Distance: 35.2 miles
Climbing: 1,298 m / 4,258 ft
Difficulty: Challenging
Surface: Mainly roads and country lanes
Highlights: Widecombe-in-the-Moor, Bovey Tracey, North Bovey, high Dartmoor scenery and long views across the eastern moor

Starting from Postbridge, the ride heads south-east across Dartmoor towards Widecombe-in-the-Moor, losing height before turning north-east through the lanes on the eastern side of the moor. The route continues through the countryside around Manaton before making its way down towards Bovey Tracey, the easternmost point of the circuit.

From Bovey Tracey the route turns back towards Dartmoor, climbing through the wooded and agricultural landscape on the edge of the moor before reaching Lustleigh and North Bovey. The return then swings south and west across higher ground, eventually coming back through the Widecombe area before the final stretch across the moor to Postbridge.

At 35.2 miles, this is not an exceptionally long ride, but the GPS route records almost 1,300 metres of climbing. The repeated descents into the valleys and climbs back onto higher ground make it a demanding circuit, with the compensation of changing views from the open moor to the greener valleys and villages of eastern Dartmoor.

Distance: 14.7 miles
Climbing: 473 m / 1,551 ft
Difficulty: Moderate
Surface: Mainly country lanes
Highlights: St Mary’s Church at Sampford Spiney, Tavistock Guildhall Heritage Centre, views towards Dartmoor, quiet West Devon lanes

Starting from Yelverton, the ride drops through Horrabridge before climbing into the quiet countryside around Sampford Spiney, where the principal point of interest is the tiny parish church of St Mary and its surrounding rural community. From there the route continues through narrow West Devon lanes before swinging westwards and descending towards Tavistock.

In Tavistock, the Guildhall Heritage Centre, housed in the town’s former police station and court complex, is a real mine of information on the life and history of the Tamar Valley, particularly its mining heritage, local communities and the development of the town.

The return to Yelverton completes a compact circuit through attractive farmland on the western edge of Dartmoor. Although only just under 15 miles, the route includes nearly 500 metres of climbing, so it is considerably more strenuous than the distance alone might suggest.

Distance: 35.1 miles
Climbing: 1,172 m / 3,845 ft
Difficulty: Hard
Surface: Mainly country lanes and surfaced cycleway
Highlights: Bradstone Manor entrance, St Mary’s Church at Sydenham Damerel, quiet West Devon lanes

Starting from Yelverton, the ride heads through Tavistock and then westwards into the quieter countryside of the Tamar Valley and West Devon. The two principal points of interest are the impressive entrance to Bradstone Manor and the parish church of St Mary at Sydenham Damerel. Between them, the route follows a succession of narrow rural lanes through a deeply agricultural landscape before eventually turning back towards Tavistock and Yelverton. With more than 1,100 metres of climbing in just over 35 miles, this is a fairly demanding ride despite its modest distance.

Distance: about 22.2 miles
Climbing: not recorded in the GPX file
Difficulty: Moderate
Surface: Mostly country lanes and minor roads
Highlights: Newton Ferrers, Noss Mayo, Revelstoke, Stoke Beach and the South Devon coast

Today’s ride covered about 22 miles, heading south through the lanes towards Newton Ferrers and Noss Mayo before continuing into the more secluded countryside around Revelstoke. Here the route explores a remarkable corner of the South Devon coast, where the remains of the old Revelstoke estate, the ruined church of St Peter the Fisherman and the landscape around Stoke Beach provide plenty of reasons to stop and look around. The attraction of the ride lies less in distance than in its variety: deeply cut lanes, wooded valleys, old farms and estate buildings, followed by magnificent glimpses of the sea and the coast towards Burgh Island and Bolt Head. It is a relatively short ride, but the constant rises and falls of the South Hams lanes make it more demanding than the mileage alone suggests .

Distance: 23.3 miles
Climbing: about 760 m
Difficulty: Moderate to hard
Surface: Mostly country lanes and minor roads
Highlights: Yelverton, Walkhampton, Tavistock, the Tamar Valley, Gulworthy and Morwellham Quay

Today’s ride covered about 23 miles, beginning at Yelverton and heading through Walkhampton and the countryside around Tavistock before descending into the Tamar Valley to historic Morwellham Quay. The outward section offers attractive views along the western edge of Dartmoor before the landscape becomes increasingly wooded and enclosed on the approach to the Tamar. After visiting Morwellham, the route climbs steeply back out of the valley through the former mining country around Gulworthy, returning via Tavistock and Whitchurch to Yelverton. Despite its relatively modest distance, the ride includes around 760 metres of climbing, making it a demanding but very varied circuit combining Dartmoor scenery, quiet Devon lanes and the industrial heritage of the Tamar Valley.

Distance: 49.5 miles
Climbing: 1,117 m
Difficulty: Hard
Surface: Canal towpath and country lanes
Highlights: Grand Western Canal, Halberton, Tiverton, the Exe valley, Dulverton and the wooded countryside on the edge of Exmoor

Today’s ride covered about 49½ miles, beginning near Halberton and incorporating part of the Grand Western Canal before heading north through the rolling countryside towards Dulverton. The canal provided a pleasantly level contrast to a route which otherwise accumulated over 1,100 metres of climbing. The northern section reached the wooded valleys around Dulverton on the edge of Exmoor before returning south to the start. A substantial and varied ride, combining the tranquillity of the historic canal with long stretches of quiet Mid Devon lanes and attractive river-valley scenery.

Chaddlewood, Noss Mayo and Yealmpton (31 July 2026)
Distance: 16.5 miles
Climbing: 618 m
Difficulty: Moderate / Hard
Surface: Country lanes
Highlights: Brixton, Noss Mayo, the Yealm estuary, wooded South Hams lanes, Yealmpton and extensive rural views

Today’s ride covered about 16½ miles, heading south from Chaddlewood through Brixton and the quiet lanes towards Noss Mayo and the Yealm estuary. The route then turned east through the rolling South Hams countryside before returning via the Yealmpton area. Although comparatively short, the ride included over 600 metres of climbing, with frequent undulations and some substantial hills. Fine summer weather, attractive wooded lanes and views across the Yealm valley made this a particularly scenic circuit through the countryside immediately east of Plymouth.