Cycling
Bring your cycle and enjoy Exmoor’s absence of traffic and explore its peaceful roads winding through magnificent countryside, find your own pub, café or tea shop for relaxing refreshment. Choose between the upper routes for wide panoramas or the valleys for cool wooded views and perhaps stop for a picnic by a sparkling stream. If you don’t want the bother of bringing your bike with you, you can always hire one locally – Exmoor Adventures now have their superb E-Bikes available for hire.
On road or off-road
Although Exmoor is hilly, it offers cycling for all. Its hills present challenges to road cyclists and off-road enjoyment to mountain bikers. For others, some map reading and route planning will reward with less energetic routes. For example, relatively easy road cycling routes can be followed along the top of Exmoor, down its valleys and around its lower slopes. Pick a route somewhere between Raleghs Cross on the eastern side and Simonsbath further west. Or drive up to another upland area and cycle from there, e.g. up from Minehead, on to North Hill and Selworthy Beacon.
Miles of bridleways
Besides its roads and quiet lanes, Exmoor has hundreds of miles of bridleways and roads used as public paths (RUPP’s). There is considerable scope for exploration and freedom to discover your own style of routes. The Ordnance Survey Map Outdoor Leisure 9, with its clear marking of the various rights of way, is a good starting reference. More specific leaflets showing designated cycle routes are available from the various information and visitor centres. An example is around the Crown Estate’s woods to the south of Dunster, starting at Nutcombe Bottom, in the National Trust’s Holnicote Estate between Porlock and Exford and around Wimbleball Reservoir near Brompton Regis.
National Cycle Route
Choose a comfortable base and explore from there or plan a series of one night stops to explore over longer distances – e.g. SUSTRAN’s part of the National Millenium Cycle Route between Bampton on the eastern side of the park, through Dulverton, over Molland Common to leave the western side of the moor near Bratton Fleming.
Exmoor Cycle Route
On Tuesday 11th September 2007, the Tour of Britain wound its way through the steep and dramatic combes of Exmoor. On Exmoor, we have teamed up to bring you the permanent Tour of Britain circular route following in the wheel marks of the professionals. The route makes a fantastic weekend or a challenging day ride and is the perfect way to explore the best that Exmoor has to offer. It is a fantastic ride whether taken at cyclosportive speeds or an extended two or three day tour, with time to enjoy some of the sights and attractions along the way. You can start or finish anywhere you choose along the route, Minehead offers the best public transport links so you don’t need to bring the car. Route details here.
Specialist providers for Riders
Passing through not one but two National Parks the 100 mile Two Moors Way links Dartmoor and Exmoor. Starting at Ivybridge on the southern edge of Dartmoor the trail finishes at Lynmouth on the north coast of Devon, passing through the peaceful and rural countryside of Mid Devon in between. find out more on the Two Moors Way website.
