Panniers full
On the western edge of Dartmoor
The format for this year’s autumn cycle tour was decided early on: take the train to a departure point and ride back. This need not necessarily mean three different overnight stops. On one recent tour, Winchester provided the start point and nightly accommodation with a steady final day’s return ride to finish. This time, however, the committee opted for a four-day journey back to London, stopping afresh each night.
When choosing the departure point, two factors deserve careful consideration: daily ride distance and rail journey time, which eats into day one or adds an extra night away from home. Four days’ steady riding with luggage gives a radius of between 250 and 300 miles. We chose Plymouth, which is about 250 miles as the crow flies and a three hour train ride from Paddington.
It’s also nicely placed to the south west of Dartmoor, offering the tourist the choice of going through the South Hams or up the west side of the moor as the ride gets under way. With the South Hams known to be even more hellishly hilly than the Plym valley, west it was.
Equipped with his new Garmin Edge 800, DA joined me and Andy on the train at Exeter having ridden there two days previously in one 200 mile hit. He nevertheless looked in good shape and began by praising the Brooks B17 Titanium saddle on his new Enigma tourer. Andy and I, who had set off for Paddington at 07:35hrs, nodded sagely and put his mood down to youthful enthusiasm.
A former student at Plymouth University, DA guided us out of the grim city and onto the cycle path, part of the National Cycle Network, that runs up to Okehampton. Any hopes that it might be flat had been dashed by a look at the route profile the previous week, but we enjoyed a steady, easy climb for 10 miles before getting hungry.
When questioned, a lone local mtb rider advised us that there was a pub in Goodameavy five miles further on. Our attempts to find it resulted in a 400ft height gain in about half a mile and a great view over to Yelverton, where we eventually lunched.
Fuelled on cider, we got back on the cycle path to find it petering out into, first, grass sward and then a viciously steep stony off-road descent that quickly claimed DA’s rear inner tube.
The next 30 miles were spent in scenery familiar from early editions of the Dartmoor Classic and ended with a quick run into Okehampton along the old railway line. There, we realised that, with dusk falling and 18 miles to go to our pre-booked bed and breakfast stay, a main road bash was our only hope of getting to Crediton before darkness. Luckily, supper and a few pints of good ale at the Red Lion, Shobrooke awaited.
