Round trip from Barnstaple. North Devon coast and Exmoor.

Starting at Roundswell Service station with a full tank of fuel, this route is all about the scenery and views. Stunning coastal roads, deep wooded valleys, open moorland and a great twisty road to ride; this is a really good route and one that I ride regularly as I live nearby.
The route travels around the coast passing through the home of North Devon surfing, Saunton Sands, Croyde Bay and Woolacombe and then visits Ilfracombe Harbour where you’ll find the famous statue of 'Verity' by Damien Hurst. There is free parking for motorcycles in the harbour and a great cafe at Ilfracombe Aquarium also in the harbour.
Heading east now you'll pass the mock castle known as Watermouth Castle and go through the seaside village of Coombe Martin before climbing up onto Holdstone Down, considered to be a Holy Mountain by the Aetherius Society, a New Age, UFO-based religious movement founded in 1955 by George King. It believes in the concept of "Cosmic Masters" – extra-terrestrial intelligences – who have contact with humanity. The society's main goal is to promote world peace and a new era through cooperation with these Cosmic Masters and a telepathic transfer of spirituality. Keep your eyes open for UFOs!
The views from the North Devon Coast Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty are breathtaking, you can see why aliens would want to visit!
Then as you turn inland and start to descend, you get an equally breathtaking view across the Heddon Valley, a deep, lush wooded river valley or 'combe' running down to the sea. It is easy to see why Heddon Valley was the favourite landscape of the Romantic Poets including Wordsworth and Coleridge.

The next section of this route after the Hunters Inn pub is a little tricky with steep, narrow roads that may have gravel on them including two, tight hairpin bends. There is also a toll road £2. The views and excitement that you'll get make it worth it, but you can avoid these by going straight on past the pub, turn left onto the A39 and follow the signs for Lynton and then The Valley of Rocks.
The toll road in question is the Lee Abbey Toll road that uses a very small road that clings to the edge of the cliff called Sir Robert's Path. In 1627 Sir Robert Chichester was Lord of the manor and was notorious for being mean and nasty, there are several tales about how he met his demise in local folklore, I've included a link below. The toll road takes you to what is probably the most stunning piece of the North Devon coast, The Valley of Rocks.
With its natural amphitheatre of ancient stone, Exmoor’s Valley of Rocks has been inspiring poets, writers and visitors for hundreds of years. Perched high above the Severn Estuary, on Exmoor’s dramatic coastline, it’s a great place to take in the unique atmosphere, enjoy some of the best views in England, explore the exhilarating coastal paths or even come face to face with one of the famous feral goats. Paul McCartney filmed a video here for his 1987 song 'Once Upon A Long Ago'. And more recently it was featured in the 2025 movie "The Salt Path," starring Jason Isaacs and Gillian Anderson.

Next, you'll travel through Lynton to get to it's twin town of Lynmouth where I have suggested a fish and chip lunch stop but there is a good selection of other places to eat or find a place to sit for your picnic. You will also find the the highest totally water powered funicular railway in the world that will take you up the cliff to the village of Lynton, take a ride, the views from the top are stunning.
Leaving Lynmouth and you'll travel up spectacular Countisbury Hill that offers more outstanding views across the Severn Estuary towards Wales.
Porlock Hill is next and at 25%, it is the steepest 'A' road in the UK. The descent is long and gradual to start with, with a couple of tight hairpin bends at it’s steepest part.
The route calls into Minehead, a bustling seaside town on the edge of Exmoor. It has a beautiful sandy beach, pretty harbour and a busy High Street. You can park on the pavement where I have indicated and stop for a coffee at the Jubilee Café. For any fans of steam, the West Somerset Railway, a heritage steam railway operating between Minehead and Bishop's Lydeard is opposite.

The village of Dunster is a medieval village with a castle, yarn market and tithe barn, the cobbled paths and ancient buildings all add to the character. The A396 from Dunster is one of the best motorcycle roads in SW England. The road is full of twists and turns in beautiful scenery following the River Exe.
Turning off of the A396 and passing through the popular town of Dulverton, the high moorland of Exmoor is next with a ride along the Ridge Road. As the name suggests, the road is elevated offering you great 360° views.
Next is a visit to the pretty village of Withypool where there is a good tea room for coffee and snacks alongside the River Barle. As you leave Withypool and climb up onto the moor, look out for some Exmoor ponies as this is one of their favourite places, especially towards the evening. The Exmoor pony is one of the oldest horse breeds in the world and is on the endangered list. There are more Giant Pandas in the world than Exmoor Ponies!

As you come down off of the moor and head back to the start point, you'll go past Castle Hill, a quintessential English country house and estate that has been in the same family for 17 generations. Set in magnificent parkland with many original follies, statues and temples, a sham castle and Triumphal Arch. The woodland gardens are abundantly planted with magnolias, camellias, rhododendrons, eucryphias and many rare trees. The views from the high hill of the sham castle are unsurpassed.

You will enjoy this route, there are plenty of things to see and the roads offer plenty of thrills which is why this is one of my favourite routes.


As with all routes, this one can be adapted to suit your needs. Once you have chosen a route and added it to your library, you may wish to change the start and finish positions or add extra waypoints, or even reverse or split the route. This is easily done when you have a Gold membership of MyRoute-app and then by using the Gold Toolkit.
After reversing the direction of a route, it is advisable to check that it still accurate, some waypoints may be on dual carriageways or on one way streets which will affect the route.
Enjoy