Thinking of having a gentle overnoot pootle across dartmoor one midsummer weekend, leave at 6 ish, ride for a bit to get to a remopte ish spot, put up tent have beer n bacon watching sunset, then early start and try and get to plymouth or maybe ashburton or tavistock, dunno mind is open.
So starting at oke or belstone (well south zeal then up to belstone) does anyone know any good routes and good mid moor, miles from anywhere, camping spots.
Bearing in mind I am fat, so don't want to do 70 miles a day...
Belever Woods would make a good camping spot down by the river, then next day make your way over towards Princetown/Burrator then on to Plymouth.
I've walked the north/south a few times but would struggle to recommend any bivvy spots...its dartmoor...wherever you decide to stop-over its all beautiful.
I've bivvyed in Belever and thats a good suggestion, any copse is good.. lucky tor down on the dart river is a beautiful spot and my favourite bivvy site of all time, but its out of the way if you are on the bike (would involve a really steep descent into it from the farm though).
loads of places around bennets cross and the halfway house isn't far if you fancied a beer.
wistmans wood is another good spot past postbridge (not to far from belever)
too many places to mention..
I'd love to have a go at that on the bike..I've got some free time over the summer too so may plan a route..if i do i'll fire it over to you.
nice one cheers.
I've ridden it the other way, started at the Hoe, up the Plym Valley trail to Tavistock, Bellever then across the range to the camp and down into Okehampton by lunch time. The rain tipped down I don't think I've ever been so wet on a bike, the streams where raging torrents, the stepping stones at Bellever where a foot under water.
I went on past Hatherleigh and joined the Tarka Trail at Meeth and got to my parents house in Braunton in time for tea 🙂
This may be worth a look for some idea's on the route, it's what I based the first part of my ride on.
[url= http://www.mbruk.co.uk/mbruk_WestcountryWay_details.htm ]http://www.mbruk.co.uk/mbruk_WestcountryWay_details.htm[/url]
Bellever then across the range to the camp and down into Okehampton by lunch time
This is the bit of the route that I need a few pointers on, never done it before.
It was quite a few years ago (before GPS) and I basically took a compass bearing for Okehampton and pushed and carried the bike a lot of the way acroos the open moor.
pushed and carried the bike a lot of the way acroos the open moor.
This is the bit I wanted to avoid...
There's a bridleway running SE from Mary Tavy towards Bellever via Wistmans Wood which you could link up with from the W Devon way. No idea how rideable it is though.
Another option might be to use the route over the moor from Fernworthy / Teignhead Farm to Postbridge. I've walked part of that route and would reckon it's doable after a dry spell (you'd need a hovercraft at the moment!)
I'd agree Bellever would be a good bivy spot - also the old mine ruins just below Bennetts Cross or around Soussons Down.