In article <[email hidden]>,
Kirby James said:(2) Devon: The Plym way - an old railway track north from
Plymouth to the edge of the Moor.
followed by lunch at the Skylark pub - not so bad. Then on
to Burrator reservoir and thence up to Princetown and, if
you were too early for lunch at Clearbrook, the Plume of
Feathers at Princetown instead, But that's all walking
distance ... on a bike, continue across the moors in the
afternoon ....
For a little bit of a novelty, don't miss the tidal ford at
Lopwell Dam. You can cross it without getting the feet wet
at low tide, yet it's a good swim at high tide. Follow it
with a pub lunch at Bere Ferrers. Then perhaps across the
Tamar by the Calstock Ferry at high tide, with more
opportunities to eat well ...
The river valleys here are far steeper, more challenging,
and indeed more scenic than the open moors.
Quoted message said:The Princeton route you're thinking about runs along the
line of another old railway west from Princetown.
I mostly try to avoid that one. It's scenically relatively
dull (though certainly interesting in terms of industrial
archaeology - it's a *very* old railway and the original
trains were horse-drawn, and it passes lots of old
quarrying works and other relics). It's also a gravel
route: the surface is plenty smooth enough to go fast, but
in doing so it becomes the worst boneshaker ride I can
think of, anywhere. The Burrator-Princetown route I
mentioned above makes a similar journey, but is real
offroad and more scenic.
--
Nick Kew