The Devon Coast to Coast is a north to south ride from the craggy cliffs that overlook Ilfracombe to the imposing citadel at Plymouth’s bustling seafront. Along the way you follow many old railway lines, riding over viaducts and through tunnels, as well as contouring around the beautiful Dartmoor National Park. Whilst the route has no climbs on the scale of the classic C2C across the north of England, there are numerous shorter climbs on the rolling backroads of mid-Devon.
Highlights
• Quiet backroads and traffic-free cycleways
• Bag transfers so you can cycle light
• Logistics planned for you, so you can focus on the cycling
• Cycle through the beautiful Dartmoor National Park
• Emergency mechanical breakdown support
The Devon Coast to Coast distance and route elevation
Total distances.
Total height gain:
102 miles or 165km
5846ft or 1782m
Place names have been highlighted throughout the description, to help you match up where you’ll be staying, depending on how many days and nights you wish to take for the journey.
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Ride Description
Your trip begins when you arrive at our chosen hotel in Plymouth, Britain’s Ocean City, down by the spectacular Sutton Harbour, with its many eateries and spectacular citadel walls.
If you came by car then you can park up in the nearby long stay car park as you won't need it again until you head home (Fees apply). With people arriving throughout the afternoon there is no pre-arranged meet until the following morning, so you are free to enjoy the city.
After breakfast, you and your bike will be transported to the North Devon coastal town of Ilfracombe to begin the ride, in the shadow of Damien Hirst’s famous Verity statue.
The journey to the coast takes about two and a half hours, giving time for breakfast to go down before the pedalling begins. This is the last chance to make any last-minute bike adjustments, and our CycleActive member of staff will be there with spares and a tool kit to assist if needed.
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Leaving Ilfracombe along the magnificent craggy coastline of North Devon you tackle the first steep climb of the journey and the only really steep section in the first third of the route. At the high point, there are panoramic views of the coastline, and from here you can also choose a slightly extended option that takes you right along the stunning three-mile beach at Woolacombe.
The countryside rolls gently until, at the town of Braunton, you join the traffic-free Tarka Trail. This almost level section follows the serene tidal scenery of the Taw and Torridge estuaries as you pedal through the busy market town of Barnstable and on to Bideford, where the route heads inland.
This section of the journey is a winding traffic-free trail that takes you deeper and deeper into the beautiful Torridge Valley. Riding alongside the river, crossing it often, and passing through open fields, old English woodlands and passing small homesteads, you are really starting to enter sleepy rural Devon.
The small market town of Hatherleigh, is situated perfectly to restock the snack pocket or rest one's head after a full day on the bike. The next part of the journey takes you into the hills as you ride the backroads on the way to Dartmoor.
You reach the edge of the National Park just beyond Okehampton and the head of the Granite Way, the high point of the journey, pedalling over the magnificent viaduct at Meldon (built-in 1874).
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The scenery now is quite breathtaking as the green fields roll away to your right, while the giant Tors of Dartmoor rise up immediately to your left. The route follows the park boundary for much of the way now as you pass through several small villages, with Lydford being a great rest point before the last section of the ride.
After joining the river Tavy before the town of Tavistock, the route gradually heads for more level ground and you start to see lush common land being grazed by Dartmoor ponies.
Continuing south you eventually join the Plym Way and follow this riverside traffic free trail into Plymouth, finishing off with a well-deserved ice cream on the sea front looking out into the English Channel.
After collecting your bag form the CycleActive member of staff you are free to start your homeward journey or check in for any pre-arranged extra nights.
