Devon Coast to Coast Cycle Route

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Devon Coast to Coast Cycle Route
NCN sign on the Granite Way - geograph.org.uk - 319452.jpg
NCN sign on the Granite Way
Length99 mi (159 km)
Location Devon
DesignationNational Cycle Route 27
Trailheads Ilfracombe
Plymouth
DifficultyModerate to difficult [1]
Lake Viaduct is one of the parts of National Cycle Route 27 with heritage dating back to the nineteenth century. It is in the middle section of The Granite Way. Lake viaduct cycleway.jpg
Lake Viaduct is one of the parts of National Cycle Route 27 with heritage dating back to the nineteenth century. It is in the middle section of The Granite Way.

The Devon Coast to Coast Cycle Route is a 99-mile waymarked route from Ilfracombe in north Devon to Plymouth in south Devon. [2] [3] It skirts the National Parks of both Exmoor and Dartmoor and incorporates part of the Tarka Trail in the north, The Granite Way from Okehampton to Lydford and Drake's Trail from Tavistock to Plymouth. [4]

Created by Sustrans, the sustainable travel charity, the cycleway runs for over half its length on off-road routes along disused railway lines. The route is part of the National Cycle Network and is designated National Cycle Route 27. It includes the Tarka Trail, the Granite Way and Drake's Trail, all off-road, plus generally quiet country lanes and bridleways. [5] 71 miles (114 km) of the route are designated traffic-free, with at least one section between Braunton and Meeth being 30 miles (48 km) long. [2]

Towns that can be visited along the way include Tavistock, Okehampton, Bideford and Barnstaple.

The route is normally cycled in two or three days. [6]

Route

Distances are approximate. [8]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Devon</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

North Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based just outside Barnstaple, the district's largest town. The district also includes the towns of Ilfracombe, Lynton and Lynmouth and South Molton along with numerous villages, seaside resorts and surrounding rural areas.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Instow</span> Village in North Devon, England

Instow is a village in north Devon, England. It is on the estuary where the rivers Taw and Torridge meet, between the villages of Westleigh and Yelland and on the opposite bank to Appledore. There is an electoral ward with the same name. The ward's total population at the 2011 census was 1,501.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarka Line</span> Local railway line in Devon, England

The Tarka Line, also known as the North Devon Line, is a local railway line in Devon, England, linking the city of Exeter with the town of Barnstaple via a number of local villages, operated by Great Western Railway (GWR). The line opened in 1851 from Exeter to Crediton and in 1854 the line was completed through to Barnstaple. The line was taken over by the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) in 1865 and later became part of the Southern Railway and then British Rail. In 2001, following privatisation, Wessex Trains introduced the name Tarka Line after the eponymous character in Henry Williamson's book Tarka the Otter. The line was transferred to First Great Western in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">River Taw</span> River in Devon, England

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<i>Atlantic Coast Express</i>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarka Trail</span> Series of foot and cyclepaths in England

The Tarka Trail is a series of footpaths and cyclepaths around north Devon, England that follow the route taken by the fictional Tarka the Otter in the book of that name. It covers a total of 180 miles (290 km) in a figure-of-eight route, centred on Barnstaple.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Okehampton railway station</span> Railway station in Devon, England

Okehampton railway station is a terminus railway station on the Dartmoor line serving the town of Okehampton in Devon, England. The station closed to regular traffic in 1972, but heritage and occasional mainline services ran from 1997 to 2019. Regular railway services resumed in November 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeoford railway station</span> Railway station in Devon, England

Yeoford railway station is a rural station serving the village of Yeoford in Devon, England. It is on the Tarka Line to Barnstaple, 11 miles 42 chains (18.5 km) from Exeter Central at milepost 183 from London Waterloo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barnstaple railway station</span> Railway station in Devon, England

Barnstaple railway station is the northern terminus of the Tarka Line and serves the town of Barnstaple, Devon. It is 39 miles 75 chains (64.3 km) from Exeter Central and 211.25 miles (339.97 km) from London Waterloo. It is managed by Great Western Railway, which also operates the passenger service.

The North Devon Railway connected Barnstaple to the growing railway network in 1854 and as Ilfracombe developed as a watering place, it was obvious a railway connection to the town was needed. The hilly terrain was very difficult, but an Ilfracombe Railway was authorised in 1864 but failed when a major shareholder was unable to respond to a subscription call. After several false starts the Barnstaple and Ilfracombe Railway, soon taken over by the London and South Western Railway, opened in 1870.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Devon Railway</span> Former English railway company

The North Devon Railway was a railway company which operated a line from Cowley Bridge Junction, near Exeter, to Bideford in Devon, England, later becoming part of the London and South Western Railway's system. Originally planned as a broad gauge feeder to the Bristol & Exeter Railway, it became part of a battle between the broad gauge group and the standard gauge railway interests. In this context, standard gauge lines were often described as narrow gauge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Exeter to Plymouth railway of the LSWR</span>

The Exeter to Plymouth railway of the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) was the westernmost part of a route competing with that of the Great Western Railway (GWR) and its 'associated companies' from London and Exeter to Plymouth in Devon, England. Whereas the GWR route from Exeter followed the coast to Newton Abbot and then went around the southern edge of Dartmoor, the LSWR route followed the northern and western margins of Dartmoor, passing through the towns of Crediton, Okehampton, and Tavistock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Torrington railway station</span> Former railway station in Devon, England

Torrington railway station was a railway station located in Great Torrington, Devon. It was closed by British Railways in 1965 as part of the Beeching cuts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Halwill Junction railway station</span> Former railway station in Devon, England

Halwill Junction Railway Station was a railway station in Halwill Junction, near the villages of Halwill and Beaworthy in Devon, England. It opened in 1879 and formed an important junction between the now-closed Bude Branch and North Cornwall line. It closed in 1966 along with the lines which it served, a casualty of the Beeching Report.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bideford Bay</span> Bay in Devon, England

Bideford Bay, also known as Barnstaple Bay and often shown on maps as Barnstaple or Bideford Bay, is a large area of water on the northwest coast of Devon in South West England, at the southwestern end of the Bristol Channel where it joins the Celtic Sea. The bay extends from Hartland Point in the southwest to Baggy point the northeast, and is partly sheltered by the island of Lundy, 12 miles (19 km) offshore. It takes its alternative names from the towns of Bideford and Barnstaple, located respectively on the rivers Torridge and Taw which flow into the bay. The alternative spelling Barnstable Bay, in use long after that spelling became obsolete for the town, is also sometimes seen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Granite Way</span> Walking and cycling route in Devon

The Granite Way is a route of 18 km consisting mainly of a motor traffic-free cycle/walkway between Okehampton and Lydford. It was built by Devon County Council (DCC) and is part of the National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 27 ‘Devon Coast to Coast’ between Ilfracombe and Plymouth. It is maintained jointly by DCC and Sustrans. Currently, the Way is supported by a Sunday-only train service during summer months to and from Okehampton railway station providing links to nearby Exeter run by DCC and Great Western Railway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Instow railway station</span> Disused railway station in Devon, England

Instow railway station was a railway station in the village of Instow, North Devon, England, on the Bideford Extension of the North Devon Railway. Opened in November 1855, the station closed to passengers in 1965, but the line remained open for freight until 1982. The signal box has been preserved as a working attraction. The Atlantic Coast Express used to go through the station on its way to Torrington, but it did not call at Instow.

References

  1. "Devon coast to coast | Britain's best bike rides". The Guardian. 4 May 2012. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  2. 1 2 "Route 27 - Map". Sustrans. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  3. "Route 27". National Cycle Network. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  4. "Drake's Trail". www.drakestrail.co.uk. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  5. "Guide book route description".
  6. "BBC Devon review of the Coast to Coast Cycle Route".
  7. "Disused Stations: Ilfracombe Station". www.disused-stations.org.uk. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  8. "Ultimate Devon Coast to Coast". Ultimate Devon Coast to Coast.