Granite Way.pdf
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Pobierz
Meldon Viaduct and
industrial archeology
How to reach the Granite Way
The Granite
Way
OKEHAMPTON:
By train:
from Exeter (on Summer Sundays) – cycles carried
By bus:
service numbers X9, X90 and 510 (timetables
subject to change; please check with Traveline – details on
back cover)
By cycle:
please contact Devon County Council (details on
back cover)
By car:
from the A30 follow signs for Okehampton station
along the B3260
Meldon Viaduct was built in 1874, three
years after the London and South West
railway reached Okehampton. Spanning
341 feet (165 metres) the steel viaduct
looks down upon a complex area of
industrial archeology. Meldon Dam can
be seen to the south west and Exmoor
20 miles away to the north east. In
the valley to the south is Meldon Pool, the remains of
mineral mining, such as copper and arsenic, and quarrying
including limestone in the 18th and 19th centuries, with
two lime kilns. An embryonic glass industry based on the
naturally occurring aplite essential in glass manufacturing
was started in the early 1920s but didn’t lourish.
Today, quarrying continues with Aggregate Industries
extracting railway ballast, roadstone and other industrial
aggregates which are taken out by rail through
Okehampton Station and on to the mainline at Exeter.
Meldon Viaduct
LYDFORD:
By bus:
service number 86 operated by First between
Plymouth and Barnstaple
By cycle:
please contact Devon County Council (details on
back cover) for the most suitable route
By car:
via A386 at Dartmoor Inn, follow signs for Lydford/
Lydford Gorge
Okehampton to Lydford
via Meldon and Lake viaducts
About the Granite Way
Part of the NCN Route 27
‘Devon Coast-to-Coast’
Meldon Dam and reservoir
This excellent, mainly trafic-free cycle/walkway between
Okehampton and Lydford is part of the National Cycle
Network (NCN) route number 27 ‘Devon Coast to Coast’
between Ilfracombe and Plymouth. Much of the Way is
within Dartmoor National Park.
The trail is ideal for families and those new to regular
cycling. The Granite Way is mostly built along the course
of the former Southern Region railway line. The Way is
entirely off-road for 6 miles / 9km between Okehampton
and Lake Viaduct with additional off-road sections towards
Lydford (see map over page).
Most of the trafic-free section
is
wheelchair accessible
although there are gates at
the A30 underpass. There is
no access for wheelchairs from
Bearslake to Lake Viaduct.
A few hundred metres west along the trail from Meldon
Viaduct is a turning, by a Sustrans milepost , that gives
access along a lane – a few minutes by bicycle – to Meldon
Dam and Reservoir. The dam was built in 1972 in the West
Ockment valley and has a span of 660 feet (201 metres)
and is 145 feet (45 metres) high. It is possible to walk
around the reservoir using a permissive path and access
land to admire the magniicent views of the Dartmoor
scenery
Access to the Granite Way
Horses and motorcycles are not permitted on the
trafic-free sections of the Way
between Okehampton
and Lydford. Some local residents may be issued with a
permit to ride a horse along certain sections of the route.
Mostly trafic-free on a former railway line
The Granite Way
Along the Granite Way
The Granite Way has three main sections
(For convenience and clarity this description assumes a cycle
ride or walk heading south west from Okehampton station
towards Lydford)
1. Okehampton Station to Meldon Viaduct
(2 ½ miles / 3 ¾ km trafic-free)
From Okehampton Station the trail runs entirely trafic-free
parallel to the railway line which takes passenger trains to
Meldon and carries aggregate from Meldon Quarry. To the
north there are superb views with Okehampton’s motte and
bailey castle (English Heritage) in the valley below. To the south
rises Dartmoor with High Willhays, the highest point on the
Moor at 621 metres (2038 feet), not far away. At Meldon
Viaduct there is a railway station, visitor centre and café in the
former buffet carriage, all run by Dartmoor Railway. Trains run
from here to Okehampton Station.
This 11 mile (18km) cycle / walkway runs along the north-
west edge of the granite massif of Dartmoor. The Way has
been constructed by Devon County Council in partnership
and with the welcome support of a wide variety of
organisations and individual landowners. These include: South
West Regional Development Agency, the European Union, the
Millennium Commission, Sustrans, Aggregate Industries and
Dartmoor National Park Authority.
3. Lake Viaduct to Lydford via Bridestowe
(4 ½ miles / 7½ km, 1 mile traffic-free)*
From Lake Viaduct take great care when crossing the main
A386 road at Bearslake before travelling along undulating quiet
lanes through the village of Bridestowe and on to the site of
the former Bridestowe railway station. Here the trail is again
off-road on level ground with superb views across Fernworthy
Down before emerging at Lydford. In Lydford the trail is again
on a minor road through the village past the Norman castle
(English Heritage) and Lydford Gorge (National Trust). From
Lydford the ‘Devon Coast to Coast’ NCN route leads south
towards Tavistock and Plymouth.There are further trafic-free
sections through Tavistock and south of Yelverton for 7 miles
on the Plym Valley Trail. (
*distances are approximate)
Useful contacts
Devon County Council
T: 0845 1551015
www.cycledevon.info
Email:
environment@devon.gov.uk
Dartmoor National Park
T: 01822 890414
www.dartmoor-npa.gov.uk
Sustrans
T: 0117 9268893
www.sustrans.org.uk
CTC
(Cyclists Touring Club)
T: 0870 8730060
www.ctc.org.uk
Okehampton Tourist
Information Centre
Museum Courtyard, 3 West St,
Okehampton, Devon EX20 1HQ
T: 01837 53020
Cycle Shops & Cycle
Hire in Okehampton
Please refer to the details
on the map over page.
Good cycling code
2. Meldon Viaduct to Lake Viaduct
(3 ½ miles / 5 ¼ km trafic-free)
Continuing along the railway line the trail passes the highest
point on the railway in a deep cutting before emerging
at the gates where the lane leads to the water treatment
works at Prewley. Crossing this lane by the cattle grid, the
trail continues west towards Lake Viaduct. The dramatically
craggy features of Sourton Tors are clearly visible to the south,
and further west in the far distance is Brentor church on a
distinctive knoll.
Although along a former railway path, the trail has been
built to meander to and fro, offering a more attractive cycle
ride or walk. Sourton church and the views along this section
warrant a stop for a picnic by the granite seats. Please ensure
you close the gates behind you when passing through the
short permissive section between Sourton village and Lake
Viaduct.
At Lake Viaduct, built of local stone and offering spectacular
views of the Moor and the surrounding countryside, the trail
splits. You can continue on road to the former Bridestowe
station (2 miles / 3 ½ km) where you rejoin another 1 ¼ mile
/ 2km trafic-free section to Lydford. Alternatively, continue
south to the current end of the trafic-free section for a
further mile to Southerly Halt picnic site (see map over page).
You will then need to return to Lake Viaduct.
Keep safe, be courteous and enjoy your cycling
When cycling on shared paths please:
•keepleftasyoupassothercyclistsandwalkers
•ifyouarecycling,respectotherusers,especiallythose
on foot
•somepeopleusingthepathmaybehardofhearingor
partially sighted – please don’t assume they can see or
hear you
•pleasetakeyourlitterhomewithyou
Thank you for cycling
Cycling does not cause pollution or contribute to
climate change
Dartmoor Railway,
Okehampton Station,
T: 01837 55330
T: 01837 55667
(talking timetable)
Other cycle maps in the series
Cycle maps of Barnstaple, Exmouth, Newton Abbot,
Tavistock, Tiverton & Culm Valley and the Tarka Cycle
Trail are also available free of charge from Devon County
Council.
This cycling map was produced
by CycleCity Guides for Devon
County Council Environment and
Culture Directorate. © 2010
This map is reproduced from Ordnance Survey
material with the permission of Ordnance
Survey on behalf of the Controller of Her
Majesty’s Stationery Ofice © Crown copyright.
Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown
copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil
proceedings.
www.cyclecityguides.co.uk
Every effort has been made to ensure the
accuracy of these maps. Devon County
Council and CycleCity Guides cannot be held
responsible for any errors or omissions.
Devon County Council licence number:
100019783, 2010
April 2010 Edition 9
Okehampton to Lydford Cycle/Walkway
Part of National Cycle Network Route 27
‘The Devon Coast-to-Coast’
Cycle route to
Jacobstowe,
Hatherleigh,
Bideford,
Barnstaple and
Ilfracombe
The Granite Way
0
Miles
1
2
0
Kilometres
1
2
3
Key
Locator map
3
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The Granite Way – traffic-free section
Bluebell Wood near Meldon
OKEHAMPTON
On-road signed cycle route
Fynpps
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EAST
On-road advisory cycle route
Steep hill (arrow pointing downhill)
2
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Cjefgpse
D
Meldon Viaduct
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Traffic-free cycle route
(mountain bike only)
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#YCLEWALKWAYLINKTO
Meldon Dam
Castle
D E V O N
National Cycle Network route 27
Plfibnqupo
Fyfufs
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Underpass
Sourton
Main access to The Granite Way
4
30
Ebsunpps
Sustrans milepost
Emmetts
Folly
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Viewpoint
Okehampton Station
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s#YCLECARPARKING
s-ODELANDGIFTSHOP
* It is advisable to check service
and opening times in advance
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Cycle parking
Meldon
Quarry
Telephone
Meldon
Viaduct
Toilets
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Meldon Viaduct
(no access by motor vehicle)
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metal rail viaduct
s "UFFET7#
s 6ISITORCENTRE
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(cycles carried free)
* It is advisable to check opening
times before arrival at Meldon
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Picnic site
Meldon
Dam
0UBACCOMMODATION
#AMPINGCARAVANSITE
Parking
Shelter
Car parking space
for wheelchair users
Place of worship
LAU
ST
Okehampton town centre
Sourton Tors
L
Cycle route to
Jacobstowe,
Hatherleigh,
Bideford,
Barnstaple
and Ilfracombe
Supermarket
W
Museum
Near Meldon
T
Tourist information
Lake Viaduct
School
Cycle shops & hire
Devon Cycle Hire
Sourton Down, EX20 4HR
4
Moor Cycles (shop)
4HE!RCADE%8%8
4
Okehampton Cycles (shop and hire)
.ORTH2OAD%8"1
4
Youth Hostel
at Okehampton Station (hire)
+LONDYKE2OAD%8%7
4
Giblands
Cross
Library
Southerly Halt
Picnic Site
H
Former Bridestowe
Railway Station
Hospital
Thrumster
3
4
Savile Mead
View from Lake Viaduct
College
Swimming
Pool
Leisure
Centre
National Cycle Network
Castleford
Bridge
These signs indicate that this route, the Granite Way, is part of
the 12,000-mile National Cycle Network (NCN). The Granite Way,
between Okehampton and Lydford, forms part of NCN route 27, which is
also known as the ‘Devon Coast to Coast’.
The ‘Devon Coast to Coast’ is a 102-mile cycle / walkway between Ilfracombe
and Plymouth, much of which is traffic free, such as the Granite Way.
The NCN in Devon continues to be developed by Devon County Council in
partnership with many other national organisations.
ent Rive
e
Castle
Hospital
Okehampton
Lover’s Meet
Bridge
Cycle route to
Brentor Church,
Mary Tavy,
Peter Tavy, Tavistock
and Plymouth
Youth
Hostel
Okehampton
Castle
Lydford via
Granite Way
Plik z chomika:
elasmir
Inne pliki z tego folderu:
Cycle 1 North West Cycle route.pdf
(1240 KB)
Cycle 1 North East Cycle route.pdf
(743 KB)
Cycle 1 SouthWest Map.pdf
(797 KB)
Cycle 1 SouthEast.pdf
(751 KB)
Irby & Thurstaston(7).pdf
(317 KB)
Inne foldery tego chomika:
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Informatory przewodniki
Mapy
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