Gawton was built to attract the more commited mountain bikers to the South West, giving them an alternative to travelling to the traditional home of purpose built mountain biking in South Wales.
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On arrival at Gawton you are met by the cosy looking wooden cabin where at the weekend Carol helps hungry cyclists refuel on home made sarnies, drinks and bacon butties. You can also pick up spare parts and club memberships in the cabin.
To ride at Gawton you must pick up either a £5 day ticket or an annual membership (currently £40 for adults with junior concessions) the funds going towards paying the land rent, insurance and maintenance costs.
Tickets and memberships can also be bought from local bike shops, Dartmoor Cycles, Rockin Bikes and Cogs.
On the other side of the road you'll find the gate that leads to the start of the trails. Gawton has 4 distinct routes, all with there own personalites, so you should find one that fits yours!
From the start mound we'll head off down the easiest graded track, HSD. This is a great warm up for more experienced riders or a really entertaining run for intermediates. Fully surfaced from top to bottom there are no nasty suprises such as ‘gap jumps’ or ‘drop offs’ to catch the unaware. From the top, the track throws you into a series of fast fun and flowy banked corners that set the tone for the rest of the track. The more time you ride HSD the more fun little sections you find, sections you can link together in one leap, corners you can try different lines, bits to the side you can turn into jumps. At the bottom of the track you turn right and take the wide open fire road "Rode to Knowhere" to get you back, to the top for another run.
If you are feeling more adventurous then give Proper Job a spin, the start is very similar to HSD but then you are soon presented with more challenges, a rough rock garden leads to a series of rolling jumps, all which can be ridden over if your jumping isn't quite on point yet! Further down the track there are drop offs, although intimidating to look at, they can all be ridden without your wheels leaving terra firma. That's the beauty of Proper Job, the clever construction means that you can progress your skills without feeling that sections are defeating you. Again, a loopy of Rode to Knowhere takes us back to the top. Egypt and Super Tavi are left to conquer...
A word of warning - Egypt and Super Tavi tracks are tough! If you have a full face helmet and extra padding put it on now! The tracks were built to test the best riders - many of the world famous superstars of the sport have ridden Super Tavi and commented on what an impressive and surprisingly technical track it is. The 10fft high and 15ft wide road jump near the top gives you a good idea what to expect on the rest of the track. Steep, rocky and fast would be a good guide. Egypt takes away speed but adds technicality. For me, it's my favourite track in the UK and a great place to master the skills you'll need if you are planning a mountain bike trip to the Alps next summer. The surface is a mix of mud, roots and difficult traverses, you'll feel on top of the world if you get to the finish without putting a foot down!
Of course, a site like this doesn't just happen, there is a volunteer team that look after the tracks at Gawton. They always need more willing helpers to work on the many dig days that happen throughout the year. More details can be found at www.gawtongravityhub.co.uk
Andy Boyle
Dartmoor Cycles