Katherine Moore reveals the East Devon Trail
The new trail takes in some of the greatest wildlife and landscapes in the area
The East Devon Trail is a 185 kilometre (115 mile) bikepacking route through East Devon, a rural and coastal landscape between the county's capital of Exeter and neighbouring Dorset and Somerset.
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[Photography by ForTheHellOfIt.cc]
The mixed terrain route has been devised by East Devon local, zoologist and cycling writer Katherine Moore and created in partnership with local stakeholders, including Devon Wildlife Trust, Wild East Devon, and the Pebblebed Heath Conservation Trust, the RSPB and East Devon AONB.
The Trail aims to showcase the region, which Moore describes as all too often overlooked, but that has a variety of habitats, from freshwater marshes to lowland heath, green agricultural field networks to steep cliffs to pebbled beaches and sleepy woodland.
The Trail visits many nature reserves, gorgeous towns and villages along its 185-kilometre length, showing the incredible wildlife in East Devon; the rare lowland heath; migratory bird service stations; nation-leading species reintroduction programmes and the marvellous views and gravel tracks that accompany them.
From quaint thatched villages to delicious cream teas, fish and chips on the beach and farm shops boasting local produce by the basket-load, there's plenty more to the East Devon experience to savour, if you're willing to give it the time.
The Trail aims to show that there is more than one way to travel by bike: forget about the fastest times and segments, put your racing mindset aside and try adopting a different pace for the East Devon Trail.
A wilder East Devon
2022 east devon bikepacking route 2, by Suvi Loponen
RSPB Bowling Green and Goosemoor await just a short ride out of Exeter for migratory wildfowl, waders and marsh harriers, the Pebblebed Heaths from Woodbury Common to Mutters Moor provide crucial lowland heath habitat for nightjars, Dartford warblers, lizards and many species of butterflies, as do the reserves at Trinity Hill and Fire Beacon Hill.
Seaton Wetlands host numerous hides for peering out in search of oystercatchers, black-tailed godwits and ringed plovers, while the luckiest of riders may even see Beavers on the River Otter!
Binoculars are a must on the packing list, and handy guides at the reserves and hides often give you lots of information about what to look for and not to mention the friendly locals!
Sustainable travel
The route has been designed with sustainability in mind, so you can reach the East Devon Trail easily by train at the main train station in Exeter. You can also link up to other established bikepacking routes, as we've deliberately strayed - just a little - into Dorset to the border town of Lyme Regis, where you meet the Wessex Ridgeway and Old Chalk Way routes.
Read more here through the link below and check the Komoot route.
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