EXPLORE DEVON

There are few places in Devon that I have not been to with my bike. The guide books for Lejog will tell you that Devon and Cornwall are the toughest for hills. I have cycled Lejog and found my way through Cornwall avoiding many of the hills but not in Devon. Devon's hills are not long. It's just that there are lots of them and many are steep. They just go up and down. There are some lovely family friendly traffic free routes too and Devon Coast to Coast is a longer distance route where the hills are more modest. I try to avoid cycling main roads. The joy in Devon is to explore country lanes, devoid of traffic from coastline to coastline, Dartmoor, South Hams, Mid, West and North Devon. 

Mini-adventures with a mountain bike can be found on Dartmoor such as the Drover's Trail from Hexworthy and the Puffing Billy from Ivybridge as below

The coasts are busy in high season but quiet lanes and traffic free paths can be found. The view over Woolacombe Bay on Devon's Coast to Coast route is iconic.  The tiny coastal route from Ilfracombe to Minehead must be one of the most compelling and challenging. Below is Slapton Lea in the south

Inland Devon between Exmoor and Dartmoor is tranquil and cycling feels almost as if it is from a byegone era. There are beautiful villages, thatched roofs and rural pubs with proper food. Below is Iddesleigh, home to War Horse country

My leg is on the road to recovery. On my electric bike, I managed 55 miles with 1,300m ascent to Moretonhampstead and back last week. It needed less than a full charge of the battery but I took my charger just in case. Now that the worst of the pandemic is over, I hope to reacquaint myself with many parts of Devon that I have not seen for a while. Keep pedalling

FORWARD INTO 2022

 Have you ever hit the wall on any of your bike rides?  2021 was not a good year as I hit the wall twice.  I hope I have overcome them and am looking forward to a rejuvenated self in 2022.

I have a Corratec gravel e-bike with Fazua motor and Bosch battery.  It has now done about 200 miles and it suits me well.  Unfortunately, an injury last November is taking a long time to heal.  When I feel that I am making progress, it bights me in the back and I had a recurrence yesterday.  I sometimes think back to tours and have many pleasant memories.  Today, it is wet and very windy and not ideal for a bike ride.  When I woke up, I thought of four consecutive days on tour cycling in south west Ireland in 2018 when the weather was like today.  I was at Goleen on the Mizen peninsula and have been there before.  It’s a beautiful location with excellent cycling.  I stayed two nights and the first day I did a loop ride around the peninsula.  The second day, I cycled to Sheep's Head, then Beara peninsulas. Sheep's Head I did over one day but I had to take a short cut on Beara as the gale was ferocious.  On the fourth, I cycled to Kenmare.  It was wet and blowing a gale for the whole journey but it gave a sense of achievement.  On route, I stopped in various bars for refreshments and several times got involved in conversations.  People probably thought of me as a crazy Englishman. 

Here are two photos, the first  in better weather from a previous ride

Beara in better weather

The Road to Sheep's Head in a Gale

Here's to 2022 whatever it may hold