Devon & Somerset Explorer Tour

This B&B-arrangement is set up for the ultimate lovers of the great outdoors. You not only cycle Devon Coast to Coast, but also walk 4 days in Exmoor National Park on the South West Coast Path. You can also take on some serious surfing on the Atlantic beach of Woolacombe. To get in the right frame of mind for all this great exploration the tour starts off with a journey by steam on the West Somerset Railway between Taunton and Minehead! Note this tour will not be for everyone, as serious walking and cycling will absorb most of your holiday time.

Tour Summary:

The arrangement starts on any Saturday with B&B accommodation in Taunton within easy reach of the station. You can check in from 4 pm onwards. The next morning you will be transferred by taxi to Bishops Lydeard, just outside Taunton. This is where you embark on your steam railway adventure to Minehead. The journey of nearly 22 miles lasts about an hour and offers great views of the Quantock and Brendon Hills and the North Somerset Coast.

Minehead station will be bursting of activity on arrival, as the railway is extremely popular among steam train enthusiasts. Have a lunch on the promenade and browse the shops before starting your walk on the South West Coast Path. Soon you will be out there on your own, climbing and descending, enjoying peace and quiet and the breathtaking views across the Bristol Channel. On clear days, the Welsh coastline is an easy sight as well. The walk to the village of Porlock should take you about 4 hours. This is where you stay on Sunday night.

On Monday morning we recommend to stock up on outdoors food and drinks, as you will be on your own from the moment you walk into Exmoor National Park for the rest of the day. The South West Coast Path takes you over England's highest cliffs, rising to 430 metres above sea level. Foreland Point is the most prominent landmark on your walk to Lynton, which will take you 7 to 8 hours to complete. Just before Lynton is Lynmouth and you can take the cliff railway to bridge the difference in height between the two towns. Lynton is the location of your B&B on Monday night.

The next day another 7 to 8 hour walk is awaiting you. This section is the most remote part of the Exmoor section of the South West Coast Path, although there will be a fair amount of walkers at the beautiful Valley of Rocks just beyond Lynton. You won't be able to buy any food or drinks until you arrive in Combe Martin, your Tuesday destination.

Wednesday brings you the last day of walking and although the day distance is much the same, the surroundings feel slightly more inhabited compared to what you have got used to! It is only a 3 hour walk to the Victorian seaside resort of Ilfracombe. Halfway you also pass Watermouth Castle, a beautiful building in a fabulous spot, but now in use as a children's amusement park. Ilfracombe itself has a scenic harbour and is the obvious spot to have a lunch break. The afternoon should be reserved for the final 4 hour walk on the coast path along Morte Point. This impressive headland indicates the end of Exmoor's wild North Coast and the beginning of North Devon's Atlantic coast. Woolacombe sands is just around the corner of the dramatic cliff with Woolacombe being the perfect finish to your 4 day walk!

Woolacombe is a great place to have a break. The beach is stunning and we can recommend enjoying an extra night of accommodation here. This gives you plenty of time to take a surfing session, which is an optional extra. Also if you only stay in Woolacombe for one night, you'll have some time to spare here, as the travel requirements for the next day are limited to a 2 hour "warm up" bike ride to Barnstaple. Your rental bike will be supplied to you at the B&B on the morning of your departure. Barnstaple is an important regional shopping and trading centre, which is reflected in the long High Street and its historic Pannier Market.

The next day you really get going with your Devon Coast to Coast. You cycle on the traffic-free Tarka Trail along the wide Taw estuary and hit the North Devon Coast once more at Instow beach. From there, you start heading inland via pretty Bideford and its busy quay on the beautiful Torridge river. From here, the dismantled railway route criss-crosses the river several times and you also cycle through a former railway tunnel. It doesn't take long before you get the feeling you are away from it all. Beyond Petersmarland you follow a route by quiet country lanes leading through the town of Hatherleigh and Abbeyford Forest. This section is the most demanding of the whole route, but you will be rewarded for your efforts with great views over the town of Okehampton and Dartmoor National Park.

The next day the dismantled railway route Granite Way guides you across some impressive railway viaducts, offering you further superb views of Dartmoor without any serious climbing to take in. A bit further down the route castle enthusiasts will be satisfied by the still standing Lydford Castle before arriving in Tavistock. This touristy place filled with plenty of shopping opportunities is the birth place of Sir Francis Drake and you won't be surprised to hear that the route now continues via the Drake's Trail, a combination of cycle paths on dismantled railway sections and scenic country lanes. The final section of the route is the dismantled railway route Plym Valley Trail, leading you through a wooded valley to Plymouth Hoe, the pleasant old part of Plymouth, located on a pretty bay along the English Channel!

Your B&B accommodation is within walking distance of the city, old harbour and seafront. It also has a licensed bar, offering plenty of opportunities to celebrate the near-completion of your explorations! Bikes will be collected from the Plymouth B&B from 5 pm onwards, so make sure you finish the ride on time. The next morning we will transfer you by taxi to Plymouth's station. The two hour train ride from Plymouth back to Taunton includes the famous scenic section between Newton Abbot and Exeter, where the railway line is right next to the sea. The arrangement finishes around noon when the train arrives at Taunton station.

Check your Cycling and Walking Profile:

You have to be very fit to embark on this journey and you have to enjoy walking as much as cycling. The South West Coast Path can be an isolated place with sometimes strenuous conditions. Most of the days you have to walk 7 to 8 hours and you'll pass high cliffs and very deep drops, not so good if you have a fear of heights. Although you'll encounter other people on this popular walk you have to take your own safety seriously. You have your own responsibility to bring adequate provisions and clothes for any weather conditions, even on a sunny day. Also be aware that your mobile phone probably won't pick up a signal whilst walking below the cliff's face.

Regarding the Devon Coast to Coast you have to be prepared to cycle 5 hours a day for two days in a row. Most of the route is on traffic-free paths along the courses of dismantled railways without steep gradients. However, the links between these paths are made by quiet country lanes on which you will encounter both very steep climbs and steep descents. These stretches are not characteristic for the whole route and again, most of the time you will be cycling on reasonably flat cycle ways.

The Tour is open to children providing they have the physical and mental strength to deal with the mileage and conditions as described. Of course they must be very keen to walk and to cycle and they should be supervised by an adult at all times. We also expect them to be able to cycle according the Bikeability Level 2 of the National Standard. If you are unsure, please contact us.

Estimated walking and cycling times (estimated at easy pace):
Saturday: Arrival in Taunton
Sunday: Transfer Taunton-Minehead & Minehead-Porlock: 4 hours (walking)
Monday: Porlock - Lynton: 7-8 hours (walking)
Tuesday: Lynton - Combe Martin: 7-8 hours (walking)
Wednesday: Combe Martin - Woolacombe: 7 hours (walking)
Thursday: Woolacombe - Barnstaple: 2 hours (cycling)
Friday: Barnstaple - Okehampton: 5 hours (cycling)
Saturday: Okehampton - Plymouth: 5 hours (cycling)
Sunday: Transfer Plymouth - Taunton

It is possible to extend this arrangement with an extra overnight stay at Woolacombe. In this way you'll have a full day for surfing sessions or a break at the beach! In this case the rest of the itinerary will be "delayed" by one day, so you'll finish the arrangement on Monday instead of Sunday.

For reasons of logistics you can't use your own bicycle on this arrangement. Therefore charges for rental bikes are included in the basic price. Our bike hire partner has aluminum frame comfort bikes available with semi-slick tyres, ideal for off-road and on-road usage. All rental bikes have at least 18 gears, mud guards and luggage racks are fitted for your convenience. The use of a helmet is also included in the basic price.

Prices:

Booking for 1 person: £ 869
Booking for 2 people: £ 599 per person
Booking for 3 people: £ 579 per person
Booking for 4 people: £ 559 per person
Booking for 5 people: £ 539 per person

Prices are based on people sharing rooms. On a booking for 3 people or more we expect at least 2 people sharing a double bed.

Included are::
- 8 nights Bed & Breakfast accommodation
- Route Book and maps
- Train tickets for steam service Bishops Lydeard-Minehead and service Plymouth-Taunton (*)
- Taxi ride Taunton-Bishops Lydeard and taxi ride in Plymouth from B&B to the station
- Bicycle Rental for 3 days with delivery and pick up service at your B&B accommodations
- High visibility vests
- Emergency assistance when required
- VAT

Not included are:
- Entrance fees for museums and attractions
- Lunch / Dinner / Additional Drinks and Snacks
- The return journey between your home and Taunton
- Luggage transport between accommodations
- Surf sessions in Woolacombe
- All extra costs related to emergency assistance
- Travel and Cancellation Insurances

(*) Our train tickets don't include a seat reservation. West Somerset Railways reserve the right to replace their scheduled steam service for a diesel service if necessary.

Prices Optional Extras

Daily Luggage Transport:
Booking for 1 person: £ 359
Booking for 2 people: £ 179 per person
Booking for 3 people: £ 119 per person
Booking for 4 people: £ 89 per person
Booking for 5 people: £ 72 per person

Note daily luggage transport is only offered between accommodations. On the train ride from Plymouth to Taunton you take care of all your belongings yourself.

Smart Luggage Transport:
Booking for 1 person: £ 100
Booking for 2 people: £ 50 per person
Booking for 3 people: £ 33 per person
Booking for 4 people: £ 25 per person
Booking for 5 people: £ 20 per person

The Smart Luggage Transport Service offers you the opportunity to switch bags and contents halfway through the arrangement in Woolacombe at the walking to cycling switch. It works as follows: On arrival in Taunton you prepare two bags. The first bag is a backpack or rucksack to bring on your four day walk, carrying all you need to make it to Woolacombe. In the second bag you pack the things you would like to use on your 3 day bike ride. We will collect this second bag from the Taunton B&B and keep it in storage until you arrive in Woolacombe where we return it to you. During your stay in Woolacombe you have time to repack your bags, so you can present us a bag for storage again on the morning we bring you your rental bike. The contents of the bag that you keep yourself should carry all you need to make it to Plymouth. This bag should be suitable to be carried on a bicycle. We advise you not to carry big backpacks or rucksacks whilst cycling, as this is very uncomfortable. We offer you pannier bag rental for your cycling days for an additional £ 15 for a set of two quality bags. When we collect the rental bike (and panniers) in Plymouth we will also return your second bag to you. For more information please contact us.

Extra night accommodation in Woolacombe:
Booking for 1 person: £50
Booking for 2 people or more: £40 per person
Prices are based on people sharing rooms. On a booking for 3 people or more we expect at least 2 people to be sharing a double bed.

Surfing session in Woolacombe:
We can book you in for a surfing session at a professional surf school in Woolacombe. The group lessons take approximately 2 hours. You will be supplied with a wetsuit, surfboard and other essentials. Costs are £30 per person. If you want to do surfing on your own and only want to rent equipment please make arrangements with the surf school directly.

Travel Information:

By train: We recommend you travel to Taunton by train. First Great Western runs a direct link with London Paddington and the journey time is approximately 2 hr 15 minutes. Cross Country Trains also serves Taunton Station with a good connection to Birmingham and beyond.

By plane: If you travel from further afield, Exeter Airport is the airport to fly to. The airport is a major hub of carrier FlyBe. Travel by bus or taxi from the airport to Exeter St. Davids Station, journey time is approximately 30 minutes. From there you take the train to Taunton. Note we can supply you with two single tickets, one from Exeter St Davids to Taunton at the beginning of your tour and one from Plymouth to Exeter St Davids at the end of your tour. Let us know when making your booking. This won't affect the total price of the arrangement.

By car: Taunton is located on the M5-corridor. Travelling by car might be convenient, but be advised that the streets around our B&B accommodation in Taunton have parking regulations in place. Free on-road parking at your own risk is available about half a mile away from the B&B. The B&B owners will probably help to accommodate your parking requirements, but they are not obliged to let you use their car park when you are not longer staying with them.