Cycling Lydford to Bideford, UK: A Tale of Two Bike Trails

17-18 April 2019

Lydford to Bideford (17 April 2019, 66.5 km, 41.3 mi)

We awoke in the morning to a very soggy tent. It’s not that it had rained overnight - it had not. But on our totally exposed hilltop, the dew was thick and wet. We waited for the sun to come over the Dartmoor hills, and hoped it would help to dry out the tent. But even though some of the water did evaporate, it wasn’t enough. After a leisurely breakfast, we packed up the tent along with a generous layer of dew.

Our route today followed two iconic trails through the Devon countryside: the Granite Way and the Tarka Trail. The Granite Way, came first, carrying us along a gently sloped rail trail for 15 km between Lydford and the town of Okehampton. This section falls almost entirely within Dartmoor National Park. So it was intriguing that one of the most notable features of the trail was the number of gates we had to pass through. Some of the gates were simply part of the infrastructure for managing the open-range sheep herds. But many were there to delineate private boundaries. The gates were posted with signs that reminded trail users that passage through the property was a negotiated arrangement with the landowner, and to please be respectful when using the trail. This is very different from U.S. national parks which are all public land. The proliferation of gates slowed us down considerably, on what would otherwise have been a fairly fast trail.

One of the many private property gates along the Granite Way cycling route. A lot of the land within Dartmoor National Park is private, and public access is granted through agreements with the landowners. Sourton, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 … — One of the many private property gates along the Granite Way cycling route. A lot of the land within Dartmoor National Park is private, and public access is granted through agreements with the landowners. Sourton, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

Sheep continued to dominate the landscape as long as we were in Dartmoor National Park. But today we noticed something different. A few of the ewes were resting next to tiny baby lambs that just laid in the grass, heads down, not moving at all. It was a bit unnerving to see them so motionless as we rode by. We suppose they must have been newborns, still too young to get up on their feet.

The number of sheep is starting to go up, now that little lambs are joining the herds. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

In the town of Okehampton, we transitioned onto the Tarka Trail. It follows the path taken by Tarka the Otter, the fictional lead character in a 1927 novel that was set along the rivers of northwestern Devon. As we descended towards Bideford, we were back in forested land, with more dairy farms than sheep. And while the pheasants weren’t quite as thick as they were up in Dartmoor, they were still very numerous and easy to see in the pastures along the route. The Tarka Trail is another rail trail, so it’s easy to ride (with the exception of a vigorous climb out of Okehampton). We encountered lots of other cyclists - couples, families and groups of friends - out enjoying the fine weather on the trail.

We spotted these old milk containers in Sheepwash (gotta love the name), England. Even though there were still plenty of sheep, we passed more dairy farms as we descended towards Bideford. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

One of the prettiest churches we’ve seen in England was the Sheepwash Methodist Church, along the Tarka Trail. England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

The pheasants are still looking fine. How could the lady pheasants resist? Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

We’ve finally hit a stretch of great weather. People we talked to remarked that temperatures were above average, and some areas were hitting record highs. But we’re not really talking about hot weather. It was perfect for cycling: partly cloudy, with highs in the low 60s F (17 C). When we got back down to sea level, the afternoon was actually warm enough to have an ice cream. Ice cream is one of our favorite cycling treats, so it’s amazing how little we’ve consumed since starting our trip in Lisbon. It’s just been too cold.

It’s about time! It was finally warm enough to stop and have an ice cream at a small store along the trail. Great Torrington, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

In Bideford we stayed at the Royal Inn, which sits right next to the trail. The hotel has had a colorful history. It started out as a manor house for a 17th century tobacco merchant, but it has also served as a prison. And during WWII, this was one of the clandestine locations where allied generals would meet to plan the D-Day assault. These days it’s a pleasant hotel with a Victorian decor - lots of thick curtains, oak trim, and flowery patterns. One of the features we liked best was that the rooms were really large. That gave us space to relax, and also to spread out our still-wet tent to dry.

The Royal Inn, Bideford, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

When in England, eat like the English do. We had a delicious dinner of amazingly fresh fish and hand-cut chips. Bideford, England, UK. Copyright © 2018-2019 Pedals and Puffins.

Layover Day in Bideford (18 April, 2019)

We took a day off in Bideford to do laundry, catch up on some work-related tasks, and figure out where we are going to stay over Easter Weekend, which starts tomorrow. Many hotels and campgrounds are filling up. So we did something we rarely do, and tried to book our lodging ahead of time. We were only partially successful. As a result, we will have to wing it a couple of nights.