Cycle Devon - Coast to Coast

Day 1: Join trip in Tiverton. Cycle Ilfracombe to Barnstaple

The trip starts at Tiverton Parkway Train Station at 11.00am. Parking is at the long stay car park at the railway station for the trip duration (approx. £30). We drive for about an hour to the seaside resort of Ilfracombe, on the North Devon coast, in time for lunch. After unloading and assigning the bikes, there will be time to get comfortable and make any necessary adjustments. Clear and detailed instructions on the cycle route we follow will be given by the tour leader throughout the trip, which means you can cycle at your own pace, either individually or with other group members. GPX tracks are available, if you want to download these onto your own device please request from the Leader. Our local Leader will drive the support vehicle with the luggage and a bike trailer, and will meet us at various points during each ride to help support the ride, ensure all runs smoothly and that you enjoy your trip. With our lungs filled with fresh, coastal air, we cycle in the North Devon Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty past the famous surf beach of Woolacombe, taking a scenic detour from the classic NCN route 27. At Braunton we leave the AONB and join the Tarka Trail - a 30-mile traffic-free section built on the almost entirely flat former railway line. Finally, we reach our hotel for the night in Barnstaple. Our total cycling distance today is approximately 32 kilometres (total 410 metres ascent and descent).

Day 2: Cycle Barnstaple to Hatherleigh on the Tarka Trail

We cycle from our hotel after breakfast and soon rejoin the Tarka Trail. Named after Henry Williamson's 1927 novel, Tarka the Otter, we follow this path alongside the expansive saltmarsh, mudflats and sandbanks of the stunning Taw and Torridge estuaries. From the old port town of Bideford the Trail heads inland, leaving the wide rivers and estuaries behind, and follows streams through woodlands and grassland to Great Torrington, before stopping at a quirky railway station turned cafe for lunch. We rejoin the Tarka Trail in the afternoon, tracing along converted railway lines, until its end in Meeth. Now on quiet roads we cycle a short distance to our hotel in one of Devon's smallest but no doubt liveliest towns, Hatherleigh, for a well-deserved pint, fresh local food and welcome rest. Our total cycling distance today is approximately 52 kilometres (total 605 metres ascent and 490 metres descent).

Day 3: Cycle Hatherleigh to Tavistock on the Granite Way

We continue our route south, cycling on quiet country roads until we reach Okehampton where we join the Granite Trail - a mostly traffic-free cycle route that runs eleven miles through rural Devon with fantastic views of Dartmoor and the surrounding countryside. Look out for the impressive Victorian era Meldon Viaduct. The Granite Trail ends at Lydford Gorge and you have the opportunity to explore the gorge on foot before lunch. In the afternoon, we continue our route, now cycling on quiet roads, hugging the edge of Dartmoor. In Brentor there is the chance to walk up to the tiny church perched on top of a small tor for views. We then reach the ancient stannary and market town of Tavistock. This world heritage town claims to have invented the Cream Tea! Our total cycling distance today is approximately 42 kilometres (total 615 metres ascent and 550 metres descent).

Day 4: Cycle Tavistock to Plymouth on Drakes Trail. Trip ends in Plymouth or Tiverton

Our final day on the Devon Coast to Coast will be biking down the 21-mile, traffic-free Drake's Trail into Plymouth, descending towards the Royal Citadel on downhill gravel trails. This walking and cycling trail runs through superb countryside with attractive scenery, through wooded river valleys and across open moorland. There is a steep and uneven section just south of Clearbrook where you may prefer to walk for a few hundred metres. Finally we reach the end of your coast-to-coast cycle at Tinside, where you have the opportunity for a dip in the iconic Art Deco seawater lido or in the south coast Devon sea. From here, we drive back to Tiverton Parkway Train Station (aiming to be there by 4pm) or say goodbye to those that want to leave at Plymouth Railway Station. Our total cycling distance today is approximately 35 kilometres (total 380 metres ascent and 460 metres descent).