Okehampton to Brent Tor
Distance 32 miles/51km
Total climbing 2,546ft/776m
Moderate. Mostly on traffic-free former railway path with a loop on hilly lanes
Start/finish Okehampton
The 11-mile Granite Way from Okehampton to Lydford is a spectacular rails-to-trails cycleway that passes within three miles of High Willhays, the highest point in Dartmoor and the highest place in England south of the Peak District. There are fine views not least from its magnificent Victorian viaducts. This ride adds to the pleasures of the Granite Way with a loop of lovely (and hilly) lanes taking in Brent Tor, one of western Dartmoor’s most iconic landmarks. A mile out of Okehampton is the Meldon Viaduct, a gently curved, tottering Victorian lattice of wrought and cast iron 150ft above the West Okement river. A few miles on is Lake Viaduct with its stately granite arches. The rail trail ends at Lydford, a pretty Dartmoor village that was an important seat of power in Saxon and Norman times. Its castle and fortifications are free to explore while Lydford Gorge, which has a 30m-high waterfall, is free for National Trust members. It’s a steady climb up to Brent Tor, an extinct volcano topped by a 14th-century chapel. A descent through Chillaton leads to a bridge over the river Lyd. The last big climb is onto Galford Down, from where there are fine views to Dartmoor’s highest tors. The return journey follows the Granite Way back to Okehampton.
Pub stop The Castle Inn, Lydford, (01822 820241, castleinnlydford.com) is a 16th-century inn with a pretty garden beside the castle.
Cycle hire Adventure Okehampton, 01837 53916, adventureokehampton.com
Dartmoor Edge
Distance 28 miles/45km
Total climbing 2,152ft/656m
Moderate to challenging, includes a section on a good gravel path
Start/finish Newton Abbot
This ride makes use of the Stover Trail, a new, largely traffic-free cycling and walking route between Newton Abbot and Bovey Tracey along the route of the old canal and tramway – built to carry china clay dug from the Teign valley and granite quarried from Dartmoor. Bovey Tracey is a pretty town on the edge of Dartmoor and is the home of the Devon Guild of Craftsmen, an acclaimed showcase for contemporary craft and design in an enormous Victorian watermill. From here the route is uphill on National Cycle Route 272 to Ilsington, then across to Haytor Vale. In September this year the Tour of Britain returns to Haytor with a finish at the foot of the famous rocks. Rather than following the main road to Widdecombe, the ride continues on a back road across Haytor Down to Manaton. To begin there are views across the Teign valley to the coast before plunging into dark, enchanting woodland. After crossing the river Bovey it’s a steep climb and then a long descent into Lustleigh in the Wrey valley. There are plans for a cycle track up the valley to Moretonhampstead, following the old railway line, but for now it’s lanes most of the way, picking up the trail a couple of miles upstream of Bovey Tracey, for a welcome flat route all the way back to Newton Abbot that retraces the route from earlier in the day.
Pub stop The Cleave, Lustleigh (01647 277223, thecleavelustleigh.uk.com), is a thatched village pub with garden and good-quality local food.
Cycle hire Hot Pursuit, Kingsteignton, 01626 354082, hotpursuit-cycles.co.uk
Exe valley
Distance 24 miles/38km
Total climbing 1,404ft/428m
Easy to moderate. Cycle paths, country lanes, including one section on an unsurfaced cycle path
Start/finish Exeter
The Exe Estuary Trail between Exeter and Exmouth opened in 2015 and is rightly extremely popular, but there’s also excellent riding to be had by following the river Exe upstream, through the aptly named Hidden Valley. This route is mostly on quiet lanes through small villages with a couple of short, sharp hills thrown in. The route crosses the Exe at Thorverton where there’s been a bridge since 1307. East of the Exe the route crosses the floodplain to Netherexe and over the mainline of the Great Western Railway. The 16th-century chapel of Columbjohn sits beside the river Culm and there are good paddling spots nearby. From here the route makes a loop of the landscaped grounds of Killerton Park, once the country seat of the powerful Acland family and now one of the National Trust’s largest estates. The cycle route includes unsurfaced sections but it’s well worth it, especially in late spring for the shimmering displays of bluebells. It’s then along some very quiet, narrow farm lanes to Redhayes bridge, the stunning £3.75m cycling-and-walking bridge across the M5. After a short distance along the narrow, tall-hedged Hollow Lane you reappear into Exeter and can follow the well-signposted E3 cycle route along backstreets into the city centre.
Pub stop The Lazy Toad, Brampford Speke, 01392 841591, thelazytoad.co.uk, and there are plenty of great picnic spots the grounds of Killerton Park, as well as a National Trust cafe.
Cycle hire Paddles and Saddles. No 4, Kings Wharf, The Quay, 01392 424241, sadpad.com
Exmoor
Distance 40 miles/65km
Total climbing 3,740ft/1,140m
Challenging. Country lanes, includes some tough hills
Start/finish Barnstaple
When it comes to hills, Exmoor lanes take a very direct approach: no gentle traverses to ease the gradient, just straight up, sometimes as steep as 25%. But once you are on top the views can be spectacular and so it’s worth trying to maintain altitude for as long as possible. This challenging ride does exactly that by taking in one of the best ridge roads in the West Country, if not all Britain. Starting at sea level in Barnstaple, it’s an undulating climb on the farm lanes of National Cycle Route 3 to Bratton Fleming. Things soon get serious with a tough climb onto Shoulsbarrow Common, beneath the ramparts of an iron-age hill fort. Having gained the ridge half of Exmoor much of mid-Devon is laid out before you in a glorious tapestry. The next six miles is an unforgettable ride on the roof of north Devon and to top it all there’s a pub just by the turn for the thrilling descent into North Molton. The last big climb up Brayley Hill will more than warm the legs up before the ride rejoins the route from earlier in the day for the descent to Barnstaple.
Pub stop The Sportsman’s Inn (01643 831109, sportsmansinn.co.uk) is a traditional country pub high up on Exmoor.
Cycle hire Tarka Trail Cycle Hire, Barnstaple,, 01271 324202, tarkabikes.co.uk
Totnes and South Hams
Distance 19 miles/31km
Total climbing 2,079ft/634m
Moderate. Quiet country lanes, fairly hilly, includes two sections on unsurfaced paths
Start/finish Totnes
The crumpled topography of the South Hams makes for cycling that’s rarely easy going but always rewarding, with a new vista over every hill and narrow, hedge-lined lanes alive with flowers, birds and insects. From Totnes, National Cycle Route 2 is a partially traffic-free route along the river Dart into the grounds of Dartington Hall. Soon enough it’s into the lanes, along a fine ridge road with huge views on either side. Daffodils line the verges around Rattery and the lambs should be audible from behind the hedgerows. This is a landscape defined by farming, and not just crops and livestock: a large solar energy farm near Diptford has raised eyebrows with a local MP describing the fields filled with shimmering photovoltaic panels as an “industrialised desert”. Still, it’s an impressive sight and a glimpse into a techno-pastoral future. The next section follows the valley of the river Harbourne along a beautiful lane that bursts with wildflowers before a typically steep Devon climb up to Ashprington. There are more great views of the river Dart on Cycle Route 2 through the grounds of Sharpham House and back beside the river to Totnes. The cycle path is unsurfaced but generally good, though it can get muddy after heavy rain. There is a lanes alternative but it’s not quite so scenic.
Pub stop The Maltsters Arms, Tuckenhay (01803 732350, tuckenhay.com) is a handsome riverside pub just off the route on Bow Creek.
Cycle hire Hot Pursuit Cycles, Totnes, 01803 865174, hotpursuit-cycles.co.uk
Jack Thurston is author of the Lost Lanes series of cycling guidebooks, published by Wild Things Publishing. To order a copy of Lost Lanes: 36 Glorious Bike Rides in Southern England for £11.99, including UK p&p, visit the guardian bookshop or call on 0330 333 6846
