Experiencing Dartmoor by Bike: A Cyclist’s Guide to Road Routes

Dartmoor is a great destination to explore on two wheels. With varied terrain, wide open spaces and routes for all abilities, the national park has a variety of challenging hill climbs, heather-covered heaths and quiet country lanes to discover. Whether you're drawn to the fitness benefits of cycling or want to see this great landscape at a slower pace, cycling in Dartmoor is the way to go. Keep reading to find out more about popular road routes, cycling events and bike facilities in this special part of Devon. 

Popular Dartmoor cycling routes

These routes are all on paved or compact surfaces and are designed with road bikes in mind. If you’re looking for off-road adventures, check out the Pitchup guide to mountain biking in Dartmoor.

The Granite Way

Length: 11 miles/18 kilometres each way
Difficulty: Easy

This mostly off-road bike path links Okehampton with Lydford and is popular with both walkers and cyclists. Offering a striking outlook over the Dartmoor hills, the Granite Way is well liked by families due to its car-free level track and stunning views. There are plenty of rest spots along the way, so whether you’re taking a full day to complete the trail or only plan to complete a section, you’ll find various places for a picnic. Alternatively, head to the pubs at Lydford, Bearslake or Meldon and enjoy a drink in a beer garden along the way. 

The Princetown Rail Trail

Length: 18.5 miles/30 kilometres (long route) or 6 miles/10 kilometres (short route)
Difficulty: Intermediate

This largely traffic-free route is made up of a mix of cycle paths and minor roads, making it suitable for both road bikes and mountain bikes. Tracing the route of Princetown’s decommissioned railway line, the trail meanders through quarries and passes striking hills on its way to the peaceful Burrator Reservoir, where it ends with a victory lap of its 150 acres of water.

Alternatively, visitors looking for a shorter excursion can tweak their journey by looping around the rugged King’s Tor, passing ponies and cows along the way, and cycling back to Princetown. This remote village is surrounded by moorland and is home to a pub, a national park visitor centre and the interesting Dartmoor Prison Museum. 

Drake’s Trail

Length: 21 miles/34 kilometres each way
Difficulty: Upper intermediate 

Linking Tavistock in central Devon to Plymouth near the Cornish border, Drake’s Trail is a 21-mile section of the National Cycle Network’s Route 27, which connects Devon’s north and south coasts. Named after Sir Francis Drake, a 16th-century privateer who was born in the area, this moderate route has a few hilly sections but is mostly level, with parts of it running along former railway lines. Drake’s Trail involves cycling through or over a number of tunnels, bridges and viaducts and passes through varied scenery including river valleys, open moorland and hills. 

The Dartmoor Way

Length: 90 miles/145 kilometres 
Difficulty: Advanced 

Feeling ambitious? This 90-mile loop runs around the edge of the national park and comes with some fantastic views. Whether you want to complete the whole thing in one go or fancy a slower-paced cycling holiday in several stages, the route involves a mix of cycle paths, quiet lanes and busier roads. While it can be cycled in either direction, its designers recommend taking it on in an anti-clockwise direction to minimise elevation gain and for improved safety at key road junctions. With a number of campsites, bike-friendly pubs and railway stations around the route (with mainline services at Okehampton, Ivybridge and Newton Abbot), the Dartmoor Way is a great choice for car-free bikepacking adventures.

Cycling events and community

The peaceful and undulating landscape of Dartmoor National Park makes the area a magnet for road cycling events. Some of the most popular annual bike festivals include:

• The Dartmoor Classic, a popular cycling event held annually in late June. It's not a race per se but a sportive, meaning that riders of all abilities can participate. You can choose from three courses of varying lengths, with climbs like Haytor the biggest challenge for most. It's also a good event to attend as a spectator, as there are lots of places to wait along the route, and there are always various food stations to keep the several thousand riders and cheerleaders fed and watered. 

• The Dartmoor Devil isn't a race for the faint of heart. This 100km cycling event, held every year at the end of October, is what's known as an audax, which is a bit different from a sportive: there's more of a focus on self-reliance and the route isn't signposted – in fact, riders can get from start to finish any way they like, although most will follow the recommended course. While it's not a competitive event, riders are given a time limit, so there's a significant element of challenge as they race through pretty villages and narrow lanes to get back to Bovey Tracey in time. Another quirk of this event is that fancy dress is welcome (many choose to ride to raise money for charity), so this is a great option for cyclists wanting an alternative to traditional lycra attire. 

• The Moor 2 Sea event is a challenging cycling sportive with three distances to choose from. The shortest, 'Inspire', is 36 miles with manageable climbs. For the ultimate Devon leg test, the 'Extreme' route is a whopping 110 miles, with nearly 10,000 feet of ascent involved. All routes start and finish at Exeter Racecourse and offer stunning Devon scenery, taking you from Dartmoor's wild beauty to the beaches of the county’s south coast. Moor 2 Sea takes place annually on a Sunday in late September. 

If you’re not quite up for cycling in a large organised event and are looking for other ways to get involved, check out Dartmoor’s various local cycling clubs to see what’s going on in the local community:

• Dartmoor Velo is a kids’ cycling club based in Tavistock 

• Okehampton Cycling Club is a friendly local organisation that hosts weekly group rides

• Mid Devon Cycling Club has been running since 1930 and has close ties to the Dartmoor Classic sportive event

Cycling facilities and services 

Bike hire options are plentiful in the national park. If you haven’t got your own bike or don’t want to take it with it on holiday, the following companies offer convenient solutions:

• Devon Cycle Hire is located roughly halfway along the Granite Way, one of the most popular bike paths in Devon.

• The Granite Way Cycle Hub also gives direct access to the Granite Way, offering a range of classic and electric bikes to riders of all ages.

• Adventure Okehampton in the north of the national park offers bike hire alongside various other outdoor activities, including climbing and kayaking.

Bike shops and bike servicing are also readily available in Dartmoor.

• Rockin Bikes near Yelverton offers sales and servicing for most types of bikes

• Bigpeaks near Newton Abbot specialises in electric bikes

• Devon Cycle Repairs in Tavistock specialises in bike repairs at affordable prices

Whether you prefer gentle family bike rides or sportives and audaxes to get the blood pumping, Dartmoor is rightly viewed as one of the South West’s premier cycling destinations. If you’ve been inspired to start planning your next cycling break, check out the area’s wide range of campsites and glampsites – you’re sure to find a bike-friendly pitch that ticks all the right boxes. 

For more information about Dartmoor, check out our full range of articles about this stunning national park – or head to the national park’s official website to find practical advice, ideas for days out and tips on places to stay.