Promised sunshine and clouds by the BBC ..... so it rained for most of my ride. Never mind, ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. Can't recommend the Tarka Trail in North Devon highly enough. Other than the Lake Annecy greenway, this has to be by far the best off-road trail for road bikes that I have ever ridden. A superb example of what can be done with old railway lines to keep cyclists away from busy roads.
I joined the trail somewhere to the South of Great Torrington at a small car park at Watergate Bridge near Langtree and it was tarmac all the way past Bideford, Barnstaple and Instow as far as Braunton. Much of it was supremely smooth Formula 1 quality brand new tarmac and the gradients were negligible. I'm not sure whether recumbents or tandems would find it so easy getting through the occasional barriers, but it is perfect for standard road bikes. Woods, tunnels, bridges across the winding River Torridge, estuary views, cafes and all completely stress-free. I threw in a small on-road by-pass of Braunton at the end of the trail by taking a minor road detour through the marshes, followed by a short climb of a busy A road up along the headland towards Croyde. The traffic was unpleasant, but the views down to the surfers off Saunton Sands were well worth it. I stopped there for a swig and a bite to eat before heading back towards Langtree, doing a straight re-trace.
There was a steady Scotch mist or drizzle for most of the ride, but it only got heavier for a few minutes while I was waiting to be served at a riverside cafe at Fremington. They were very good and found me a table inside to finish off my bacon and egg bap. The food of champions. By the time I made it back to my car I'd done 52.6 miles, which was something of a long-awaited milestone for me. My 100th ride of 50 miles or more. I won't be deliberately setting out to cover such distances in future, so I might have saved the easiest one for last.
A few photos (Honestly, it is difficult to time this ride, as you'll want to stop every hundred yards or so. I had a job selecting the pictures for this post):
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