the early days of smuggling!!!.Over the pack horse Bridge, through Allerford, along Bossington Lane, Left onto the main road to Red Post and to the Horner tea rooms. Suitably refreshed, back through Luccombe and along the main road to Heddon Cross. Not wanting to push our luck with the weather and my battery which hadn’t been charged since the last ride. Here we closed the tracker app and made our individual ways home. Our total journey took 1 hour 18 minutes, with an average speed of 9.2 per hour and a total ascent of 1452 ft.
Saturday 26 June. Since this group started we have cycled on exquisite country lanes, traversed fords, tackled some challenging hills whilst all the time being totally immersed in magnificent scenery and seeing nature at her very best. We are all beginning to discern our own particular favourite trip, coffee stop and challenges. During our cycle ride last Saturday we were joined by Alan, a guest all the way from Brent Knoll, who heard about this group from a cycle shop in Bristol. Just goes to show that good news travels far! Alan was made very welcome and Corinne, who was leader for this trip, made regular stops providing information on the history and sights of each location. Our guest was so enthused by his time with us that he plans another visit in the future and will try and set up a similar bike group in his local area. Most trips take about two and a half hours and are all detailed above so for anyone interested please take a look.
Saturday 19th June 2021. And then there were three! We had a 9.30am start at the railway station before riding to Dunster, Croydon Hill to Luxborough for our favourite coffee & scrummy biscuits served by our genial host at the Royal Oak. As there was little enthusiasm for the return journey, described as vertical, we went left towards the old quarry and along Stouts Way Lane to Rodhuish. This passes the delightful Slowley farm, which sadly appears to be leaking, but where this time we found finger nibbling Koi in addition to the goldfish spotted before. We then followed the higher Rodhuish road and Withycombe Lane to Carhampton returning back along the cycle track to Dunster and home. In total we covered 15.8 miles, with an average speed of 7.6 mph and an ascent of 2,159 feet.
Saturday 12th June 2021. One of our best!!! 5 of our group left Heddons Cross at 9.30. L through Tivington passing Tivington Cross & Troytes Farm to Wootton Courtenay. R through Huntscott, past Luccombe Mill, into Luccombe past ELF & up to Chappel Cross. Into Horner & L just past the pack horse Bridge up towards Crawter Hill. Past the filter station & down through higher Doverhay into Porlock. R up to new place then along Bossington Lane, R at Abington Cross into Allerford. L over the pack horse Bridge, Brandish Street, along the path to the old main road. L up to The Periwinkle in Selworthy who were kind enough to open up 20 minutes early for coffee. Entering via the 2nd gate past Ivy Cottage. Back down to Buddle Hill, into the entrance to Holnicott House, through the gates across the fields on the tarmac path past the otters to The lodge. On to Chappel Cross. L past ELF then L past lane foot and beer barn to Blackford. On past Holt, Gillhams & into Hutscott L to Heddon Cross & home via Bratton & periton Lane. The cycle ride took 2hr 24min, Average speed 8.3.mph, 20 miles on view ranger. Total ascent 2751 ft. Bike mileage 22 miles. (Kay Male)
After an horrendous April, when there were more changes to our arrangements, due to rain, than there were bicycles in Beijing, two of us were free to set off on a Saturday afternoon. Led by our new u3a member Corrine – which was a real treat, and a change for me! – we set off at 2.15. Carhampton, Withycombe, Rodhuish, Roadwater, and Luxborough. After failing miserably to find an open café, we stumbled across more cyclists enjoying refreshments at the Royal Oak at Luxborough, who were brilliant & welcoming.
Once we got past the unavoidable cycle track to Carhampton, the scenery was wonderful. A lot of hills but not too bad and well worth the trip!
1st May
We met up at Minehead railway station at 9.45 am and took the cycle track to the railway crossing and proceeded to Ellicombe roundabout. We then took the back road past the rugby club, making our way towards Ellicombe Combe, taking a left turn to the buttercross and following the back roads to Dunster, whilst viewing the most spectacular scenery. We then followed Knowle Lane towards Wootton Courtenay, taking a left turn towards Cowbridge so as to pass a very interesting restored mill. We travelled briefly along the main road through Timberscombe, then taking a right turn to Wootton Courtenay. We then followed the Luccombe road through Ranscombe with its naughty Hill! Thankfully we all made it! And cycled past Holt Bolt farm, the mill, Luccombe, Chapel Cross and into Horner, where we stopped for a very welcome cup of coffee. This was the final stop, before finishing our circular journey via Selworthy and the beautiful church and quiet lanes home.
The round trip was 19.3 miles with and average speed of 8mph. Top speed down the hills was 28mph and the ascent was 2,231ft. The journey was completed in 2hrs 22mins with an average calorific burn of over 1,000 calories.
24th April
This was an exciting challenging 26 mile circular cycle ride taking approximately two and a half hours with a nice steady average speed of 8.2mph and an ascent of 3,363ft.
We left Minehead via the A39 heading towards Wheddon Cross, on a left turn we proceeded towards Luccombe where we continued to Chapel Cross, after taking a left turn we climbed up a very steep hill, that was described by one member as “Brutal” up to Webber’s Post. It was with a sense of great achievement, and for some of us relief, that we had all safely arrived and could view the magnificent vistas.
From Webber’s Post we headed towards Cloutsham, crossing through the very picturesque East Water ford. We then passed through Cloutsham Gate making our way across Dunkery and Horner Wood National Nature Reserve. The beauty of the landscape along with peace and tranquility, other than the skylarks, made us fully aware why this area was so favoured by the poets Wordsworth and Coleridge for walking and quiet contemplation.
We then proceeded to Exford Common crossing Chetsford water bridge, through to Lucott Cross where at Stone Row we followed a short track to the A39. At Pillcombe Head we picked up the toll road and had an exhilarating down hill journey of 5 miles to Porlock, which was shear bliss!
From Porlock we made our way to Bossington, carrying on to Allerford up to Selworthy where we had a very well deserved cup of coffee in the quaint Periwinkle tea rooms, before heading back along the beautiful back roads to Deans Cross, Heddon Cross and home.
It was so nice to take advantage of the beautiful Somerset countryside at her best. Certainly a day to be remembered!
17th April. It was a glorious day and our enthusiastic team met up at Minehead railway station, full of anticipation and we were not disappointed!
We departed from Minehead along the cycle track to Ellicombe roundabout, making our way towards Dunster traffic lights, and then followed the cycle track to Carhampton, making our way around the back of Carhampton up the hill, crossing the railway lines to Blue Anchor, cycling along the seafront. We departed Blue Anchor by cycling up the gradual hill towards Watchet, riding along the top. The views were truly spectacular with woods on the right which are reputed to be the home of nightingales in the summer. We then took a sharp, steep, downhill right-turn to follow the outskirts of Washford, following a cycle track that runs alongside the railway line that is great for blackberries. At Dragons Cross, we turned right back towards Blue Anchor, cycling along the seafront, where we stopped at the Driftwood café for a very welcome cup of coffee. We departed Blue Anchor by turning left from the seafront to the beach chalets, and taking a short walk over pebbles to the cycle track to Dunster beach, and then the final cycle track home. The splendid circular trip encompassed 19 miles and took approximately two and a half hours.