Dartmoor and the Coast to Dawlish Cycle Ride - Day One
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 16 ก.ย. 2024
- A cycle ride starting at the north of Dartmoor in Devon and following Sustrans Cycle Route 27, The Granite Trail, south to Plymouth passing over Meldon Viaduct and through Grenofen Tunnel ending in Torquay.
I had two ideas some time ago, one to cycle the western side of Dartmoor and another to cycle Dawlish. I had to wait for Dartmoor as at the time as Okehampton station was closed. Dawlish on the other hand I realised would need to be an overnight stay to make it worth while and so both ideas remaining in my notebook waiting.
Since then Okehampton railway station, previously being a heritage line, had been opened as a regular national railway line. I finally came to the conclusion I could join the two cycle rides together for my first 2 day cycle adventure.
I quickly upgraded my cycle bag storage for overnight clothes, ordering a new bag for the next day, a Friday, with my trip planned for Monday. The weather forecast changed so I pushed it forward one day and I'm so glad I did.
The ride starting at the top of Dartmoor follows cycle route 27 which has many traffic free sections as well as country roads and rocky off road bits. I had a number of stop off points marked down and I was stunned from the beginning with the incredible Meldon Viaduct, the views of Dartmoor which were more towering and imposing than I ever imagined, two tunnels which were dripping wet and the winding trail all the way to Plymouth.
It was a challenging ride, the first third being quite an accessible easy-going trail but soon hitting road climbs, especially where the route cuts over the southern edge of Dartmoor and further on the section after Tavistock.
My day ends in Torquay after just over 42 miles of cycling and what a beautiful end it was.
In the next video will be Day Two that cycles the coast to Dawlish. I've been fascinated by Dawlish for a long time with its train line along the seafront, trains getting soaked by sea waves during storm times and the train winding in and out of tunnels along beaches.
I hope you enjoy day one.
Cracking video thanks! Amused to see my tractor (with puncture) at Brentor 13:52 and me loading the greyhound into the car further up the road!! For anyone planning to use Route 27, you can bypass the (in my view dangerous) road climb to Brentor by taking a left before the narrow bridge past Lydford at 12:22 and using the "Summer Route" down the valley and then emerging at the cattle grid by Brentor Station 14:31 - it's a bit bumpy in places but views of the tors can't be seen and appreciated from the village, and it's safer!
Thanks, Paul. I remember seeing you and I normally say hello to local people but you looked busy ☺️ wish I’d stopped to film your tractor now. I remember passing it and how nice it looked. Thanks for the route suggestion. I’ll pin your comment to the top if you don’t mind. It might be helpful for anyone doing the trail, especially if I decide to go again. The Dartmoor to Dawlish trip is still my favourite so far.
Glad it showed what a beautiful area we live in, good job! Okehampton here, and we did see you pass and say hello to someone we know on the Graite way.
So nice to hear from people in the area and to have unknowingly said hello to ☺️ it’s the first time I’d been there and still remains my favourite ride I’ve done to date. It was a special time. 🚴🏻♀️
Fantastic video and well worth the wait, love the fact that you record your own music to accompany the days riding, can’t wait to see what day 2 brings us.
Thanks so much. Hope to get started on day two soon. I think I’m more exhausted from creating than the ride 🤭🚴🏻♀️
I’m really enjoying your videos and your music , very watchable !
I’m down in Cornwall and I’ve put a bunch of your routes on my wish list .
Thank you and keep them coming !
Thanks very much! Funny enough I was looking at Cornwall on the maps when I came home and thought it might be nice do a ride there one day. I used to go to Polperro when I was little. That would make a nice place if it’s accessible by bike. Good luck with your future ride!
I love the Tavistock to Plymouth cycle path,great video with lovely music and i thoroughly enjoyed.
Aw thanks so much. It’s such a nice area and 11 months on and those two days are still very special to me.
Glad i just found this, my area of residence. As you enjoyed that the Meeth to Ilfracombe rail line one is very enjoyable. You can start from Barnstaple and go each direction to cover both sections and return to Barnie.
Thanks so much! I’ll pop that in my note book of future possible trails. It would be nice to complete to the northern coast.
@MadisonTen After watching last night I had to do it, so today did Plymouth to Oke the harder uphill way on a Brompton in 28c. Currently quick pub stop at Lydford. 🔥 hot.
@@lsimmons4767 OMG! Well done! Not just the hot weather and uphill but on the Brompton! 🫣☀️🚴🏻♀️ seriously that’s amazing work. Hope you enjoyed it. Just amazing different landscapes and never ending viaducts.
Just discovered your posts wonderful and really enjoyed these trails on this particular tour, i will be watching more thanks for sharing 👌 👋
Thanks very much. That particular two day is my favourite trail so far. 🚴♀️☺️
Well done!! I just discovered this video. I live in Plymouth and last year rode to Okehampton and back. It was 70 miles. I had originally planed to ride to Tavistock and back, but just kept going. It was a perfect day for cycling. Not too hot or windy. I'm hoping to ride the complete Coast to coast from Ilfracombe sometime.
Crikey! That’s some proper miles 😯 well done. It’s such a nice trail, so many different types of scenery. Hope you manage to do ilfracombe. You must let’s us know how you get on 🚴🏻♀️
Thanks for sharing this video. I did (mostly) the same ride last year - okehamton to Plymouth. Okehampton station is just great. There is a bike shop with a good cafe just around the other side. Seeming your vlog has made we want to do the ride again very soon.
Oh that’s good to know about the bike shop and cafe. I didn’t realise it was there. Well done. It’s a great challenging ride with so many types of scenery and trail types all in one trip. Good luck if (when) you do it again ☺️🚴🏻♀️
What a joy, thank you so much for sharing. The West Country, as good as it gets. You must have some serious gears on your bicycle, my old Sturmey Archer 3 Speed guarantees I always have to walk up hills. Love the photography and the cycling sounds. I am a new follower.
Thanks so much for subscribing and the lovely comments. Yes, gears really do help, I’ve been known to push as well ☺️
Nice video. Meldon Viaduct reminds me of the one that used to cross the valley in Crumlin - I wish it hadn't been demolished, as it'd have been a fantastic cycle path! Looking forward to Day Two 👍
Yes! Very much so. I remember seeing photos of Crumlin viaduct. We’ve lost many viaducts that would have been great walking and cycle trails. Thanks, much appreciated.
I'm old enough to have actually seen it before it was demolished!
Amazing. I’m not quite old enough for that. did you ever see walnut tree viaduct over Taffs Well before they demolished it?
Hmm... I can't recall seeing it, but I just had a look at it online, and it was very impressive. What a shame we've lost these things. My memory of Crumlin is largely from travelling underneath it on the Red & White buses when I being was dragged down to Newport to visit relatives 😒
I’m new subscriber great channel 🚵♂️👍🏼
Welcome, Paul! Thanks for the comments too.
@@MadisonTen your welcome madison
Looked like a great ride. 👍
To me your POV footage make you look to stretched out on the bike and your hands need to be further back towards the seat, if that is the case?
Look at Jones loop bars, they transformed my MTB that I use for bikepacking and longer rides and give loads of hand positions.
IMPRESSED That you did all your own music.🎸
It might be hard to tell from the footage as the camera lens is super wide angle which can make things look stretched out. I’ll have a look at those bars though, I’m always looking for anything that might improve the ride. Thank you so much!
@@MadisonTen Yes, camera angles can do funny things. It often looks like you just rest your fingers on grips, while pulling your palms back. Which suggests you are sub consciously looking for a shorter reach with less pressure on your hands.
I relate to this as used to do similar before shortening my reach. Tried a couple of different sets of bars before settling on the Jones, I can't recommend the matching Jones grips though, Ergons GP with the wings and some road bike bar tape on the loop is what works best for me and transformed my MTB for comfort. HTH
Ah yes, that’s me being me :) I do that sometimes just out of relaxation and enjoyment so the ride isn’t all white knuckles on the bars. That said next time I’m riding I’ll see how it feels, it might be worth checking to make sure incase I am over reaching. I need to look at my saddle as it’s quite firm. May be find a shop that does fitting sessions. Glad you got it sorted, nothing worse that the bike working against you.
Nice video. Adding this to the bucket list. I live in Torquay, but haven’t thought about cycling before. What bike do you have?
Thanks! I highly recommend the trail, still one of my favourites. If you’ve not cycled before or for a while, and depending on your fitness level it would be worth looking at doing it in sections rather than all at once as it’s quite a long ride. But worth doing. My bike is a Specialized Rockhopper Sport from 2019. Equipment tends to change a little each year they release a new one.
@@MadisonTen - most definitely cutting it up. Okehampton to Tavi is a hell of a jaunt.
Lovely video, what camera did you use to record your journey?
Thanks! For this film i used a GoPro Hero Session 4 for the cycling and a Samsung S8 mobile phone for all the other footage. The newer films (everything since January this year) I use a Go Pro Hero 12 for the cycling and an iPhone 15 for the other footage. I still use the GoPro 4 for some bits.
Cool vlog, just subscribed 😀 👍
Thanks, Lee! Really appreciated! 🚴🏻♀️
TH-cam's stunning recommendation algorithm brought me here 😊
Lovely ride - really appreciate the lack of speech - it's ASMR like
Quality cinematography - are you a pro ?
Thank you, that’s really kind. That’s kind of the style I’m going for. No, just a hobbyist learning as I go 🤭🚴🏻♀️
Very nice video, thank you. Could I make a suggestion for the kind of riding that you do? I find that long rides with wide Mtn bike handlebars can be very hard on the wrists. A lot of shops still carry what are usually called Trecking or Butterfly bars. They're a little narrower and give you lots of optional hand positions.
Thanks very much for the suggestion, Peter. Funny enough someone suggested those style bars a few months ago and someone recommended a bike fitting in the last week so may be once my finances have recovered from the new camera equipment I can sort it out in a fitting session. Cheers!
@@MadisonTen You're very welcome. Good luck with the bike fitting, it can make a huge difference especially on longer rides. You probably know by now if you need to change anything. Traditional wisdom has it that if you're on a long ride and not constantly thinking about your bottom, that means you have a saddle that works for you at least😊.
This is going to sound really dumb. I didn’t know you could take a full size bike on a train. As I’m really old, I remember we used to put our bikes in the guards van.
Not at all, there are still some older Intercity 125 trains running that have the guards van, my bike was in the guards van on the Strawberry line video and also on the way home from Dawlish on this trip. The more modern trains have those little cupboards which will take two full size bikes, I think most trains have space for up to 4 or may be 8 bikes? It’s a bit difficult with my bike as the 29” wheels won’t go on the hook though. Local trains tend to be slightly different, there will be a carriage where you put your bike along side the window in a space made for the bikes, in some ways this is easier. The way to figure out where to get on the train is look for the cycle sticker on the train carriage as it pulls in. Small trains will have one, longer trains will have two or more.
@@MadisonTen ahhhh I see, thanks for the reply and info.
Any time. Never a dumb question 🙋♀️
awesome. this weekend i'm going to start mt training from north to south wales, going to start with the taff trail from merthyr to cardiff. Your more than welcome to join me.
Well done you! Good luck, that sounds like a tough challenge but a great way to start. Thanks.
Agree with the other comments that this is another great video. And also liked the music track too. Have you got the North Dorset trail on your list (assuming you haven’t done it already)? Otherwise there seemed to be some good surfaces on the old railway tracks and luck that the infrastructure has been retained. In Glos there used to be a viaduct at Andoversford which got demolished years ago, but that could have been part of a great route between Cheltenham and Bourton on the Water.
Thanks! By North Dorset trail do you mean the Sturminster Newton to Spetisbury trail? If so, yes, it's on my list though haven't planned the logistics yet.
The old railway trails are some of my favourites as they can take you away from the traffic for many miles.
Yes that’s the one. And will be interesting to see how the rail connections work out. It looks like you could go on down to Poole on other roads.
That would be nice if I could like it up to Poole as I had an idea about Poole. Possibly one for next year. 🤔
Not sure where you started but there is a train runs from Cardiff to Taunton. Might be a bit easier ?
Thanks! I’ll remember that in case I go again. The main reason I did the journey I did was because it was the first train of the day so I had more ride and filming time once I got there. I think if I was going a few days it might work for me. Thanks, Stephen!
Hi Madison. Iam enjoying riding pillion with you hun. Holding on tight. But tell me hun, all the routes you take, are they from a book, or do you just go with the flow ? H&k. ❤
Thanks, Joe. Generally I just look for somewhere I fancy visiting and look on a map to see if there are cycle routes supporting the area. Sometimes I may have heard about a route like Bristol to Bath. Sometimes I cross check with the Sustrans website who create many of the cycle trails, though some ‘community trails’ normally done by a local council don’t appear on there.
Thanks for posting, am envious! One thing I did notice was that you often ride / steer the bike by just resting the underside of your fingers on the grips which is really sketchy from a control point of view, do you find you are having to overreach to grip the handlebars properly as this would suggest (to me) that the bike may be a little too big or your saddle is too far back.
Thanks for noticing. I tend to do that now and then when I want to sit upright and give my hands a rest. It’s not very often but I guess when I edit my ride down to the highlights it would appear more. I’m fine in the normal riding position. That all said,I wouldn’t mind brining my saddle forward a bit but it’s on the max so I might look at seat post options or may be a new saddle as it is quite firm. I need to look at what’s available I think. Cheers! 🚴♀️
@@MadisonTen Thanks. If your setup is right then you shouldn't really need to move your hands into a position to give them a rest - if you do feel they need a rest then then there is either too much weight on them or the bars are too far away - I did notice that your stem looks quite long and this will be a contributing factor. If your saddle is as far forward as it can go that would suggest you are on the limit as things stand. I know others have spotted this and made suggestions but I would reiterate any recommendations to get a bike fit.
Thanks. That’s really good information. I must admit I don’t know more than the basics of the ergonomics. I had a basic fit when I bought it but it was literally seat post. I might see if I can find somewhere local that could take a look and see what they can do. I really like the bike so wouldn’t want to swap it unless I really had to. Much appreciated!
You never see madison 10 🤔
Strange
Strange is my middle name. 🤪
So that's the secret to your great figure. Donuts with added fat and sugar. If only someone had told me before.
I can’t hide the truth so I’ll tell you now - it’s a bagel 😬
Your saddle is to low.
Hey thanks. Can you tell me why you think that? I only ask as if I raise the saddle any further my legs won’t reach the peddles without stretching and rocking to peddle and I’ve set up with the recommended method. Cheers.
Saddle looks fine
❤ nice video cool 🚵♂️ you got the same MTB bag that I’ve got on my MTB brilliant 🤩 👍🏼🚵♂️
Thanks, Paul! It's a great bag. Transformed my ability to take longer rides.
@@MadisonTen got my MTB bag from sports direct