Forum menu
Dartmoor route advice please. I'll be in Barnstaple with a few days to spare, and thinking of doing the Devon coast to coast sustrans route to Plymouth. This skirts around the West of Dartmoor. Heading back I'd like to venture a bit more onto the Moor and off-road (with a bit of newly-legalised wild camping). Does anyone have any route suggestions Yelverton to Okehampton-ish? Ill be on a rigid bike fully loaded with 3" tyres so can tackle a bit more than pure gravel, but not full on gnar!
there's very little legal stuff around Okey - just a few sections of bridleway that skirt the edge of the moor. But from Yelverton there's a bunch of options to get up to Princetown - either one of the routes going close by Burrator resevoir, or the permitted tramway that goes also from Burrator, but winds up around Kingstor to get you up to Princetown with a nice relaxed gradient. From Princetown there's a few bridleways heading northwest that'll take you down to Peter/Mary Tavey, and one heading north and slightly east to Fernworthy, but north of that through the MOD land there's F all legal routes through. Annoying as there's lots of well surfaced access tracks in that area, just not allowed to use them. But from Mary Tavy, you can cross to the west side of the 386 and make up a route back to Okey along bridelways and byways through Lydford popping you back onto the 386 by the Bearslake Inn - bridleway behind the pub goes back up to the old railway line to take you back to Okey, or follow it along abit and take the bridleway back on to the moor that skirts around the bottom of Souton Tor and drops you down at Meldon quarry/resevoir.
*SouRton Tor
Don't know north of Princetown I'm afraid, but I'd probably ride from Plymouth, up the Plym Valley Cyclepath to Yelverton, head for Burrator Reservoir, go around the top of it and head out for the Scout Hut at Nattor, and then do the Scout Hut climb up to Princetown which brings you at at the Plume of Feathers pub, which has a camping field and facilities out the back for a bit more luxury overnight. For me, a touch more entertaining than the Kings Tor route on an MTB.
something like this?
*needed an excuse to try the plotting tools in os-maps. they arent great...
I'm sure in the local rag there was an article about it being re-opened soon, so hopefully that'll be happening as the camping provision (with access to beer and chips!) is great there.
@jam-bo thats perfect thanks! And CX-Monkey and Abingham with very similar ideas - cheers. Tagged onto the Sustrans route down and back makes 144 miles over 2 days. Just need the rain to stop now...