Occasionally my weird brain gets fixated on an idea, and one that I haven’t been able to shake for a while is that I really wanted to cycle from one side of Devon to the other in a day (an easy version of the sea-to-sea challenge from up north) following the Tarka trail, and hopefully seeing the sunrise and sunset over two different seas.
With a suddenly free weekend last weekend, I jumped at the opportunity.
Hence why on Saturday morning, I was camping in the driving rain and battling winds on Exmoor, listening to the storm outside and wondering why I never learn to plan my adventures around, you know, weather forecasts or something.
The route was fairly simple- following Sustrans route 27 and then 3, I’d ride from Woolacombe, through Barnstaple and down to Dartmoor, ending the ride in Plymouth (around 80 miles, with 4000+ feet of climbing)
The draw of the ride was firstly the wonderfully car free tarmac roads Sustrans have built for the Tarka trail, and seeing the lush green landscapes of Cornwall, Exmoor, Dartmoor and the forests of the Tamar Valley first hand.
Sitting in my damp tent, eating porridge filled with rain, I wasn’t sure about why I always insist on doing these things. Some people spend Saturday mornings in bed!
Anyway, I forced myself to get up, pack up my soaking tent, and set off into the squalling storm.
I started on a fantastic bit of the 27, a bridleway above Woolacombe Bay. There wasn’t so much as a sunrise as a brightening to the mist, but we can’t get everything! The bridleway leads through ferns and gorse, with fantastic views over the bay.
Then I followed a flat, traffic-free, path along the bay and through Barnstaple. It was delightful! From Branstaple, the Tarka Trail heads off down the estuary of the river Taw and Torridge, again flat and traffic free. There were a few determined families grimly braving the rain and headwinds here, which I thought was impressive, though most of them petered off once we’d past the great bike cafe at Fremington Quay, where I stopped for a breakfast coffee.
The Tarka trail winds along the estuary and then dives off into the countryside once you get past Bideford, passing through endless lush beech forests. It was a beautiful ride, crisscrossing the river on rickety bridges and passing through pleasant farmland and rolling hills.
Toward the middle of the route, there is a break in trails, instead you ride on quiet country lanes, up and down, up and down… up and down…. The hills towards Dartmoor.
The rain really had settled in here, becoming torrential at times. I hear its a beautiful part of the country but couldn’t verify this information! Occasionally the clouds lifted, and exciting glimpses of the blue hills of Dartmoor in the distance would appear, before sliding back into the grey.
I stopped for lunch in a cheery Okehapmpton, which has lots of cafes and supermarket options.
After Okehapmtpon, the route takes you up onto the Slate trail, and then the Drakes Trail. The misty moors rolled out on either side, occasionally lit up with sun- the yellow gorse positively beaming through the mist- before returning to gloom. It was atmospheric and felt about right for the place most commonly known to be where the mysteries of Sherlock Holmes and the Hounds the Baskervilles.
My favourite part of the whole journey was the Drakes Trail, which blows through gorgeous green woods, moors and mountains, the cycle route staying gloriously flat as it coasts high above valleys using tunnels and old viaducts.
I ended up rolling into Plymouth well before sunset. The rain has eased a little, so I took my wheel down to the coast and dipped it in, in a vaguely victorious gesture that I had made it from the Irish Sea to the English Channel in a day.
It was a fantastic ride- and could easily be cut into two or three days if you want something less long-distance, with campsites the whole way along. If you’re interested, theses are the links for the routes- https://osmaps.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/route/3647807/Sustrans-Devon-Coast-to-Coast
