Forum ride: Crediton to Dartmoor. Saturday, 18th February, 2023

[Ian H]

The Tedburn road is the old A30, perfectly fine for cyclists.

The Teign valley road is also good, as is your route to Cockwood (two good pubs there). You could return via the old Telegraph HIll road, past the racecourse and over Haldon.

 

[ColinJ]

You could return via the old Telegraph HIll road, past the racecourse and over Haldon.

For some reason, I hadn't even noticed that route through the forest! That looks very nice.

Let's have a think about which option to take? If the weather were good then I would be more inclined to climb back up again than if it started peeing it down.

I will definitely add Haldon to my list of solo routes.

I noticed the dip at the bridge at Harford looks like a flood risk?

There are obvious signs of flooding higher up, and at one point higher still, the road IS under water.

 

[newts]

Higher Road (round the back of Kirton) upto Barnstaple Cross is quiet & avoids the A377. Then Colebrook, Spreyton to Whiddon Down, good tarmac & scenic. Moretonhampstead, Bovey Tracey, Chudleigh & up to Haldon via Old Exeter Road. Down Mamhead Hill into Starcross. It's all pretty flat thereafter....
Long Covid means I can't do a long ride, but might be able to meet you at one of the hostelries along the estuary on your way back.

 

[ColinJ]

Higher Road (round the back of Kirton) upto Barnstaple Cross is quiet & avoids the A377. Then Colebrook...

I have ridden that way several times in the past couple of years.

Spreyton to Whiddon Down, good tarmac & scenic.

I haven't been that way though. I went... Binneford, Drewsteignton, Drogo Castle, Chagford. I came across a few too many ultra-steep, ultra-narrow lanes that way!

I have ridden two ways from Mortonhampstead. This is me cycling up from the end of NCN 28 to Pepperdon Down...

The second time I went along the opposite hilltop before dropping back down to the railway path to Bovey Tracey. I wasn't sure about that top road. I thought I would try via Sanduck and Lustleigh next time. Aaargh - I have just noticed that my OS maps are out of date - much more of that disused line has now been brought into use! I can use the path to get down to Lustleigh... D'oh!

Long Covid means I can't do a long ride...

I'm sorry to hear that. I hope that you recover ASAP. I know from my (non-Covid) experience of illness what that feels like. In fact, I am probably still limited to only about 75% of my natural potential, but at least that is enough to tackle fairly tough routes as long as I don't push too hard.

... but might be able to meet you at one of the hostelries along the estuary on your way back.

That would be good, but I have arranged meet-ups like that in the past and something has always gone wrong, causing delays en route! You would be taking the chance of a longish wait. Hopefully, that wouldn't happen, but best to bear it in mind.

 

[ColinJ]

In Feb most A and B roads will be fine.

I have been looking at Street View a lot today and I can see that, plus many of the A-roads were more like what I would think of as B-roads, and the B-roads smaller than that. A lot of the SV coverage in that area was done in the autumn and there were not that many cars about.

I did a few Devon A-/B-roads one summer and they were too busy for me, but it looks like a lot of it must have been tourist traffic.

Aaargh - I have just noticed that my OS maps are out of date - much more of that disused line has now been brought into use! I can use the path to get down to Lustleigh... D'oh!

I'm confused now because I can't find some bits of it on SV in 2021, unless changes were made in 2022. Well, it was only as an alternative to the road, and if the road is okay then it isn't really that important to me, except perhaps in holiday season.

 

[ColinJ]

Then Colebrook, Spreyton to Whiddon Down, good tarmac & scenic.

I just used SV to 'travel' along that section. Very nice!

I am finding it hard to spot exactly what roads are like in Devon without checking them on SV (or in person). Some of the roads (like those) are bigger and better than expected. Some are tiny, rutted, steep and scary. I know that the narrow yellow lines on OS maps tend to be a giveaway but some of the narrow marked ones are still pretty good.

The really big and busy roads are obvious, as they are in most parts of the country but some of the ones that I thought would be big and busy are not!

 

[Ian H]

The only Devon roads I'd always want to avoid are the A30, A38 West of Exeter, A361.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Dears
Here's pretty-much the route I did before:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41698636

Gonna take a look at some of the other routage suggestions too when I get a second (I mean back to work)

 

[Ian H]

Dears
Here's pretty-much the route I did before:

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41698636

Gonna take a look at some of the other routage suggestions too when I get a second (I mean back to work)

You seem to have included the odd hill as well as a good choice of refreshment stops.

 

[Ian H]

In general, if there's a blue NCN sign, avoid that route.

 

[Fab Foodie]

@Ian H would a ride down the Teign valley look something like this?
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41699049

@newts is this along the lines of what you had in mind?
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41698818

Am at least gaining some good ideas :-)

 

[Fab Foodie]

You seem to have included the odd hill as well as a good choice of refreshment stops.

I try not to do hills after a good refreshment stop, not good for the digestion....

 

[Ian H]

@Ian H would a ride down the Teign valley look something like this?
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41699049

Thassit. Gets a bit hilly north of Dunsford.

 

[newts]

@newts is this along the lines of what you had in mind?
https://ridewithgps.com/routes/41698818

Am at least gaining some good ideas :-)

That's it. Lovely descent from Whiddon Down to Bovey. Cafe 3 sixty is very good. However it's a bit of a grunt from Chudliegh up to Haldon

 

[Fab Foodie]

That's it. Lovely descent from Whiddon Down to Bovey. Cafe 3 sixty is very good. However it's a bit of a grunt from Chudliegh up to Haldon

Hoping a bottom gear of 28/34 might help....