Round trip tour of Exmoor National Park from Tiverton.

This is a beautiful route along some of the best roads within Exmoor National Park. The start point is easily reached from the major towns and cities in the area. Taunton, Exeter and Barnstaple are just 45 minutes away.

There are not many places for fuel within the national park, so we start from a supermarket fuel station. The route soon heads onto the stunningly beautiful River Exe valley road A396 following the river for some 18 miles. This road in my opinion is one of the best motorcycle roads in the whole of SW England with great views along it's entire length with some fast twisty bends. This route also crosses vast areas of open moorland with great views around every corner. Dunkery Beacon at 519 m above sea level is Exmoor’s highest point and the route will take you along side it.
Shortly after Dunkery Beacon the road becomes narrow and quite tricky as it descends down to a ford river crossing and back up the other side, a little caution is required. Webber's Post is a nice place to stop to gather your thoughts before dropping down to sea level to the ancient town of Porlock, here you can veer off the route to visit the old fishing settlement of Porlock Weir. Climbing up Porlock Hill, the steepest 'A' road in the UK, the route takes you high up onto the moor again with great views across the Severn Estuary to Wales where you can buy an ice cream from the van to enjoy the view, you may even spot an MRA sticker!
Back into the heart of Exmoor now and passing through the village of Simonsbath you'll have some great views across Brendon Common, the remotest part of Exmoor. A vast area of hills and bog and where Exmoor's two great rivers, the Exe and Barle are born. The route now drops down and heads through a deep wooded river valley passing the Rockford Inn. This is a very nice pub situated next to the beautiful East Lyn River. It's a very peaceful location and is a nice place for lunch or alternatively a 15 mins ride to Lynmouth for a lunch stop where there is more choice. Countisbury Hill leads you down to Lynmouth, this has to be one of the best coastal views in North Devon.
There is a funicular railway in Lynmouth that takes you up the cliff to the sister village of Lynton with it's own shops etc. Your bikes will be safe, why not have a ride, the view from the top is superb. A link to the cliff railway is below this review.
After lunch, the route visits the spectacular Valley of Rocks which lives up to it's name.
Fuel is available from Barbrook as you leave the West Lyn River behind you and head for the Heddon Valley, renowned for its natural environment which has been in the ownership of the National Trust since 1963. Turning back towards the start now and Wistlandpound Reservoir is next to see. Wistlandpound is a popular recreation area, with bird watching, trout fishing, as well as boating and nature walking among the most popular activities amongst visitors. Completed in 1956, the earth embankment reservoir holds up to 1,550 megalitres (341 million gallons) and covers an area of 40 acres (16ha). Across more open moorland now (look out for Exmoor Ponies) to the pretty village of Withypool, the tea room serves really good coffee and the bridge over the River Barle is very picturesque. This is a popular stop for motorcycles.
Next on this route is Tarr Steps; Tarr Steps is a 17 span clapper bridge; the term being derived from the Latin 'claperius', meaning 'pile of stones'. It is constructed entirely from large stone slabs and boulders, the longest of its kind in Britain.
From here the route comes down off of the moor and through the beautiful town of Dulverton following the River Barle at first and then the River Exe after they have merged at Exebridge and then it is back to the start at Tiverton.
This route has plenty of stunning views to see along the way as well as great roads to ride. I live in this area so I have made this route to show the best roads and scenery that Exmoor has to offer.