There’s some spectacular riding down in the south west corner of the UK. With two distinct coastlines and two National Parks, Devon’s the place to go if you’re looking for dramatic scenery and top riding all in one spot. From dramatic seascapes and wide-open moorland to nadgery little lanes and picturesque towns and villages, this little corner of England really is a paradise for bikers.
COAST-TO-COAST
This is a coast-to-coast route starting from Slapton Sands in the south of Devon, ending up at The Valley of the Rocks near Lynton in the north, passing through both Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks on the way. Once you leave the A38, much of the first part of the route is tight and twisty and extremely rewarding as you wind your way up to the famous B3212 that cuts right through the centre of Dartmoor, passing through Princetown on the way. From there you’ll pass through Widdecombe on the Moor, Moretonhampstead and Chagford (all great places to stop for a brew, a bite to eat and stretch of the legs), before leaving Dartmoor and taking a slightly more direct route up into Exmoor. The middle section isn’t the most exciting (and more scenic routes are available), but it’s all about making decent progress and getting into Exmoor as quickly as possible. The moor here is a bit more open, with some smoother and faster stretches of road to enjoy as you make your way up to Minehead where things really start to get interesting when you join the A39 that leads you all the way to Lynton and beyond. This is one of the best stretches of road in the country – fast, free-flowing and great fun.
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DARTMOOR CIRCULAR
Start the route at Buckfastleigh and briefly head north on the A38 before turning left towards Hele and Buckland in the Moor. At the junction with the B3387 turn left and a short distance further, right towards Bonehill. You are now heading towards Southcott. It is worth watching out for a sign to the medieval village of Hound Tor. Turn left in Southcott and head towards Lettaford. Turn right on to the 3242 to Sloncombe, and left on to the A382. This will take you to Whiddon Down, passing three castles off to the right: Cranbrook, Prestonbury and Castle Drogo. At the junction with the A30, turn left to Okehampton, and then south through Meldon, picking up the A386 towards Sourton. You are now skirting the western edge of the National Park as the road passes through Beardon and Mary Tavy to Tavistock. Watch for a left turn on to the B3357 on the northern edge of the town and signs to the right for Sampford Spinney and south to Walkhampton. Turn left on the B3212, which will take you to Princetown. Carry on this road to the B3357 towards Two Bridges and east to Poundsgate. You can then cut south to Buckfast and back to the starting point.
TRICKY TRAILS
Devon’s an off-roaders’ paradise. There’s an abundance of legal lanes to explore; and a good OS map will see you right for days of dirt-based fun.
There’s another option, though… the Trans Euro Trail runs right through Devon. Twice. Never heard of it before? It’s essentially a whopping Europe-wide route which runs from the top of Scandinavia to the top of Africa. And best of all, you can download free GPX files or even load the app on to your phone to make it easy to seek out the legal lanes which make up ‘the Trail’. One of the Devon routes runs from just north of Lyme Regis all the way into Plymouth, via Exeter. And the other, which forms part of the Great Western Way, runs from near Launceston all the way over the border to Chard.
It’s also worth mentioning that many of these lanes are on the trickier end of the spectrum, and although talented riders might be able to manage to heave a big adventure bike along them, us mere mortals would have much, much more fun on smaller dirt-focused trail bikes.
WHAT’S YOURS?
There’s nothing quite like a bit of local knowledge when it comes to finding the best roads an area has to offer. If you’ve got a top blast on your doorstep (and you don’t mind sharing), we’d love to hear from you.
