Tankbag tour: Torquay
A cracking day out in the glorious West Country
THE WEST COUNTRY sometimes gets a hard time from bikers who think it’s all congestion, caravans and crowds of cream-tea scoffing tourists. In fact, it’s a fabulous place to ride a bike. The weather in summer is some of the best in the British Isles, the scenery is wonderful and varied, there are loads of charming villages and seaside towns to visit and, because tourism is big business in summer, the facilities are great for visiting riders.
The secret to getting the best from the West Country is to head there a little out of season, ideally before the schools break up, when the roads are quieter. That means a visit in early June’s ideal. This one-day loop heads out from the Devon Riviera town of Torquay to the picture-postcard Cornish fishing village of Fowey, with a healthy dose of sublime riding across the wild and beautiful Dartmoor and through the quieter corners of the countryside.
STAGE ONE Torquay to Yelverton 35 miles
From Torquay, take the A3022 to Paignton and cross the town centre following signs for Totnes, picking up the A385 near Paignton Zoo. Follow this road all the way through Totnes until you get to the mini-roundabout on the outskirts of Dartington. Turn right here on the A384 to Ashburton. Cross the A38 and take the first right to Ashburton. At the end of the road, turn left by the garage and follow the road all the way to Dartmeet (where it becomes the B3357). After crossing the second bridge at Two Bridges, out on the moor, take the left-hand fork for the B3212 to Princetown and carry on to Yelverton.
Morning coffee: Vieira’s Café On the left as you approach the Yelverton roundabout is Vieira’s Café and Bistro, which does a great line in good-value, all-day breakfasts. There’s plenty of parking too. https://vieiraseatery.co.uk
STAGE TWO Yelverton to Fowey 50 miles
From Yelverton, take the A386 to Plymouth and head for the city centre to pick up the A38 towards Liskeard. Cross the River Tamar into Cornwall. At the Trerulefoot roundabout, turn left on the A374 to Looe. After a mile, turn right on the A387 to Looe and don’t turn off it (even when the A387 peels off to the right). At the end of the road, turn left into Looe – on the A387 – again and cross the river. After two-and-a-half
miles, turn right on the B3359 to Lostwithiel. When it meets the A390, turn left towards St Austell. About a mile outside Lostwithiel, turn left on the B3269 to Fowey.
Lunch: Sam’s The trick with visiting Fowey is getting a parking space. We’d stop in one of the car parks and walk in. Plenty of options for lunch but we like Sam’s on the high street: a bit different to standard fish and chips. https://samscornwall.co.uk
STAGE THREE Fowey to Tavistock 50 miles
Leave Fowey the way you came in and, at the roundabout on the outskirts of the village, pick up the A3082 to St Austell. When the road reaches a T-junction, turn left to stay on the A3082, still heading towards St Austell. Turn left at the A390 roundabout and, 100m later, turn right on the A391. Stay on this road all the way to Bodmin. At the roundabout for the A30, head right on the bypass towards Liskeard. Get off at the first exit, picking up the A38 and taking it all the way to Liskeard. At the Island Shop junction, on the Liskeard bypass, leave the A38 for the A390 to Tavistock. When you get there, follow signs for the town centre and Okehampton (A386).
Afternoon coffee: Café Liason There are plenty of nice cafes in Tavistock: we like Café Liason, in the pedestrianised street behind the church.
STAGE FOUR Tavistock to Torquay 40 miles
From Tavistock centre take the A386 towards Okehampton. Cross the river and pick up the B3357 to Princetown. It forks when it’s on the moors – turn right if you want to visit the prison museum, but otherwise carry straight on to Two Bridges. You came this way earlier – but rather than retracing your steps, take the left-turn for the B3212 to Moretonhampstead. At the crossroads in town, turn right on the A382 to Bovey Tracey. Stay on this road all the way through Newton Abbot to pick up the A380 to return to Torquay.