Sustrans cycle ride on Tarka Trail, lanes and villages between Torrington & Barnstaple, North Devon
Tarka Trail clockwise circular cycle ride from the Puffing Billy café and cycle hire shop at the former Great Torrington railway station, North Devon, along the Tarka Trail via Bideford, Instow, Fremington Quay and Barnstaple then over the top via lanes and villages (including the lovely Weare Gifford) back to the Tarka Trail and the Puffing Billy café. A bike ride of 33 miles and an elevation gain of 2,247 feet. You can find this cycle ride (without the Puffing Billy extension) in Sustrans’ North Devon Cycle Map, a pocket sized guide to the National Cycle Network – ride #2.
There are plenty of cafes on the Tarka Trail but I highly recommend the Puffing Billy café (the former Great Torrington railway station) for a wonderful HUGE pot of tea plus homemade cakes and / or Devon cream teas plus lunches, etc. It also has a license if you fancy a beer! Top Tip (from woeful experience…): Don’t munch your way through one of the Puffing Billy’s enormous Devon cream teas half-way through your cycle ride or you will suffer from indigestion when you get back on your bicycle!!!! You can hire bikes at the bicycle hire shop opposite. (We did this the other year; you can hire by the day or half-day.)
Be sure to check out my bike ride videos and the other (mainly Yorkshire) cycle ride segments - ideal for use at the gym on an indoor trainer, exercise bike, treadmill, cross trainer, etc! Most are in Yorkshire, but some are in Lancashire, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Derbyshire.
DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible for, and expressly disclaim all liability for, damages, injuries or losses of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance on any information contained within these videos. In other words, I accept no responsibility for things like accidents, etc that happen to anyone who decides to try out these rides for themselves. You do it at your own risk.
GoPro video Great Torrington Tarka Trail
1st video shot using our new GoPro hero session me and Laura cycling along the Great Torrington Tarka Trail.
Torrington Station by trailtrash.co.uk
Torrington is a civil war town in North Devon and a stop on the Tarka Trail Cycle Path. This video was shot for trailtrash.co.uk and will form part of the video tour of the trail.
Hiking Through Tunnel, Tarka Trail, Bideford To Torrington, North Devon, UK.
Went for a little hike with my son along the Tarka trail, and was on the stretch between Bideford and Torrington, and this is one of my favourite parts of the Tarka trail.. While out on our hike we went through this tunnel, and it's good that this tunnel now has some lights in it, as it was in complete darkness the last time i went through it...
A Lost Branch Line - Bideford to Meeth
A look at part of the former branch lines to Torrington. The former London South Western branch from Barnstaple to Torrington was closed to passengers in October 1965. The former Southern branch from Torrington to Halwill Junction was closed to passengers in March 1965,following the Beeching report of 1963,with the section from Meeth to Barnstaple being retained for goods until September 1982. Following track lifting Devon County Council purchased the track bed for use as a footpath/cycleway that became known as the Tarka Trail.
green laning near mine head
not a good day
Tarka Trail Guide
I created this video with the YouTube Video Editor (
Smytham Holiday Park
Looking for a beautiful park in North Devon, then Smytham Holiday park could be just for you. This family run holiday park is located in a countryside location along the A386 Okehampton Road. It's conveniently located between 3 national parks, Dartmoor, Exmoor and Bodmin and just 25 minutes to the coast.
Tarka Trail cycle path, North Devon, from nr Petrockstowe to Braunton, then Ilfracombe
I've just returned from a week's cycling in North Devon and Dartmoor! Join me cycling the Tarka Trail railway path in North Devon from just north of Petrockstowe (near Meeth, the southern end of the trail) to Great Torrington (including the Puffing Billy cafe at the old Great Torrington Railway Station), Bideford, Instow, Barnstaple and Braunton, and then onto Ilfracombe via the old Barnstaple & Ilfracombe railway, now a cycle path. The Tarka Trail forms the northern part of the superb Devon Coast to Coast (National Cycle Network Route 27).
The Tarka Trail is a traffic-free 32 mile cycle trail which runs from Braunton to Meeth in North Devon (and includes the former Barnstaple - Bideford railway line). Most of the cycle path is on tarmac but the first section is gravel. I have omitted the road section between Braunton and Mortehoe (where the Ilfracombe rail path starts) – you can see that on another video.
The cycle path isn’t entirely flat – there are gradients, the most notable being the Ilfracombe railway path on the return trip from Ilfracombe to (above) Mortehoe – this video only shows the downhill section to Ilfracombe, but the uphill return isn’t as bad as I thought it would be! (I easily did it in second gear.)
This video was filmed on 3 different days – hence the weather changes! You can see each individual section (including road sections) on other videos.
MAP: OS Landranger #180 (Barnstaple & Ilfracombe)
Be sure to check out my bike ride videos and the other (mainly Yorkshire) cycle ride segments - ideal for use at the gym on an indoor trainer, exercise bike, treadmill, cross trainer, etc! Most are in Yorkshire, but some are in Lancashire, Devon, Dorset, Somerset and Derbyshire.
DISCLAIMER: I am not responsible for, and expressly disclaims all liability for, damages, injuries or losses of any kind arising out of use, reference to, or reliance on any information contained within these videos. In other words, I accept no responsibility for things like accidents, etc that happen to anyone who decides to try out these rides for themselves. You do it at your own risk.
AM's at Regent Street Show
Regent Street car show
Tarka Trail Devon
Cycling the Tarka Trail
Visit North Devon by train
Take the train from Exeter to Barnstaple - a great base for exploring the Tarka Trail. You can hire bikes at the station, or if that's not your thing then take a stroll or hop on a bus to head out to the coast to beauty spots including Woolacombe and Ilfracombe.
Barnstaple itself is also well worth a look - including the town's famous Pannier Market.
Find out more and plan your trip:
Video part funded by the Designated Community Rail Development Fund. The Fund is backed by the Department for Transport and ACoRP, the Association of Community Rail Partnerships.
London 2012 Torch Relay Regent's Street
Regent's Street torchbearer poses whilst awaiting the flame... 26 July 2012
Triking The Tarka Trail
One of the country's finest trails, Devon's Tarka Trail is a former section of railway that runs between Barnstaple and Meeth via Bideford, along the Taw and Torridge rivers. The weather for April was about as good as it gets and the trail surface was excellent. We enjoyed every minute of this one.
As this is an ex-railway line, I've set this video to a couple of my favourite train songs...........................Enjoy!
Great Western 17/3 Exeter Rapper
Exeter University Folk Society Rapper team (Swordpig) perform at the Great Western Hotel while following the Tarka Line Rail Ale Trail, St. Patrick's Day 2012. This was the 10th pub of the day.
Fremington Quay 15 October 2011
Mum & Stef in the Cafe at Fremington Quay
Camel Trail cycle
6 mile cycle from Wadebridge to Padstow. Nat and Carrie are lagging behind whilst everybody waits for them to appear.
London's Best Venues: Barber-Surgeons' Hall
To find out more about this venue head to
Barber-Surgeon's Hall is an elegant and welcoming venue in the heart of the city offering bespoke event management, on site catering and total commitment to the success of your event.
cycling coast to coast in devon
We cycled from Ilfracombe harbour to Plymouth Hoe over 2 days. 35 miles on day one with a B7B in Great Torrington. Day two was 75 miles into Plymouth where we stayed overnight. Sunday morning we got the train back to Barnstaple and then cycled the remaining 20 miles or so back to Ilfracombe where we had parked the car. Finishing off with a 5 hour car journey back to Ashtead in Surrey. Our steeds as follows: Pearson compass touring bike (custom build with brooks B17 champion saddle), a Peugeot race bike (from the 80's) and a Specialized Allez.
Our route followed the Tarka Trail where possible.
Tarka trail north Devon
Hired some bikes thought I would give the go pro a go. not cycled in over ten years lol so the pro was great I was dead