TUESDAY JULY 14TH travelling day
We don't do panniers on our cycle trips. Friends Jeanette and Martin offered more than once to support us if we wanted to ride the Devon Coast to Coast route. A very kind offer, so we had worked out a date months ago to suit us all, in between our busy holiday schedules. They have both done the route starting in Plymouth but we felt starting north would be best.
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| We had a lunch stop on the way at NT Nightshaze, and arrived in Croyde around 4pm |
Officially the route starts at Ilfracombe, but we've been there and to get accommodation that would work for 2 nights, rather than move every day, John booked Croyde Bay holiday park. Not our normal type of hotel but a very spacious "bungalow" which turns out can sleep 6 with 2 bathrooms! One would prove to be handy for storing our bikes. We were dropped off, and Martin and Jeanette drove about another 5 mins to set up their campervan.
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| We didn't really need 2 bathrooms! |
John and I booked dinner in the pretty village, but first a walk over the sand dunes from our accommodation, to see the beach. Quite a steep climb! We then noticed an easier route!!
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| a steep climb over the dunes from our bungalow! |
We had dinner outside, since the air-conditioned restaurant was fully booked inside. It was still around 30 degrees at 7pm.
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| Next to the restaurant. Beautiful evening light |
WEDNESDAY JULY 15TH Croyde to Great Torrington 29 miles.
Breakfast was not served until 8.30 at our accommodation, but we set off by 9.30 to immediately climb a hill out of Croyde. Having just cycled in Holland and Sweden, I have barely climbed a hill for a few weeks 😅 .
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| Beautiful view over the sea at the top after a few minutes climbing out of Croyde. |
A long downhill followed before we left the main road to soon join an off road section into MOD land. This is not yet part of the official Coast to Coast route but very quiet and enjoyable. Just one section was suddenly very deep sand but otherwise a reasonable surface.
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| MOD track alongside this fence |
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| Emerging at Crow Point, to the River Taw. |
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| Definitely low tide |
We stopped to climb up to a higher level to see several spooky looking dead trees on the edge of the estuary, the tide very low this morning.
We then joined the Tarka trail, an old railway line, so an easy ride followed into Barnstaple, where we stopped at a lovely cafe just before the newer tall bridge, which was an old Masonic meeting hall.
Our route then went
under the huge bridge to cycle around and up
over the old bridge. We dropped down to the opposite side of the river to soon go
under the new bridge once more, on the opposite bank, still following the Tarka trail. All very flat. A chance for a few drone shots since the wind not too strong today, but breezy enough to keep us cool, in high 20s degrees.
(I had bought an expensive handlebar clamp for my remote control hoping to do some higher shots on the go, and it was not long before a screw fell out over a bumpy section. End of that idea. 😡)
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| Looking back to Barnstable |
We left the Tarka Trail for a detour as we reached Instow, to have lunch at a pub we had used a few year ago. Salmon nicoise salad with too many green beans!
I had set up for Jeanette to follow Live Track on my Garmin, but she had not replied to my message to check that it was working. A phone call, and contact made to establish that they had driven to Appledore.... directly opposite Instow, and only now could she see the updated route. She thought we had got stuck miles back.
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I took a photo of this house a couple of years ago,
and painted it, with a view through from the sand dunes.
Sand dunes now block the view completely!
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Piece to camera in Instow, for my film which I will make...eventually.
(Appledore over my shoulder where Jeanette was sketching) |
Less than 10 miles to go after lunch, mostly in green shady tracks, passing through Bideford old station, to reach Great Torrington and our rendezvous at the Puffing Billy cafe.
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| Rooftops next to Bideford station |
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| Along the Tarka Trail heading to Great Torrington |
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We went under countless tunnels over the 3 day journey, and
almost as many viaducts. (some tunnels long and dark!) |
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The support team arrive a few minutes after us at
Puffing Billy Cafe. |
We all enjoyed an ice cream before a 50 min drive back to Croyde with our bikes once more on the bike rack.
John and I had booked dinner at Roku in Croyde, very tasty, and quite an up market restaurant.
After dinner, we walked through the village to the far end of the beach just before a beautiful sunset. A few drone shots, before we spotted J&M sitting on a log. Once the sun had dropped, we climbed up a steep sand dune back to our bungalow. Phew! Still very warm at 10pm.
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| Our walk to far end of the beach. |
(All quiet tonight now, as England just lost their world cup semi finals football match.)
We climbed back to our accommodation using an even steeper sand dune, signposted "public footpath". The post was about 1' out of the ground, and no doubt started off as a 9' post.😂
THURSDAY 16th July Great Torrington to Lydford 36 miles
Another sunny day, and 25 degrees as we checked out of Croyde and were driven back to Great Torrington to continue our route, where we finished yesterday. J&M waved us off at Puffing Billy at 10.15, and they had breakfast there.
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Bye! See you in Lydford.
(they were off for a walk at a reservoir) |
Yesterday was an easy flat ride apart from one initial climb out of Croyde, and finished with a 2% rise along the Tarka trail. Today would be rather more testing! 😕 It would be 2500' today, with most of the climbing in the middle section.
Some lovely shade as we continued with a slight uphill for 5 miles along the old railtrack, and then had a coffee stop at Yarde Orchard Cafe. (John realised he had left one of the bike bags in the van... which had my spare drone batteries and charger. So with just a few mins of filming time possible today I decided to preserve the battery for a viaduct that we would cross late in the day.)
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| Yarde Orchard Cafe on the trail. |
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| Black plastic hay bales look better in B&W. |
Downhill now after Yarde before we left the Tarka Trail for the next section, through Petrastoke. Plenty of undulations, some steep, were followed by a massive downhill into the very pretty Sheepwash. We filled our bottles at the pub, since it was really hot now. Lots more climbing to a high point called High Hampton. At another pretty village called Hathleigh, a red climb which ended with a road closure! We were able to just squeeze through walking, then I couldn't get back on, so walked a few yards.
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| Here we go. Over the top. |
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| Looking a tad too hot! |
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| Sheepwash |
Many more ups and downs on our route to Oakhampton. It was 2.45 now and we were getting desperate to eat. A bad choice to go to Weatherspoons! Enough said.
Another red climb out of Oakhampton! I made it much to John's surprise. A sharp right at the elevated station, but then we missed a turn to join The Granite trail, and did a further steep section to climb OVER the trail! Then turned back realising our mistake. 😖
A few miles of green corridors with little chance of seeing the views beyond which was very frustrating., then the landscape opened up.
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Crossing Meldon Viaduct.
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Over the Meldon Viaduct and a bit further the views opened up as we crossed the huge deep gorge at Lake Viaduct. Very little wind so at last a chance to fly my drone, it was a stunning view, so pleased that I plucked up the courage to have a go.
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| I am the tiny dot in the middle on Lake Viaduct. |
Just 4 miles all Downhill into Lydford where J&M had delivered our luggage to The Castle Inn. We stayed in a room at The Cottage across the road. 4.45 arrival!
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Ground floor room tonight and tomorrow at
Castle Inn, Lydford (across the road)
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this photo on the wall, shows our accommodating as a barn in 1907.
Dinner tonight for the 4 of us at the pub, catching up on today's adventures. Jeanette and Martin staying at the camp site 10 mins walk from the pub, with great views.
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| The old Castle next to the pub. |
FRIDAY 17th July Lydford to Plymouth 28 miles
Another sunny day. A bit of drone flying pre breakfast at the old Castle, revealed the misty recession in the landscape beyond.
A 9am start down a huge 15% hill into Lydford Gorge....... And out again! The first of a quite a number of tough climbs ahead, dropping down to cross several bridges over rivers. It's Devon!
A turn into a pretty village with a church, called Brenton, with another tough climb out on Station Road, where we stopped at some wild ponies. Great open views followed looking to a Tor. Drone tracking us but unfortunately too sunny to see exact what it was seeing..... it chopped off the big view.
Across the A386 dropping down fast through Mary Tavy. A ridiculous rocky track followed to cross the Tavy river. We actually walked back convinced we had gone wrong. Too difficult on our bikes! But a chance to see the river which was beautiful. Uphill of course from the river which we walked thanks to the rocky surface, finally getting back on to ride along a skinny path with lots of foliage.
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| Nr Clearbrook |
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| Some ponies on our right as we drop down into Clearbrook to lunch |
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| Loved this downhill with the open views. |
Lunch in shade in the pub garden, with the assurance from locals that it's all downhill now to Plymouth... but warnings of another long dark tunnel to come which is curved, so no light at the end for a while. (the local man told us he used to ride through it before they put any lights in, and said it was so dark he might as well have closed his eyes!) It was dark. John had stumbled earlier today in another very dark tunnel, so we took it really slowly. I do not enjoy riding in the dark!
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| Cool shade as we approach Plymouth |
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As we approached Plymouth, some beautiful tall trees in a woodland owned by NT, called Plybridge.
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A bit of an anticlimax as finally we arrived alongside the Estuary in Plymouth, with the tide out. A bit of a mess.
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| final piece to camera to close the film |
We had planned not to ride to the end point of the official route, so that it would be easier for our support team to park up and collect us. Our destination on the map had looked like a beautiful green park. In reality the car park for the tip!😂
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Here they come just 15 mins after we finished cycling.
What a fantastic support team |
We all drove back to Lydford for a final night, before setting off home Saturday morning.
93 miles in 3 leisurely day. Our average speed about 9mph.
A huge thanks to Martin and Jeanette for looking after us so well. They say that they also had a lovely time spending their days discovering some lovely walks or simply relaxing, and a couple of great camp sites too.
