Plymouth - Exeter Route Advice

adey8ball

hi all

i am looking at planning a ride up to around exeter. just wondering if anyone here could advise on good routes to be looking at. i understand that there are at least 2 main routes, up to princetown and over the moors or along and by the A38.

if anyone has done the route i would be grateful of the advice.

thanks

adey

mike101

As you say there are two main options

Dartmoor - Yelverton, Princetown, Moreton, Exeter
Great route over the moors, nice climbs and a great descent from the Warren House to Moreton

A38 - Ivybridge, South Brent, Buckfastleigh, Ashburton, Bovey, Teign Valley, Longdown
Much flatter but still some nice riding

HTH

Pross

Or Modbury, Totnes, Newton Abbot and then a choice of routes from there to Exeter?

jrduquemin

Personally, I'd go via Dartmoor as the riding up there is really good. You get the advantage of the descent on the way down into Exeter as well :-)

briantrumpet

jrduquemin wrote:

Personally, I'd go via Dartmoor as the riding up there is really good. You get the advantage of the descent on the way down into Exeter as well :-)

... as well as the climbs at Two Bridges, Postbridge, Bovey Castle, Moretonhampstead, Dunsford, and Longdown.

It is a truly great route, but allow yourself plenty of time to enjoy the scenery (and catch your breath). If you can average more than 15mph you're doing well.

wellbeloved747

I rarely do the full route mostly ivybridge to plymouth but when i do the full route i follow the A38 because its near impossible to get lost and it one of the most direct routes.

Philly8mt

I had family in Ivybridge, lovely part of the world. Had many a happy time in Devon .. Pity it was before I discovered cycling!
Having said that, I've got a week booked in a holiday cottage at Bigbury during August ... May just have to try and squeeze the bike in the car

noisemonkey

I'm looking to cycle the opposite way and was wondering if you can actually cycle along the A38? Can't find any info about that, I was thinking of going the coastal route from Exeter to Newton Abbot then A38 from near there.

briantrumpet

noisemonkey wrote:

I'm looking to cycle the opposite way and was wondering if you can actually cycle along the A38? Can't find any info about that, I was thinking of going the coastal route from Exeter to Newton Abbot then A38 from near there.

Legally yes, but only do it if you'd be comfortable riding on a motorway. Not my idea of fun.

You can actually get pretty close to it but stay on B roads - give me a few minutes and I'll try to plot a Ridewithgps course ... though I'll be a bit sketchier at the Plymouth end.

noisemonkey

cheers yeah I thought that might be the case, I did find this : http://www.cycle-route.com/routes/Plymo ... -5208.html would be interested to see how your routes compare as I want to avoid Haldon Hill

briantrumpet

noisemonkey wrote:

cheers yeah I thought that might be the case, I did find this : http://www.cycle-route.com/routes/Plymo ... -5208.html would be interested to see how your routes compare as I want to avoid Haldon Hill

You're better off going over Longdown and down the lovely Teign Valley. Yes, there's a climb up to Longdown, but it's not nearly as bad as Haldon, and you get a nice steady descent too: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2537908

EDIT - I see they do the same. Of course, if the weather is nice, Dartmoor is the shorter and far more spectacular route, though there will be a hill or two...

noisemonkey

briantrumpet wrote:

noisemonkey wrote:

cheers yeah I thought that might be the case, I did find this : http://www.cycle-route.com/routes/Plymo ... -5208.html would be interested to see how your routes compare as I want to avoid Haldon Hill

You're better off going over Longdown and down the lovely Teign Valley. Yes, there's a climb up to Longdown, but it's not nearly as bad as Haldon, and you get a nice steady descent too: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/2537908

EDIT - I see they do the same. Of course, if the weather is nice, Dartmoor is the shorter and far more spectacular route, though there will be a hill or two...

cool, cheers. Going to get up early and give Dartmoor a try next saturday.

mike101

If you do follow the ride with GPS route posted, you'd be best to follow the Cycle Path on the A38 from Bickington to Ashburton rather than going through the lanes.

If the weather is decent the route over the moor is great. Be prepared though, Longdown, Doccombe and then the climb from Moreton to the Warren House is fair amount of climbing in around 20 miles.

LittlePlums

If you want to avoid Haldon then head down the Exe Cycle Trail to Dawlish Warren, Dawlish, Teignmouth, then Newton Abbot. From there you can head up on to the moor at Haytor, or stick to the lower ground.

noisemonkey

LittlePlums wrote:

If you want to avoid Haldon then head down the Exe Cycle Trail to Dawlish Warren, Dawlish, Teignmouth, then Newton Abbot. From there you can head up on to the moor at Haytor, or stick to the lower ground.

nice one, will give it a go

plymouthsteve

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/157056485

It's the wrong way around, but the route is the right one having done it both ways quite alot.

Enjoy.

noisemonkey

plymouthsteve wrote:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/157056485

It's the wrong way around, but the route is the right one having done it both ways quite alot.

Enjoy.

awesome cheers, where did you get up to 50mph ? :shock:

Bhoy1888

I'm looking at doing Ply-Exe in August when I get back down there. I've noticed the path running alongside the A38 often but never thought much about it until recently. I like the thought of going via the moors though.

Is it a relatively smooth route via the A38?

briantrumpet

Bhoy1888 wrote:

I like the thought of going via the moors though.

It's got to be one of the classic rides in this country. I came back from an awesome week in the Alps last Summer, and the following week went across the moor, and reckoned, in its own way, it stood the comparison for beauty. Though whether your legs will appreciate it quite as much is an entirely different question.

gaddster

briantrumpet wrote:

Bhoy1888 wrote:

I like the thought of going via the moors though.

It's got to be one of the classic rides in this country. I came back from an awesome week in the Alps last Summer, and the following week went across the moor, and reckoned, in its own way, it stood the comparison for beauty. Though whether your legs will appreciate it quite as much is an entirely different question.

Echo that ^^

Just watch out for the suicidal livestock and horses/foals, there's a lot of them at the moment!

Pross

Bhoy1888 wrote:

I'm looking at doing Ply-Exe in August when I get back down there. I've noticed the path running alongside the A38 often but never thought much about it until recently. I like the thought of going via the moors though.

Is it a relatively smooth route via the A38?

The alternative routes must all be surely nicer rides? I've seen a few people riding on the A38 itself rather than the path and whilst I'm happy riding on some dual carriageways I wouldn't go near that stretch (in fact on Streetview when just checking it there is a cyclist by the Ivybridge (eastbound) junction). The path is obviously much safer but can't be that pleasant with all the traffic noise. I've never paid it much attention but it appears very narrow and intermittent.

fizz

Bhoy1888 wrote:

Is it a relatively smooth route via the A38?

Its reasonably smooth, there is a cycle path alongside of it ,but having done it a few weeks ago on a charity cycle ride.

SImply put, I'd not go anywhere near the A38 again if I had a choice. I'm an experienced rider. We had a support van as well that was stickered up with and had orange beacons on it.

To be frank, its f*cking scarey and not an experience I would willingly repeat again. Avoid would be my advice. Unless you like riding along in the gutter on what is effectively a 2 lane motorway.

Bhoy1888

My last sentence should have had A38 path in it. No chance would I fancy pootling along that road. As you said it's basically a motorway.

My intention was to go over the moors, I noticed on my last drive back a few people using the path and it came to me that I had never really noticed the path all (most of) the way.

Moors it is. Should be good in August.

plymouthsteve

noisemonkey wrote:

plymouthsteve wrote:

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/157056485

It's the wrong way around, but the route is the right one having done it both ways quite alot.

Enjoy.

awesome cheers, where did you get up to 50mph ? :shock:

mmm, down the long steep lane narrow lane at the back of Haldon Hill towards Chudleigh. To be honest, I didn't look at the speed at the time but knew it was fast; but I almost s..t myself when I got home and downloaded the ride. It was a bit gravelly, is under trees and goodness knows what would happen hitting a fallen branch .. even a small one, and the next time I went down there (slower) a deer jumped out about 20 yard ahead of me. I'm not mad .. It wasn't wet!