Bridges

Cycle-touring, Expeditions, Adventures, Major cycle routes NOT LeJoG (see other special board)
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Mick F
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Re: Bridges

Post by Mick F »

Hi guys!
Yes, No5 is an issue (to say the least!) :shock: :shock:

Not sure about No 21 to be honest.
No issue with traffic though, but access perhaps.
I need to do some research.
21 -24.jpg
Mick F. Cornwall
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Bridges

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
My advice just wing it :mrgreen:
Looks like farm access track won't be anybody there anyway come from the church side you can say you got lost :)
There is a gap in the crash barriers but be very careful as I know people have been killed here.
Pedestrians crossing to the church or from the church.
Telegraph Hill is easy enough just wait at the top for a gap in the traffic probably won't be very busy when you go down anyway.
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ED60B613-0657-4248-B06F-1BFBD7B8F313.png
2763E2EC-E71C-4CDF-B7C2-1C81C3C7CADC.png
Last edited by NATURAL ANKLING on 2 Mar 2021, 10:10am, edited 1 time in total.
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
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rjb
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Re: Bridges

Post by rjb »

Bridge 21 is designated as a cattle bridge so presumably used by the farm for access and to move livestock.
https://deanpriorchurch.blogspot.com/p/ ... ntact.html
Dean prior church web site
Dean prior church web site

You could bag quite a few if you repeated your epic ride of a few years ago. :wink:
Image

Good luck I will be following your progress with interest as it's my old stomping ground having lived in Cornwood before moving to Somerset. :D
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Mick F
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Re: Bridges

Post by Mick F »

Hi guys, and good morning.

That ride I wasn't difficult really, just long. Can't remember which year I did it in! The hard part was at the beginning, climbing over the moor.
I have the records of all my rides since 2004, it's just a matter of digging it out!
I'll find it if I spend a little while.

I did a complete circumnavigation of Dartmoor once. Up to Okehampton, then through Moretonhampstead and west though Ashburton etc, then turned north for Tavistock and home.

Yes, done some research this morning regarding No21. It's a farm access.
Telegraph Hill is a fast downhill run, so I'll be whizzing along.

I'm wondering about taking the train to Plymouth, then riding all the bridges from there to Exeter, then getting the train(s) home.
Probably 50 or 60miles of a ziz-zag ride from Plymouth Station to Exeter St Davids.
Mick F. Cornwall
Jamesh
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Re: Bridges

Post by Jamesh »

Is that the best route for a circumnavigation of Dartmoor?

I thinking of it as we hopefully will be holidaying in Devon this year and having done Exmoor a couple of years again, I thought a big ride in Dartmoor might be the way to go?

Train to Exeter and start from there?

Any thoughts?

Cheers James
Pebble
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Re: Bridges

Post by Pebble »

Doing all the bridges - what are the rules ?

Yes I know there isn't and I could do whatever I want, But if I chose to do the Tweed, what goals should I be setting for myself, evry single crossing ? but that would include east coast main line and all manner of planks of wood high up in the hills. Should I be doing all the tributaries? would just limiting it to all public roads that cross be good enough?. Do they need to be done in order starting off at the sea.?

It would be a quite nice challenge to do, I love rivers and streams and watersheds etc.
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Bridges

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
On number 21 it appears that you can get through the farmyard without any gates.
You could if you wanted probably phone the farm and tell them what you are doing, shouldn't think they'll mind at all.

On DARTMOOR I think it's something like 90 miles so all the way around on the road, done a number of times.
The cycle path's and some of the old railways is best done on at least 32s.
The granite trail and Drakes Trail you can get away with road tires 23s, but all other trails ideally need 34 tires as they use some railway tracks with gravel.
My touring bike has 35 and I can virtually go anywhere on that.
So if you are wild camping and wanted to go anywhere on Dartmoor you could get away with 35 unless you're going on your mountain bike.
I used to spend weekends on DARTMOOR camping and cycling taking it as many tracks Bridal path et cetera as I could.

By train Newton Abbot will get you marginally closer to the moors, and then of course a cycle path all the way from Newton all the way to DARTMOOR.
So that might be better for you otherwise it will be on the road from Exeter and little further.
Cycling around DARTMOOR is easily done in a day, but it depends what do you want to see?
There are plenty of things to see very close to the road, if you've never done DARTMOOR before.
I'm talking about antiquities et cetera.
I say this as the boundary is larger than the normal route around Dartmoor.
Dartmoor Boundary
Dartmoor Boundary

I would normally regard Bovey Tracy to Mortenhampstead to Widdon Down as the eastern boundary, apart from reservoir's Drewsteignton and the Teign Valley, thers not much else to see, but pleasant country terrain nethertheless :)
Going north from Bovey Tracey there is now a cycle path that take you takes you all the way to Moretonhampstead, (28-34 tyres prefered)then a bit of roadwork to Okehampton fast and easy.
Fast route stay to the road A382 all the way.
Slower less traffic route would be Haytor - Manaton - North Bovey - Chagford - Gidleigh - Throwleigh - South Zeal.
Alternate - Bovey Tracy - Chudliegh Mortenhampstead Via the cycle path all off road 95 %. Then Chagford etc as above.....some hills Really!
You will also find some bridlepaths that are rideable Chagford on. (north)

Okehampton railway station has a Caffe on the route, granite trail, otherwise the town.
Then get on the granite Trail as it's a lot more scenic, and if you could pick the main cycle route South, it's not as fast as the road A386 but you might prefer that, as Lydford gorge and of course Brentor.
All downhill from Okehampton into Tavistock, very nice place Tavistock.
From then you'd have to decide whether you want to cycle through the centre of the moor?
You have pork hill (Micks favourite) Merivale (coming the other way very exhilarating ride of the moors if you went from Princetown to Tavistock, otherwise it will be hard work going up West. Then Princetown (foxtorcafe) and two bridges plenty to eat there.
If you were that way inclined you could then go north to Postbridge which is the Clapper bridge, And powder Mills farm.
A bit further on is this is going north Grimspound, Via Warren house in. Jays Grave, Hound Tor as the Baskervielles, Long Hoses.
Continuing West from Princetown to Ashburton is just more pain!
Otherwise continuing South from Tavistock is genovenbridge all the way to Yelverton3 miles off road cyclepath easy, From here there is a cycle path all the way to Plymouth. Easy and very slick and fast, easy comming up to, old railway.
Otherwise it would be Burrator and through to Cadover Bridge then down to Ivybridge.
From here the only thing worth seeing then would be the Avon dam, (South Brent) A 3 mile ride on the road it's a little bit further than that, from the car park at Shipley bridge is 3 miles up and 3 miles down Easy tarmac, no traffic but cycles ok, to Shipley Shipley bridge is about 4 miles inland, so 7+7 miles in and out.
Buckfastliegh Ashburton and back to Bovey Tracy.
There is much more if you are thinking camping (wild) most of which is not advertised (tracks etc) at all by any authority but all legal.
The dartmoor authority want it that way, and for the most its all they want, easy to keep an eye on them too.
Be warned that on a summers day with rain it can feel like a sorta winters day, so pick fine weather.

The only bit to watch is the Oakhampton bypass! I normally have my head down and regret missing the turnoff to the old road.
You dont want A30 but B3260, is that correct Mick?
Mick will probably produce a Dartmoor circular route before I can come up with something.
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill
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Mick F
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Re: Bridges

Post by Mick F »

NATURAL ANKLING wrote:You dont want A30 but B3260, is that correct Mick?

You want Tavistock Road off the A386 and into Okehampton town centre then B3260 out on Exeter Road via Sticklepath and Whiddon Down, and A382 to Moretonhampstead and south down to the Old A38 to head west towards Ivybridge, then northwest back to Tavistock.

Mick will probably produce a Dartmoor circular route before I can come up with something.
Still to find when I did the circumnavigation of the whole moor. I'll check tomorrow maybe.
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Mick F
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Re: Bridges

Post by Mick F »

Pebble wrote:Doing all the bridges - what are the rules ?
No rules.

I did all the bridges over the A30 from Exeter to Land's End, and now I plan on all the bridges on the A38 from Exeter to Bodmin (where the road ends).

Also, done all the bridges over the River Tamar ............. not quite, because I haven't done the Plymouth bits - suspension bridge and the three ferries - but I reckon the River Tamar finishes at Plymouth, as it flows into the Hamoaze and then into Plymouth Sound.
Maybe the suspension bridge is correct, and the Torpoint Ferry, but the other two ferries - Cremyll and Cawsands - are across The Sound.

I'll still do them though ............. Covid permitting. :wink:
Mick F. Cornwall
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Mick F
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Re: Bridges

Post by Mick F »

Jamesh wrote:I thinking of it as we hopefully will be holidaying in Devon this year and having done Exmoor a couple of years again, I thought a big ride in Dartmoor might be the way to go?
Train to Exeter and start from there?
Any thoughts?
Thoughts?
It's hilly and hard work.
Lovely villages and hamlets.
Scenery is wonderful, but pick your weather as the terrain rises to 1,500ft and is very exposed and windswept.
Call in at the Warren Inn .................. Covid permitting.
Mick F. Cornwall
rjb
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Re: Bridges

Post by rjb »

This is where I found it Mick, 2014 but a significant day, were you having a laugh :lol:
viewtopic.php?t=85367&start=45
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Re: Bridges

Post by Jamesh »

Mick F wrote:
Jamesh wrote:I thinking of it as we hopefully will be holidaying in Devon this year and having done Exmoor a couple of years again, I thought a big ride in Dartmoor might be the way to go?
Train to Exeter and start from there?
Any thoughts?
Thoughts?
It's hilly and hard work.
Lovely villages and hamlets.
Scenery is wonderful, but pick your weather as the terrain rises to 1,500ft and is very exposed and windswept.
Call in at the Warren Inn .................. Covid permitting.


Thanks Mick looking forward to it!

I like a good hard day out if I'm allowed!

Funny how Dartmoor and to an extent the peak District are much more of a plateau at heights whereas Snowdonia, lakes and dales have passes but the majority of roads are at a lower level.

Cheers James
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Mick F
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Re: Bridges

Post by Mick F »

Mick F wrote:I'm wondering about taking the train to Plymouth, then riding all the bridges from there to Exeter, then getting the train(s) home.
Probably 50 or 60miles of a ziz-zag ride from Plymouth Station to Exeter St Davids.
Sketched it out, and it comes to 63miles.
Only 4,200ft of climbing though, so it's quite flat.

Going over Dartmoor to Ashburton to do from there to Exeter is only 57miles, but 5,100ft of climbing ........... and only doing 18 bridges. :wink:

Plymouth to Exeter does 33 bridges.
A38 Bridges.jpg
Mick F. Cornwall
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Bridges

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
Drumbridges Roundabout.
Mick- Sorry had to modify :P Crash barrier only exists for two thirds of the dual, but safe enough.
Take care on roundabout, there are traffic lights at several places so traffic is calmed on the roundabout, watch yourself.
Shows easy route....
Shows easy route....

Crash barrier starts from second arrow!.
Crash barrier starts from second arrow!.

Do 1 &amp; 1/4 laps then cross cycle bridge - turn around go back over cycle bridge - then join cycle path and head right down the dual.<br />You enter Bottom left exit Top right.
Do 1 & 1/4 laps then cross cycle bridge - turn around go back over cycle bridge - then join cycle path and head right down the dual.
You enter Bottom left exit Top right.

Cycle path adjacent to dual far left - 13 &amp; 13A bridges - cycle bridge has metal work.
Cycle path adjacent to dual far left - 13 & 13A bridges - cycle bridge has metal work.
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill
Please forgive the poor Grammar I blame it on my mobile and phat thinkers.
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NATURAL ANKLING
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Re: Bridges

Post by NATURAL ANKLING »

Hi,
At bridge 12 if you make a small detour left it takes you to what is left of old rail way, not sure but was this the old route to Exeter etc?
Edited...traced it through to Ide and St Tomas station.
Rails crossing road, thats all thats left here.
Rails crossing road, thats all thats left here.
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Centre top dismantled going north east. Black line single track, still used as a service line, went to Bovey Tracy &amp; Mortenhampstead and on ?
Centre top dismantled going north east. Black line single track, still used as a service line, went to Bovey Tracy & Mortenhampstead and on ?
NA Thinks Just End 2 End Return + Bivvy - Some day Soon I hope
You'll Still Find Me At The Top Of A Hill
Please forgive the poor Grammar I blame it on my mobile and phat thinkers.
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