As the date of the Devon C2C ride approached the weather was warm but with frequent heavy showers but the forecast was for high pressure to take over with hot and sunny weather forecast – so it turned out. There were four riders for this trip – Mick, David, Brian and me with Sarah accompanying us by car and conveniently providing a luggage transfer service.
On Tuesday 24th May, David picked Brian and I up with our bikes at 9:00 and drove us down to Plymouth where we parked the car up for the three days in the station multi-storey car park. Mick was driving down directly to Barnstaple with Sarah where we would meet up. The tickets had been pre-booked and the bike spaces reserved for the 12:56 train to Exeter. We had enough time to grab a coffee and something to eat before boarding the train. There was a about a 30 minute wait at Exeter for the Barnstaple train – time enough for another coffee. As we boarded the train with another cyclist the guard told us that in future we should remember that only two bikes were allowed - but no problem as there was plenty space for the bikes and the train was not too busy.
David was staying in the Premier Inn whilst the rest of stayed at The Poplars B&B – both just directly off the main cycle route. In the evening, we walked into town and met up at the Wetherspoons. The consensus was for an Indian meal around the corner but we could not get a table, so after a short check on the other likely candidates we settled for the steak night at the Wetherspoons.
In the morning after breakfast we met up at The Poplars, loaded the luggage into the car leaving Sarah to enjoy a more leisurely breakfast. There was light cloud but it was pleasantly warm as we headed off along the Tarka Trail. This is a wide tarmac surfaced path for the first 22 miles to Petrockstowe. Mick’s Garmin was playing up so we stopped on the trail before Instow to reset it although this did not help. 
Tarka Trail beside the River TorridgeCarrying on through Instow with Appledore on the other side of the river the Marines were testing a hovercraft on the river. When we got to Bideford we crossed the river and rode up the hill to the Pannier Market for a look around. Whilst we were there Mick discovered that his microSD card had popped out of the Garmin, which once inserted again worked fine. By the time we got to Torrington the sun was out and it was becoming hot. We stopped at the Puffing Billy café on the trail there for coffee and cake.
Puffing Billy Cafe
The trail had been level up to this point following the river, but it now started to climb gently but steadily for the next 8 miles to the summit of the old rail line where the NCN diverts off the trail onto back roads. Continuing on the Tarka Trail the surface is now a smooth gravel path that runs through the woods of the Meeth Quarry Nature Reserve before ending at the main road. We rode down the A386 to the bridge over the River Torridge then climbed up the other side of the valley and turned off into Hatherleigh for lunch at the quirky Cornucopia Café in this small town. After a while Sarah joined us having spent the morning sightseeing in Barnstaple. After re-applying sunscreen we headed up the long hill above Hatherleigh in our granny gears before the long descent on the quiet country roads. Just before Okehampton there is a 16% downhill section where we had no trouble getting up to 40mph before jamming on the brakes for the bends – aren’t hydraulic brakes wonderful.
From there we followed the roads into the town where we met Sarah again. This time David, Mick and Sarah were staying at the White Hart, the Wetherspoons hotel that Mick and I stayed at on the previous trip, whilst Brian and I headed up to the Meadowlea B&B that we were staying in. After a quick shower and change of clothes we piled into Sarah’s car for a trip to the NT Finch Foundry in nearby Sticklepath. When we got back we sat in the garden of the Wetherspoons hotel enjoying a drink or two and our evening meal there.
Finch Foundry
As our B&B was on the trail, in the morning Mick and David cycled up to us. It was already hot and sunny, so the sunscreen was liberally applied before continuing upwards. Up is the operative word as we were about a third of the way up a steady climb up to the old railway station to join the Granite Way. This is the former rail line running about 9 miles from Okehampton to Lydford along the edge of Dartmoor with extensive views westwards. The trail passes over a rail bridge high over the West Okemont River below where we stopped for the obligatory photo. 
Meldon ViaductJust past this we turned off the trail to visit the Meldon Dam where they were carrying out the annual deformation survey. One of the engineers took a group photo for us with the rail viaduct in the background.
Meldon Dam
Back on the Granite Way the trail has spectacular views of Dartmoor and surrounds until the trail runs out at Lydford. As we passed through the village a group of schoolchildren clapped as we sped past [it was slightly downhill]. The road runs down to the river at Lydford gorge before climbing steeply up the other side for a couple of miles. We left the NCN27 here rather than going down and up the steep valley at North Brentor and avoiding the rough section of bridleway at Mary Tavy. Ours was an easier route, all onroad following the NCN327, although we did have to climb to the top of the hill at Brent Tor before a steady downhill towards Tavistock. The route follows a former rail line for part of the way above Tavistock before reaching the town where we met up with Sarah again. It was a bit early for lunch so we had a cream tea in a café in the old Pannier Market.
Cream tea in Tavistock
The route wends its way through Tavistock on cycle paths to join Drake’s Trail on the town outskirts. This is another former rail line and the route climbs steadily, passing through a long [and wet] tunnel at Grenofen before crossing the River Walkham on a new bridge high above the valley floor. From Horrabridge the trail is then a path through the woods up to the former RAF airfield at Yelverton – the last section of which is quite steep. We arrived at the Dartmoor bakery in Yelverton at the same time as Sarah where we enjoyed a sandwich in the café.
After the lunch stop the route runs through the woods along the top of the hill beside the Devonport Leat overlooking Dartmoor again then crosses the moor before a fast downhill to rejoin Drake’s Trail on the former Plym Valley rail line. This runs downhill for 6 miles on a wide tarmac surfaced path passing through dark tunnels on the way down the scenic Plym Valley. The route finishes at the Marsh Mills viaduct carrying the Devon Expressway above where we crossed to the east bank of the Plym and took the gravel path through the Saltram estate into Plymouth proper. We followed the cycle route, mainly on cycle paths through the riverside industrial area and the SW Coast path around Cattedown, past the National Marine Aquarium to the bridge across the entrance to Sutton Harbour. To our surprise, this was closed, so we had to cycle all round the harbour through the Barbican to the far side of the bridge to pick up Madeira Road to meet Sarah beside Smeaton’s Tower on The Hoe. After the obligatory photo, Brian, David and I cycled through the town centre back to the station car park to load up the bikes where we met Mick and Sarah with our bags before the long drive home.
Plymouth Hoe at the end of the ride