![Lake viaduct cycleway](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Lake_viaduct_cycleway.jpg)
The
Devon
Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...
Coast to Coast Cycle Route is a 99-mile waymarked route from
Ilfracombe
Ilfracombe ( ) is a seaside resort and civil parish on the North Devon coast, England, with a small harbour surrounded by cliffs.
The parish stretches along the coast from the 'Coastguard Cottages' in Hele Bay toward the east and along the ...
in north Devon to
Plymouth
Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west.
Plymouth ...
in south Devon.
It skirts the
National Parks
A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...
of both
Exmoor
Exmoor is loosely defined as an area of hilly open moorland in west Somerset and north Devon in South West England. It is named after the River Exe, the source of which is situated in the centre of the area, two miles north-west of Simonsbath. ...
and
Dartmoor
Dartmoor is an upland area in southern Devon, England. The moorland and surrounding land has been protected by National Park status since 1951. Dartmoor National Park covers .
The granite which forms the uplands dates from the Carboniferous ...
and incorporates part of the
Tarka Trail
The Tarka Trail is a series of footpaths and cyclepaths (rail trails) 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 in a figure-of-eight route, centred o ...
in the north,
The Granite Way
The Granite Way is a route of 18 km (11 miles) consisting mainly of a motor traffic-free cycle/walkway between Okehampton (near the railway station) and Lydford. It was built by Devon County Council (DCC) and is part of the National Cyc ...
from
Okehampton
Okehampton ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and had a population of 5,922 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards are based i ...
to
Lydford
Lydford, sometimes spelled Lidford, is a village, once an important town, in Devon, north of Tavistock on the western fringe of Dartmoor in the West Devon district. There is an electoral ward with the same name which includes Princetown. The p ...
and
Drake's Trail Drake's or Drakes may refer to:
Companies
*Drake's (haberdashers), a UK haberdashers
* Drakes Bay Oyster Company, American oyster farm and restaurant
* Drake's Brewing Company, an American brewery
*Drake's Cakes, an American food company
*Drakes ...
from
Tavistock
Tavistock ( ) is an ancient stannary and market town within West Devon, England. It is situated on the River Tavy from which its name derives. At the 2011 census the three electoral wards (North, South and South West) had a population of 13,028 ...
to Plymouth.
Created by
Sustrans
Sustrans is a United Kingdom-based walking, wheeling and cycling charity, and the custodian of the National Cycle Network.
Its flagship project is the National Cycle Network, which has created of signed cycle routes throughout the United Kin ...
, 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
The National Cycle Network (NCN) is the national cycling route network of the United Kingdom, which was established to encourage cycling and walking throughout Britain, as well as for the purposes of bicycle touring. It was created by the cha ...
and is designated National Cycle Route 27. It includes the
Tarka Trail
The Tarka Trail is a series of footpaths and cyclepaths (rail trails) 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 in a figure-of-eight route, centred o ...
, the Granite Way and Drake's Trail, all off-road, plus generally quiet country lanes and bridleways. of the route are designated traffic-free, with at least one section between Braunton and Meeth being long.
Towns that can be visited along the way include
Tavistock
Tavistock ( ) is an ancient stannary and market town within West Devon, England. It is situated on the River Tavy from which its name derives. At the 2011 census the three electoral wards (North, South and South West) had a population of 13,028 ...
,
Okehampton
Okehampton ( ) is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in West Devon in the English county of Devon. It is situated at the northern edge of Dartmoor, and had a population of 5,922 at the 2011 census. Two electoral wards are based i ...
,
Bideford
Bideford ( ) is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is the main town of the Torridge local government district.
Toponymy
In ancient records Bideford is recorded as ''Bedeford'', ''By ...
and
Barnstaple
Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town in North Devon, England, at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool and won great wealth. Later it imported Irish wool, bu ...
.
The route is normally cycled in two or three days.
Route info
*Section 1: Ilfracombe to Bideford. Distance: - the section between Ilfracombe and Barnstaple follows the route of the former railway between Ilfracombe and the former Woolacombe & Mortehoe railway station and again between Braunton and Barnstaple train station. .
*Section 2: Bideford to Okehampton. Distance:
*Section 3: Okehampton to Tavistock. Distance:
*Section 4: Tavistock to Plymouth. Distance:
Drake's Trail This section follows the route of the former
South Devon and Tavistock Railway
The South Devon and Tavistock Railway linked Plymouth with Tavistock in Devon; it opened in 1859. It was extended by the Launceston and South Devon Railway to Launceston, in Cornwall in 1865. It was a broad gauge line but from 1876 also carried t ...
and incorporates
Plymbridge Woods
Plymbridge Woods is a woodland in Plympton, Devon, England managed by The National Trust. The woods are named after the historic Plymbridge, a Grade II listed bridge over the River Plym. Drake's Trail passes through the woods providing a cycling ...
Distances are approximate.
References
External links
Outline map of the routeSustrans map of route 27
{{NCN , state=collapsed
Cycleways in England
National Cycle Routes