At 95 miles and with more than 8,000ft of climbing, the Dartmoor Way is one of England's more challenging cycle routes. It has its own website and goes close to my home but I have never cycled the whole route. Last week I decided to change that and cycled it over two days with a stopover at Chagford.
I discovered it to be a great micro adventure crossing every river valley on Dartmoor with roller coaster rides down most, only to climb up again on the other sides. There were lots of hidden hamlets and some pubs I never knew existed. Forests, wild flower meadows and open moorland were all experienced. There were occasional flat sections too like the Granite Way. Here is my route
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| Day 1 Ivybridge via Bovey Tracey to Chagford |
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| Day 2 Chagford via Tavistock to Ivybridge |
Creating an atmosphere, I want to start by showing my first coffee break at Buckfastleigh.
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| One Seed Coffee Shop where they claim the inside is cool |
I found Chagford to be a good overnight stop as it had several B+B's, cafes, pubs and food. I discovered a pleasant evening walk to the nearby River Teign which was signed the Two Moors Way, a 117 mile long distance path through Ivybridge on Dartmoor to Lynmouth on Exmoor
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| Chagford Square |
The toughest section pedalling anti-clockwise is from Cornwood to Okehampton while the steepest hills are the climbs between Bovey Tracey and Moretonhampstead. The Granite Way connects Okehampton to Lydford. These are a few of my images on route
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| Glaze Brook, Owley |
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| Belstone |
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| Summer route across Mary Tavy Moor |
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Bridge over River Tavy
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The best bike is a cross country tourer with good brakes. I underestimated mine and had to replace the front ones on route. This is the link for the
Dartmoor Way and the Two Moors Way can be found
here
