
Round trip tour of Dartmoor from Exeter

This route was brought to you by:
RouteXpert Nick Carthew - (MRA Master)
Last edit: 04-03-2025
This is a local and regular ride for me and I have awarded 4**** stars because it has good roads, excellent scenery and very good attractions.
Animation
Verdict
Duration
7h 56m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
184.03 km
Countries


Dartmoor approaching Two Bridges b3357
Dartmoor National Park has no fuel stations so we start from Sainsbury’s Supermarket for fuel, there are more fuel stations on the return leg after visiting Louis Tea Room.
Wild, open moorlands and deep river valleys, with a rich history and rare wildlife, Dartmoor is a unique place.
This route soon heads into the beautiful Devon countryside, through narrow twisty lanes and onto 3 reservoirs and two dams. The open moorland which this route travels through is breathtaking but please be advised that there is a speed limit of 40mph (64kph) throughout the National Park to protect the livestock that freely roam.
For centuries the Dartmoor folklore and legends have encompassed tales of pixies, ghosts, witchcraft, weird happenings and a host of deep seated beliefs. These have been passed down through the generations via fireside stories, books, and local tradition all of which have played their part in keeping the tales alive today.
There can be no question that Dartmoor and its landscape has helped fire people’s beliefs and imagination. From the thick mists that suddenly appear and roll across the moor to the dark, bottomless mires and the craggy granite tors, each lends an air of mystery and magic, all ripe for associated legends and tales.
One of these legions is sited on a stretch of the B3212 between Post Bridge and Two Bridges known as The Hairy Hands! According to the story surrounding them, the Hairy Hands are a pair of disembodied hands that appear suddenly, grab at the steering wheel of a moving car or the handlebars of a motorcycle, and then force the victim off the road. In some cases the hands are described as being invisible.
In most instances, the victims ran into a verge and survived. Their experiences remained a local curiosity, until June 1921, when Dr. E.H. Helby, the medical officer for Dartmoor Prison, was killed when he lost control of his motorcycle combination. Two young girls, children of the prison governor, who had been riding in the sidecar, survived.
Several weeks after Dr Helby's death, there was another incident in which a coach driver lost control, injuring several passengers who were thrown out of their seats. Then, on 26 August 1921, an army Captain reported that a pair of invisible hands had taken hold of him and forced his motorcycle off the road, after which the story was picked up by newspapers in London and the story became known nationwide.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was said to have been inspired to write the Sherlock Holmes novel Hound of the Baskervilles from tales he heard about Dartmoor while staying at the Duchy Hotel in Princetown, which is now the High Moorland Visitor Centre.
Don't let this put you off the riding, the breathtakingly beautiful landscape that Dartmoor has on offer will soon clear your head of ghosts and ghouls.
There is a suggested lunch stop at Louis Tea Rooms, a well known biker stop. Another nice place for great food or a coffee stop is at the Café on the Green at Widecombe in the Moor. This route passes by some of the best sites and sights that Dartmoor has to offer and ends in Exeter at Bridge Motorcycle shop, main dealers for Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki and Triumph.
Enjoy.

Approaching Two Bridges

Near Postbridge
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Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.

South West
About this region
The points of the compass are an evenly spaced set of horizontal directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and geography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each separated by 90 degrees, and secondarily divided by four ordinal (intercardinal) directions—northeast, southeast, southwest, and northwest—each located halfway between two cardinal directions. Some disciplines such as meteorology and navigation further divide the compass with additional azimuths. Within European tradition, a fully defined compass has 32 'points' (and any finer subdivisions are described in fractions of points).Compass points are valuable in that they allow a user to refer to a specific azimuth in a colloquial fashion, without having to compute or remember degrees.
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Great 6 day tour of Wales
This collection of 6 routes all pass through at least 1 of the 3 spectacular national parks of Wales'. Each park is unique and individual and the landscapes vary from the vast, remote and wide open moorland of the Brecon Beacons to the rugged mountains and glistening lakes of Snowdonia and the spectacular coastline of the Pembrokeshire coast. Each is a delight to travel through and these routes will take you to some of the best beauty spots.
There are some great attractions to visit too, as well as having more than it's fair share of fantastic castles and historic buildings, there is the worlds fastest zip line, a balcony road used for world rally stages, mysterious caves and magical waterfalls and a museum of land speed records. All of these can be seen on the routes in this collection.
Although each route in this collection is a separate stand alone route, they will all link up seamlessly to make a 6 day tour that you will remember. The tour starts and ends in Gloucester which can be easily reached in a day from any of the Channel ports.
Enjoy Wales.
There are some great attractions to visit too, as well as having more than it's fair share of fantastic castles and historic buildings, there is the worlds fastest zip line, a balcony road used for world rally stages, mysterious caves and magical waterfalls and a museum of land speed records. All of these can be seen on the routes in this collection.
Although each route in this collection is a separate stand alone route, they will all link up seamlessly to make a 6 day tour that you will remember. The tour starts and ends in Gloucester which can be easily reached in a day from any of the Channel ports.
Enjoy Wales.
View Route Collection
6 Routes
1378.53 km
37h 35m
Top 10 Downloaded UK routes by RouteXpert Nick Carthew
Hello and welcome to this collection of the Top 10 MyRoute app downloaded routes in the UK.
There will be a great new event to be announced soon, where all these routes can be ridden.
Download them all now and place them in a new "Top 10" folder, so that you always have them at hand.
If you are going to drive one of these routes in the meantime, track them with the MRA Mobile App or with MRA Navigation. Take some photos (moments) along the way as these will come in handy.
Create a travelstory of your Top 10 driven routes and add the recorded track to it.
There will also be some great prizes on offer, so keep an eye on the MRA-RouteXperts page and your email.
There will be a great new event to be announced soon, where all these routes can be ridden.
Download them all now and place them in a new "Top 10" folder, so that you always have them at hand.
If you are going to drive one of these routes in the meantime, track them with the MRA Mobile App or with MRA Navigation. Take some photos (moments) along the way as these will come in handy.
Create a travelstory of your Top 10 driven routes and add the recorded track to it.
There will also be some great prizes on offer, so keep an eye on the MRA-RouteXperts page and your email.
View Route Collection
10 Routes
2909.66 km
86h 33m