The Devon Coast to Coast Cycle Route
National Cycle Network routes 27 and 31

Ridden September 2003

This is a superb route through some of Devon's loveliest countryside, from the golden sands of the North Devon coast, along delightful river valleys and estuaries, across the flanks of Dartmoor, and into the historic city of Plymouth. For much of the way it follows cycle ways built along the line of old railways, including the renowned Tarka Trail, the recently-opened Granite Way, and the Plym Valley Trail.

Note: you can order the new version of the West Country Way map through the link at the bottom of this page – click on the map cover. At the time of writing the latest version of the map appears to be that printed in 1999. Changes which have been made to the route since the map was printed can be found here.

The Devon Coast to Coast begins at the quayside in Ilfracombe. The idea was that the route should link up with the ferry to Swansea. However, there is no regular ferry service across the Bristol Channel, rather a series of summer and autumn excursions by the steamers Balmoral and Waverley. Check first with Waverley Excursions if you're planning to use this service.

After more than two miles the summit is suddenly ahead, and a brand-new extension to the path brings you to the one-time station for Mortehoe & Woolacombe. In reality, the station was on a moorland hilltop, a good two miles from either of these places and 600 feet above sea level. It has to be seen out of season, on a wet or misty day, to appreciate what a bleak spot this can be. The station has now been converted into a children's theme park.

The extended railway path continues for another half mile past the old station, but this section will not become part of the Coast to Coast route until further lengths of the old railway have been acquired and converted into cycle path. For the time being the route follows the road to Mortehoe and then, after passing through the village, descends very steeply to the popular seaside resort of Woolacombe. Woolacombe has a superb beach – too tempting on a hot day, so I decided to stop early for the night and went for a late afternoon swim. In a way, it will be a pity if, when the final route is completed, this coastal section isn't retained as a signed alternative.

The route leaves Woolacombe along Marine Drive, a long car park on the hillside behind the beach. The first part is tarred, the second part rough, and then it peters out into the narrow, stony bridleway of the coastal path. (If you'd rather avoid this you could take the very steep road that climbs past the hilltop radio mast and rejoin the route near Georgeham.) When I emerged from the coastal path section I decided to ignore the official route and continue into Croyde and then join the B3231 coast road through Saunton. Although it was busier than the lanes, it was not excessively so, and the scenery made up for it.

On the official route there has been a change to the route between Georgeham and Braunton; the route via Upcott as shown on the map is now recommended only for mountain bikes. The diversion joins the railway path at a one-time level crossing just north of Braunton; an old signalbox survives in the garden of an adjacent cottage. From there it's a short ride into the centre of Braunton, including a delightful stretch where the old railway line has been converted into gardens.

In the centre of Braunton, though, it's hard to tell that it ever had a railway. The pedestrian crossing marks the site of the old level crossing, and what is now the newsagents was originally the station building. The car park occupies the former goods yard. The substantial tree in the middle of the green has its roots where the tracks used to run between the platforms!

From Braunton the route follows part of the Tarka Trail. The Trail is a 180-mile walking route in a large figure-of-eight centred on Barnstaple (see map) tracing the journeys of Tarka the Otter through the Land of Two Rivers from the famous book by Henry Williamson and passing many of the locations mentioned in the book. The Tarka Project has been highly successful in boosting tourism to the area while helping to preserve its natural beauty. For the 33 miles from Braunton to Meeth, the Trail follows disused railway lines and is open to cyclists as well as walkers. Devon County Council has discovered that an unsealed cycle path surface wears very quickly through use and weather and is currently upgrading the cycle part of the Trail with a sealed surface – most of the Braunton to Bideford stretch has been done and the remainder will follow by 2005.

From the centre of Braunton the path winds around to rejoin the former railway line at the far end of the station site. Another diversion is needed at the old Wrafton station (now a private house hidden behind hedges) and then the route runs past Chivenor airfield, where the RAF's 22 Squadron has two Sea King helicopters for Search and Rescue duties.

Once the airfield is passed, the cycle path runs along the banks of the River Taw all the way into Barnstaple. On the approach to the town a futuristic new swing bridge has been provided over the mouth of the River Yeo, connecting up with the riverside promenade on the far side. The Long Bridge across the River Taw is very busy and less than ideal for cycling. You can either walk across, or you can continue along the river bank for half a mile to the Iron Bridge, use it to cross the river, and return along the other bank.

From the end of the Long Bridge the route passes the railway station and joins the trackbed of the old railway to Bideford and beyond. Much of the foreshore mudbanks along this first stretch form a nature reserve. After two miles the path comes to Fremington, which had seen a massive transformation since my visit four years earlier.

Once Devon's second busiest port – much of the china clay produced further south was shipped out through here – Fremington had become almost derelict, with an abandoned cottage the only building in sight. Now there is a visitor centre with a café and cycle hire base, and a replica (the original actually stood on the opposite platform) of the tall signalbox has been built; its height was intended to give the signalman a good view over the quayside sidings. At East Yelland, shortly beyond Fremington, are more recent signs of industrial activity. There was a power station here from the early 1950s until the mid-1980s, a sub-station being its only reminder now.

The surface of the path is in excellent condition all the way through Instow – including the tunnel, the floor of which is paved – to Bideford. At Bideford work on restoring life to the old station is proceeding apace, with the old lever frame from Wrafton station being installed in the signal box. From Bideford there is a downhill run to the Landcross viaduct, the site of the Pool of Six Herons in the Tarka books. Once across the viaduct the path passes through another tunnel on its way to Torrington.

Beyond Torrington the path becomes much more informal. Its surface is unsealed and can be a bit rough in places, but it is much less used the further south you get. The route is enlivened with sculptured seats of birds and animals made from pieces of tile by various local schools. As with the West Country Way, the route leaves the old railway at Petrockstowe station. The cycle path on the old line continues down to Meeth but no further at the moment, although Devon County Council plans to acquire the trackbed through to Hatherleigh and beyond in the next few years. In the meantime, the Devon Coast to Coast route follows the West Country Way through to Sheepwash. On the way the route crosses a ridge of high ground, from which can be seen (on a clear day) the heights of Dartmoor in one direction and the more distant hills of Exmoor in the other.

I spent the night in Hatherleigh, a quiet, pretty little market town, at a pub which was listed in the new Devon Cycle Mark scheme. This scheme, being pioneered by the County Council, sets out minimum standards of service with accommodation should provide for cyclists.

The cycle route from Okehampton to Lydford is known as The Granite Way which for most of its length uses the trackbed of the former Southern Railway Exeter to Plymouth main line. A single track still runs from Exeter to Okehampton and on to Meldon Quarry and for many years this was used only by freight trains, but for the past few years a passenger service has operated between Exeter and Okehampton on summer Sundays. At the same time, the quarry owners, Aggregate Industries, have also been developing the line under the name of The Dartmoor Railway, operating a steam train service between Okehampton and Meldon Quarry on summer Sundays, and a diesel service at weekends throughout the year and on summer weekdays.

The new path beside the railway between Okehampton and the quarry occupies the site of the former London-bound track. It has been extremely well built with the sealed surface that seems to be standard for all new cycle paths in Devon. As this picture (taken by the Dartmoor Railway) shows, building a cycle path is not always just a matter of dumping down a load of stone and rolling it flat!

Shame about the fence though. Clearly, it's needed for safety reasons, but surely the green plastic-coated version would have been less obtrusive if slightly more expensive.

The path diverts away from the railway for a short distance to pass under the new A30 bypass by a cattle creep. It then passes the still-busy quarry before arriving at the magnificent Meldon Viaduct. 120 feet high, over 500 feet long, and built of cast and wrought-iron, the lattice-work viaduct consists, in fact, of two interlaced structures. Steps at each end of the viaduct lead down to viewing areas from which the graceful structure of the viaduct can be seen from beneath the deck level.

Beyond the viaduct there is a link to Meldon Dam, while the railway path continues past the open space which marks the site of Meldon Junction, where the lines to Bude and Wadebridge once diverged to the north, climbing steadily to the summit at Prewley Moor. The space afforded by the former double track railway has been used to allow the path to wind about and in the cuttings small pools have been created to add interest to the path. Beyond Sourton, where the ancient church snuggles below the path, there is a short gated section where use of the path is by the owner's permission. Between the gates the path is narrow and has not been surfaced.

The route leaves the railway at Lake Viaduct. Although the path continues as far as a picnic area at Southerly, there is no exit at that point. Continuation of the railway path beyond that point depends on negotiating a way past the old station at Bridestowe, now in private ownership. For the time being you must descend the steep slope from the viaduct to join a path below, and from there make your way down to the main road. From there the route follows quiet lanes through Bridestowe village and back to the railway line by the old Bridestowe station. From there it continues along the railway to the outskirts of Lydford.

The pretty little village of Lydford is famous for its Norman castle and its spectacular Gorge, both of which are well worth a visit. Entry to the castle is free, and cyclists get a discount on entry to the Gorge, which is owned by the National Trust.

The final route between Lydford and Clearbrook (near Yelverton) has yet to be created, and for the time being there are tow alternative options, one along the moor's edge via Mary Tavy, Peter Tavy, and Meavy, the other via Brentor Church and Tavistock. There's also a link between the two near Tavistock. I chose the Tavistock route because I expected to have a better chance of finding overnight accommodation there.

The road climbs past Brentor Church, perched on top of a pinnacle of volcanic rock, and then descends towards Tavistock. Its approach to the town is now over the Wallabrook viaduct, saving a dip into and a climb out of a deep valley. A short road section follws, but then the route is back on the old railway line. It follows this as far as the local council offices, which are built on the site of the old goods yard.

The former station itself is in private ownership, so the route descends to the road, passes under the end of the viaduct, and then loops back up to pass over the top of it. At the far end it passes through a long cutting and eventually emerges in a modern housing development at the south end of the town. If you want to visit the town centre it's best to reach it by continuing down the hill from the exit from the council offices.

After a short spell on busy A-roads the route is back once more onto quiet lanes, climbing steeply over a ridge between the Tavy and Walkham valleys, then, just before the village of Grenofen, it turns off to cross the Walkham at the delightful Grenofen Bridge. However, the tarred road ends on the far side of the bridge and the map warns that the track ahead is a "very steep and muddy path". Well, I passed this way after one of the driest spells in recent years, so mud wasn't too much of a problem, but it was certainly steep. It was also incredibly rocky, like the bed of a dried-up stream.

Pushing my loaded bike quickly became impossible, and I was forced to remove my panniers and carry them to the top of the hill, before returning to collect my bike. Even then, pushing the bike was out of the question and I had to carry it too.

I always understood that Sustrans routes were supposed to be safe for novice cyclists, useful for local journeys, and memorable for visitors. Well, the hill from Grenofen Bridge is certainly memorable, but any novice cyclist who encountered it would be put off cycling for life, and as for finding it useful for a local journey…! This has to be the worst part of the entire National Cycle Network, and I've come across a good few bad bits on my travels. It must have taken me the best part of an hour to cover half a mile. The scenery at the top of the hill, where the route crosses open common on a grassy path, with Dartmoor ponies roaming wild, goes a little way to making up for this diabolical planning on Sustrans' part, but it certainly doesn't excuse it.

Back on minor roads again, the route crosses open downland and through the site of a wartime RAF station at Harrowbeer. The route neatly bypasses Yelverton – all you see are a few shops and a pub on the outskirts – which I hadn't appreciated until I was a few miles further on. The route crosses over the busy A386 and runs along the course of an old tramway (with accompanying leat) which starts off running parallel with the main road but gradually parts company with it. The surface of the tramway is fairly rough in places, not least because many of the granite blocks which the tramway used to secure the rails are still in place, and I opted instead to use the main road until the two diverged.

After almost a mile of bumping along the rough surface I came to a gate bearing a discouraging sign. "Footpath only. No cycling". To emphasise the fact, the gate was chained and padlocked at both ends! The remains of a broken-off route sign on one of the gate posts seemed to indicate a diversion to the right along a grassy path. I followed this but soon became worried that I was drifting off in the wrong direction. Luckily I bumped into a group of retired mountain bikers (!) who put me right and I came out on the road near Clearbrook by the junction to Goodameavy.

With hindsight, I'd have been better off diverting at Yelverton by turning left at the A386 then right, just before the roundabout, into Gratton Lane. The route coming in from Peter Tavy can then be joined by making a right turn at the next crossroads. In fact, I'd have been much better off altogether if I'd followed the link between the two branches at Tavistock, thus avoiding both the rough track at Grenofen and the tramway section. However, Devon County Council is working on some excellent improvements to the whole Tavistock to Plymouth route, mostly based on the old railway line, and that should solve the whole problem before too long.

From Clearbrook I followed the road downhill to Goodameavy and there joined the Plym Valley Railway Path. Most of this path is owned by the Maristowe Estate but since the early 1980s it has been licenced to Sustrans. The Estate recently terminated this licence and announced that the path would close on 27 August 2003. Devon County Council wants to buy the path but negotiations have reached a stalemate, so the council is intending to take out compulsory purchase powers. In the meantime the path still appears to remain open.

Soon after joining the railway path you come to Shaugh Tunnel. This was built on a curve and you can't see the far end from the entrance. Fortunately some lighting has now been installed, but remember to take off your sunglasses if you're wearing them! At the far end of the tunnel a cast iron aqueduct carries a leat over the line, and a short way further on is the site of Shaugh Bridge Platform. The line was heavily engineered, running either on ledges cut into the hillside, deep cuttings, or massive embankments. There are also four massive viaducts on the line. Look over the eastern side of the first, Ham Green viaduct, and you will see the stone piers of the original timber viaduct.

The path, almost all of which now has a sealed surface, descends through the valley on a substantial gradient. The only break comes at Bickleigh, where the route has to divert onto the road to bypass the site of the old station, but this gap in the railway path is soon to be filled. After Bickleigh the route crosses another three viaducts. From the top of the final one there is a good view of the quarry after which it is named, Cann Quarry, and just round the corner are the remains of some quarrymen's houses, now in the care of the National Trust, as is much of the land surrounding Plym Bridge. Peregrine falcons regularly nest on the quarry face and can be seen from the viaduct.

Below Plym Bridge the route abandons the old railway line as there are plans to restore it northwards from Marsh Mills. Instead, the path follows the route of the former Lee Moor Tramway and crosses the course of the railway, just as the tramway once did. To complete the transport scene, the remains of the old Cann Quarry Canal can also be seen beside the tramway. A little further one the path is squeezed between the base of the Plym Valley Railway on one side and an industrial estate on the other, before finally emerging onto a road. It continues on the far side of the road as a very narrow and somewhat overgrown path which runs along one of the platforms of the old Marsh Mills Halt – look out for the distinctive bricks with which it's paved.

After another road crossing the railway curves away to the east while the path heads towards the sterile wasteground under the A38 flyover from where a footbridge takes the path over the railway and the river towards the grounds of Saltram House. Watch out for the sign indicating where the route turns off along the estuary, known here as the Laira – I missed it and headed up the hill to the entrance to Saltram House instead. The path continues along the shore of the Laira for about a mile, before joining a road which takes it to Laira Bridge.

From here the route winds through a modern industrial area – you'll need to use the map or watch the signs very carefully – then climbs up on a traffic-free path over Cattedown, from where there are good views over the Sound, with Mount Batten Point just ahead and Drake Island beyond. The route continues close to the waterfront, before arriving at the new National Marine Aquarium.

Here you have to dismount and wheel your bike across the Sutton Harbour Swing Bridge and past the Mayflower Steps, before following the road round the Royal Citadel towards the Hoe. From there you can either head into the city centre – if you're taking part in the stamping scheme the final point is at a coffee stall by the Civic Centre – or you can follow the route all the way to its official end by the entrance to the docks, 102 miles from Ilfracombe.

Thoughts on the Ride

The Devon Coast to Coast is a superb route: much more than just a good ride, it gives a true flavour of what Devon's all about, from the hills, sandy beaches, and estuaries of the north coast, through the pastoral beauty of mid-Devon, past the wild uplands of Dartmoor, along one of the scenic river valleys of the south, before finally ending up in one of the country's great ports. And at the same time, the use of abandoned railways for much of its route means that it shouldn't be beyond the capabilities of a first time cycle tourer. And with Devon's commitment to expanding and improving its network of cycle routes over the next five years, it can only get better!

So try it, at least part of it, but preferably all. You won't be disappointed. Just make sure you don't hurry too much – there's too much to see and enjoy along the way. I took four relatively easy days; you could easily take a lot longer, especially if you added a side trip to Bude or over Dartmoor to Princetown.

The only reservations I have are with the really rough section of route at Grenofen and the problems with the old tramway route south of Yelverton. You can avoid both of these by mixing and matching bits of the two alternative routes between Lydford and Clearbrook. Take the western route from Lydford past Brentor church to Tavistock, then take the link road over Whitchurch Down to Warren's Cross and join the eastern route through Walkhampton and Dousland. (To get onto the link, leave Tavistock town centre on the A386 Okehamtpon road, then turn right onto the B3357 (Mount Tavy Road), then bear right up the steep but short climb of Green Hill.

Devon County Council is doing a marvellous job with the surface of its old railway paths. They have learned that while the stone-dust/grit surface with which many Sustrans off-road routes have been laid in the past is reasonably cheap in the first instance, it wears very quickly with weather and use, particularly on slopes, exposing the rough surface of the stone base layer, even allowing the base layer to break up in places. Frequent (and presumably costly) maintenance is needed.

The thick asphalt layer sometimes used as an alternative lacks rustic charm and can encourage high speed cycling and even the use of motor bikes. Devon's answer has been to apply a thinner sealing layer, coated with a grit surface, to give a hard wearing surface which does not look out of place in the rural environment, but which gives a good ride and a rather satisfying crunchy noise as you ride along. The whole unsealed length of the Tarka Trail will gradually be surfaced in this way over the next few years, while the Granite Way and the Plym Valley Trail have been done. The path out of Ilfracombe will need similar treatment as well.

The signing of the route is generally good with a few notable exceptions. One sign on the way into Mortehoe tries to send you the wrong way, while in Woolacombe there are few signs, but fortunately the route's not hard to follow. On the section south of Tavistock all the signs seem to be either just after the junctions, placed out of the natural line of sight, or camouflaged in bushes! In Plymouth the problem is the large number of cycling signs, so that the ones for the Coast to Coast route don't stand out, and it took me a long while to follow the route because of the constant need to refer to the map.

Apart from the roundabout route to avoid Barnstaple's Long Bridge (you can always walk across it) and the diversion through Sheepwash (to avoid the busy and windy A386), there are no places where the route goes out of its way to avoid A- and B-roads. Indeed, the route is probably as direct as the parallel main road route and a great deal more level!

The three Devon railway paths which form parts of the Coast to Coast route are all proving extremely popular. The Tarka Trail is the best known and has become a major holiday attraction, but unlike some other railway paths, the number of visitors doesn't appear to be adding to local road traffic problems. This is probably because the hire bases are well scattered and handy for the holiday centres. It is also obvious in Barnstaple in particular that the presence of the Trail and an associated network of local cycle links has encouraged many more local people to cycle. The Granite Trail is growing in popularity with a new bike hire base at Okehampton station supplementing one in the town. The Plym Valley Trail is perhaps less well known but attracts a good number of local leisure cyclists.

The prospect of linking up these trails is an exciting one, with proposals to extend the Tarka Trail southwards through Meeth and Hatherleigh to Halwill Junction and then on to Holsworthy and Bude by 2007. In the north of the county an extension of the Tarka Trail northwards from Braunton is planned to link with the existing railway path from Ilfracombe. Meanwhile, the Plym Valley Trail will be extended northwards to Tavistock, mainly on old railway line. The only gaps in the network would then be from Halwill to Meldon to unite the Tarka Trail and the Granite Way – most of the old railway line still exists but a bridge would be needed across the A30 dual carriageway – and from Lydford to Tavistock to link the Granite Way and the Plym Valley Trail.

Maps and guides for this ride

You can either follow through the pages in sequence or go back to pick another route from the list of the NCN routes I’ve used.

Updated: 20 September 2003, minor changes 1 November 2004