30km East Dartmoor Ride Route (with map)
Dartmoor is a place of striking granite tors, pockets of temperate rainforest, wide open moorland and secluded river valleys. There are endless cycle routes to explore thanks to the lanes, byways, bridle paths and open moor that you can explore with reckless abandon.
Okay, sure, it comes with some hefty hills including those that seem to never end. But what goes up must come down. So, if you like freewheeling for miles at a time and only occasionally having to brake when a pony decides it wants to sedately cross the road, this is the place for you.
A Route of Landscapes Lost and Lauded
I'm loathed to say this 30 km (18 mile) route is for gravel bikes because, as my partner proves time and time again, you can take a road bike down an awful lot of off-road stuff. But suffice to say, about a fifth of this route is off-road on loose stony, gravelly, earthy ground (depending on the season).
Of course, you can alter the route a little to stick to pure tarmac, but where's the fun in that?
Start - Bovey Tracey town centre
One of Dartmoor's gateway towns, Bovey is an ideal place to begin a two-wheeled exploration of eastern Dartmoor (or even the west if you've got enough flapjacks). It has plenty of parking, plenty of cafés and is only about two pedal strokes to glorious countryside.
This ride heads up hill more or less immediately but I've sent it through gloriously quiet country lanes, rather than the classic Haytor Vale climb. If I'm going to being crawling up a hill, I'd prefer to not have an endless string of cars trying to get past me and these lanes are empty and host plenty of wonderful views.
You'll emerge onto the B3387 and head to Haytor, which erupts into view in a rather spectacular manner as you round a corner. The climbing hasn't stopped, but the views are exceptional. Pedal your way uphill with Haytor on your right, passing between Saddle Tor and Rippon Tor too. Now, the road flattens out and heads north.
Don't Miss the Split
Haytor and nearby Hound Tor are two of the most popular places in Dartmoor for two reasons: they both often have ice cream vans and they're both dramatic and easy to reach from car parks. As a result, the roads between them are quite busy with people taking every opportunity to zoom past cyclists. My advice is to indicate very clearly and look behind you to eyeball the driver, making sure they are acknowledging your movements. The only exception seems to be classic cars, which are more than happy to bumble along doing 20 mph.
I mention this because there's a sharp turn in this route:
It's a tough one because while you can see it coming if you know what to look for, it still surprises me every time. Also, it's one a fairly blind corner and has a nasty drop that adds to the confusion. If you see it too late and don't have time to check the traffic around you, there's a handy lay-by on the left hand side of the road pretty much opposite that can be pulled into in a split second. This is a good place to get your bearings but be careful pulling out from it as it's hard to see traffic from the left. There are also car parks just around the corner if you really overshoot.
This is the beginning, more or less, of a fantastic fast section with only a teeny ascent. The route is flatish here before descending to Easdon Tor. To stick to the road, follow the road around to Manaton Rocks and Manaton. To get a bit of off-road, take the bridleway around the eastern flank of Easdon Tor, zoom down and climb back up to Manaton on the road.
Now, pedal through Water, a pretty hamlet, and hang a left to reach a restricted byway.
Down into the Valley
I love a restricted byway; you never know what you're going to get. As it transpires, the first section of this one is pretty gnarly and you'll likely have to walk your bike down some of it. Large, loose stones and a steep decline make this mountain bike territory or potentially gravel bike if your skills are better than mine (not difficult, let's face it). Still, there's nothing like a nice bit of walking to break up a ride.
This wooded valley is stunning and something you can appreciate all the more if you're not doing a white-knuckled descent. The path splits in three; take the middle path down to the left, which is far more rideable than the previous section. The route turns largely earthy from here and is a joy to ride.
There's a gate at the bottom of the valley, on the left hand side which you'll be able to see a river past. Pause here to find Hisley Bridge, an old packhorse bridge that sits like a painting over the River Bovey.
Back on the byway, you start climbing again which may require some pushing of the bike, thanks to rubbly stones. It's not too far though until you reach the minor road at Holne Brake. After this, it's mostly downhill all the way to the finish at Cafe 3 Sixty, a renowned bike-friendly cafe in Bovey, close to where you started.