Discover the East Devon Trail
A 185 kilometre (115 mile) –ish bikepacking route through East Devon, a rural and coastal landscape between the county’s capital of Exeter and neighbouring counties of Dorset and Somerset.
The Trail showcases this magnificent, and too often overlooked region of Devon, which will astound you with the sheer variety of habitats, from freshwater marshes to lowland heath, green agricultural field networks to steep cliffs, pebbled beaches and sleepy woodland.
A wilder Devon
It’s no accident that the East Devon Trail is punctuated by a number of nature reserves, which encourage you to pause a while.
Binos are a must on the packing list, and handy guides at the reserves and hides often give you lots of information of what to look for and when — not to mention the friendly locals.
Don’t expect the wildlife to be limited to just these areas though, as you’re likely to see much more along the rest of the route too.
A proper taste of Devon
You’ll be pleased to hear that culinary delights abound on the East Devon Trail, with plentiful places to restock on delicious, locally produced food and drink. No East Devon Trail ride would be complete without a Devonshire Cream Tea (just remember cream first, always).
You can also enjoy fish and chips wrapped in paper on the beach, Exe Estuary mussels, divine ice-creams, local ales from Otter and Lyme breweries, and wine produced at Lyme Bay.
Getting there
Accessibility is really important, so you can reach the East Devon Trail easily by train, which both starts and finishes at the main train station in Exeter.
If you want to link up to another established bikepacking route, we’ve deliberately strayed – just a little – into Dorset to the coastal border town of Lyme Regis, so you can easily connect to the Wessex Ridgeway and the Old Chalk Way.
Don’t have time for the whole loop? There’s also a train station in Axminster just over halfway through.
Get in touch at eastdevontrail@gmail.com
Generously supported by komoot and Outdoor Provisions
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