2026 Exmoor Trial and 80 Years of North Devon Motor Club

05:00 AM — The Rude Awakening

The alarm screamed at 5:00 AM (I am not a morning person!). By 6:15, we were kitted up and raring to go, or at least as "ready" as one can be before the sun exists. My little four-stroke Scorpa TY125 took its usual few minutes to warm through; its quiet thrum meant I didn't have to worry about waking the neighbours. Kelvin, however, held off on firing up the Beta X-Trainer until the very last second. A two-stroke bark is a slightly different kettle of fish in a quiet neighbourhood!

The 40-minute ride to the start was a wet, chilly trek through the darkness. Thankfully, the first grey light of dawn began to bleed through the clouds just as we arrived. Being "keen beans," we were the first competitors on-site, getting through scrutineering in record time before signing on and catching up with fellow LDTer’s. No tea for me, though; when the forecast predicts a washout, you have to strategically limit the necessity for "wild wees!"

The Morning: A False Sense of Security!

Porte Farm to Snapper

OS 1 (Porte Farm 1): Usually, I clean this one, but not this year. I navigated the muddy turn but hesitated, lost momentum looking at the ground, and ended up leaning into the left bank. My leg got caught under the bike, and I gladly accepted assistance, otherwise, I might still be there now!

OS 2 (Porte Farm 2): This went better. I remembered to stop astride the imaginary restart line rather than looking for a physical box (remove MCC brain). Despite the loose terrain, I pulled off well for an almost clean run. Apparantley I scored one point, so guessing I hit a marker or something?!

OS 3 (Porte Farm 3): I was relieved the steeper motorcycle deviation was removed. Even without it, the section was slippery and bouncy. It wasn't my most graceful effort, but it was a clean.

OS 4 (Loxhore Cott): A lovely long lane with lots of muddy and rocky bits. Another clean! I reckoned doing well on these morning sections was giving me a false sense of security. Meanwhile, Andy realised his Beta Alp had zero rear brake, hoping for a quick time out for a fix after the next section.

OS 5 (Snapper): This is the one that snapped Mike’s hamstring last year. It’s a bumpy lane with a 90-degree right-hander. There’s a psychological weight to returning to the scene of an injury, but we all cleared it without a hitch. A huge relief to get that one out of the way. Sadly, Andy then had to head back to the van due to the brake failure. Fingers crossed for a fix!

The Stoodleigh Series & Riverton

With OS 6 and 7 cancelled, we moved on to the next cluster:

OS 8 (Stoodleigh Stream): A beautiful ride through a muddy forest trail to the start of the section. While waiting, we chatted with the guys in a Reliant three-wheeler. It looked like absolute fun! It was then my turn on the section. The muddy left hander and drop through the stream went well, and I nailed the muddy corner restart for another clean.

OS 9 (Stoodleigh Splash): Cancelled. The overnight rain made the water too deep and murky to see the rocks at the bottom. A considerate call by Chris, the Clerk of the Course!

OS 10 (Stoodleigh Steep): My record here was 50/50. It was a little squirrely on the first slope, but I executed the higher restart successfully. Kelvin had a moment coming off the restart, pulling a couple of mini-wheelies and a slightly uncontrolled lunge toward the edge, but luckily hit the brakes just in time. Phew!

OS 11 (Clockhay Climb): I amazingly made it up without footing and navigated a cheeky little motorcycle deviation for another "Whoop whoop" clean.

OS 12 (Riverton): A classic Lands End Trial section, but thankfully on the Exmoor trial it’s in the daylight! After a steady start I managed to find the right spot on the restart bump and cleaned it.

Morning Total: 7 out of 9 sections cleaned for me. I knew the afternoon would be a different story though…watch this space!

Lunch and the Afternoon Mud Bath

We fuelled up bodies and bikes and hoped to meet Andy, but his Beta Alp required a specialist part; a pivot bolt. While he missed the riding, he did scout out the North Coast Café in Lynmouth. Their scones are now officially on my "cake destination" list! Thanks for the tip Andy!

OS 13 (Holdridge Hell): The afternoon started with a swift fail. No surprise there really. It was incredibly muddy, and I lacked the commitment to get around the right-hand bend. Back down the section it was for me!

OS 14 (Holdridge Hill): More mud, but nothing unexpected for this section really. I gave it some welly but the back wheel just spun as I got to the deviation. I had to manhandle the bike back down once again. Kelvin and Mike didn't make it that far either. I think we all need more mud practice!

OS 15 (Walscott): This looked totally different this year, with a proper stream running down it and slippery rocks. Unlike last year, I lacked the commitment to get the back wheel over the first high step. I turned around, not that I’d made it far at all. It was probably for the best as I didn't fancy the exit route anyway! Ha ha!

OS 16 (High Bray): While waiting for Mike and Kelvin (Mike made Walscott with just two dabs, whereas Kelvin turned around), the cars kindly waved us past. I nailed the restart for my first clean of the afternoon. Would it be my last?!

The Benwitchen Test: No horses on the lovely run up to the test this year. It was a fun, wet ride to the ‘A’ line. I put in the effort, but I’m still "Suzie Sloth" for a reason. I won’t hold my breath for a competitive time!

The Final Greasy Challenges

OS 17 (Floyds Bank): My first complete failure of this section. I turned left at the top of the first hill and somehow ended up in a bush. I’m not sure what happened, dithering looking at the thick mud most likely, but I certainly didn't impress the spectators at the top! Another manhandling of my bike and back down the section!

OS 18 (Floyds Gully): A muddy track with a tricky, slippery run up to the start. My nerves took my oomph away, and I spun out on the first hump. Kelvin and Mike almost cleared it, only failing at the very end, more akin to my last year’s effort. Kelvin even managed to splatter the lovely marshals with mud while getting his bike out! Sorry guys! Thanks for smiling for the camera still!!

OS 19 (Cross Lane): A literal lane of mud. I mucked up the left turn after negotiating the start better than expected. Definitely primarily due to lack of skill, but also starting to feel the fatigue from manhandling the bike all afternoon. However, still having loads of fun and wearing a big smile!

OS 20 (Beggars Roost): Mike’s rear tyre was looking squishy. After a quick pump up, we pushed on. Another classic section, and another good’un. I handled the restart well, opting for the right side on the slippery line, and finished with a clean!

The Finish: The Long Road Home

Mike’s tyre was losing air rapidly despite the little bit of added air. It had got him through the last section, and fortunately the lovely couple in the Mazda (No. 59) helped him out with a proper pump. That managed to get him four out of the eight miles to the finish. We had to stop a couple of times more to re-inflate it, eventually limping back at 10mph for the final stretch.

We made it! We signed off, got our finisher certificates from Derek, and enjoyed a meal at the Old Station House Inn. We chatted with Neil (back to trialling after a long break I believe) and saw the marshals come in one by one over the next hour or so. Seeing them come in looking absolutely frozen reminded us how lucky we were. At least the technicality of the sections (and the frequent bike-lifting) kept us warm!

In conclusion: What a fabulous event! A MASSIVE thank you to Chris Barham and all of the team. Despite the rain, the mud, and my likely high points score (would get the Class B3 Wooden Spoon status if there had been any other competitors in my class!), it was an absolutely brilliant day, with a well thought out variety of sections. Until next year!