20 CLASSIC SPORTIVE RIDES – SOUTH WEST ENGLAND
by Colin Dennis
2 POLICE SQUARE MILNTHORPE CUMBRIA LA7 7PY
About the Author
Colin Dennis has been riding bikes of one sort or another for longer than he dares to remember. His passion for road and off-road cycling has taken him all over the UK and continental Europe, both leading expeditions and for personal pleasure. Plotting, planning and escaping to new locations are pastimes that have driven him for many years, and working as both freelance copywriter and cycle guide provides a happy balance at home and work. Colin is never happier than when he’s struggling up a steep climb behind a group, usually covered in mud, but as long as there’s a warm tea shop involved – everything’s possible. Legs were massaged (but still not shaved) in the making of this guidebook!
© Colin Dennis 2015
First edition 2015
ISBN: 978 1 85284 744 9
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
All photographs © Colin Dennis except the cover photo © Tony Dymott.
This book is dedicated to the memory of my dad – a true man of the south west.
GPX FILES
GPX files for all routes can be downloaded for free at www.cicerone.co.uk/member
Acknowledgements
I would like to thank all my family for their help, support and bars of dark chocolate over the past year. I am also very grateful to Andy Wigmore of Saddleback for the loan of the bike just when I needed one – ‘cometh the hour, cometh the man’, as they say. For his help over the cobbles of Gold Hill, a big thank you must go out to one of the true gentlemen of the UK’s racing scene: the tireless Paul Hopkins. Finally, for his time and professionalism with the cover photo, I am indebted to Tony Dymott of AD Photography, Bournemouth.
Updates to this Guide
While every effort is made by our authors to ensure the accuracy of guidebooks as they go to print, changes can occur during the lifetime of an edition. Any updates that we know of for this guide will be on the Cicerone website (www.cicerone.co.uk/744/updates), so please check before planning your trip. We also advise that you check information about such things as transport, accommodation and shops locally. Even rights of way can be altered over time. We are always grateful for information about any discrepancies between a guidebook and the facts on the ground, sent by email to [email protected] or by post to Cicerone, 2 Police Square, Milnthorpe LA7 7PY, United Kingdom.
Front cover: High on the cobbles of Gold Hill (Route 16)
CONTENTS
Getting there and getting around
Route 1 Atlantic Roller: Bodmin (Cornwall)
Route 2 Tor de Moor: Ivybridge (Dartmoor)
Route 3 King of the Castle: Haldon Forest Park, Exeter (Dartmoor)
Route 4 Exe-Factor: Tiverton (Exmoor)
Route 5 Slam Dunk: Dunster (Exmoor)
Route 6 Blackdown Hills: Taunton (Somerset and Devon)
Route 7 A Ridge too Far: Wellington (Somerset)
