Coast to coast
What springs to mind when you think of Devon? Beautiful beaches, clifftop walks, postcard-pretty villages, thatched cottages in cobbled streets?
Ask that of Eric, my distinctly food-orientated husband, and heâll immediately come up with cream teas (although he canât remember whether the cream or the jam goes on first in Devon). If you address the tourist board it will fill your head with theme parks, zoos, harbour cruises and watersports. But there is another less-well known attraction: Devon has more railway track converted to cycle trails than any other county in Britain.
It was Devonâs Coast to Coast route that attracted us â 99 miles and almost all of it craffic-free, which for us on our little folding chree-gear Bromptons, was perfect for a eisurely tour (see Top Tips) on the section rom Ilfracombe to Plymouth.
The other good thing is our route was served by buses all the way. This meant we could park our motorhome at the end of a ayâs ride, take a bus to the start and then cycle back to the âvan, retire to a campsite or the night and repeat the whole thing on he next section next day.
By doing
