DayCycle – Stover Trail & Wray Valley Trail

Stover & Wray Valley Trails cycle route overall rating: ⭐⭐⭐

The Stover Trail links Newton Abbott with Bovey Tracey, mostly traffic-free, or on very quiet lanes. The Wray Valley Trail links Bovey Tracey with Moreton Hampstead, again either traffic-free, or on normally very quiet lanes. It therefore makes sense to do a single route guide that covers both trails. Significant sections of both trails are built on disused railways.

Do note that, though the Stover Trail to Bovey Tracey is quite flat, the Wray Valley Trail from Bovey Tracey to Moretonhampstead is fairly hilly. Near the village of Lustleigh it’s not uncommon to see people walking their bikes. The total route distance is 14 miles each way.

Surface on the Stover & Wray Valley Trails

The surface varies significantly. Setting off from Newton Abbott is mainly on tar, but even that varies. The first traffic-free segment of the Stover Trail has rough tar, and ground slips made it uneven. Later, the route alternates between self-compacting gravel, or tar.

Refreshments

There are various refreshment options in Newton Abbott. As you leave Newton Abbott, the route passes by the MT Tums café, and there’s a tea room a little further, on the old canal.
In Bovey Tracey there are a number of cafés, and there is a pub and some cafés in Moretonhampstead.
Sadly, the café at Dartmoor Bike Hire has closed.

Bikes

Most standard bikes will be fine on this route. Up to Bovey Tracey, trikes and cargo bikes can use the route, too. In Bovey Tracey the route goes through a park and most trikes or cargo bikes will get stuck.
However, it is possible to ride around the park on the roads, and rejoin the route that way.

Toilets

There are toilets at Newton Abbott train station, then again in Bovey Tracey, and finally, also in Moretonhampstead.

Points of Interest

Shortly after leaving Newton Abbott, the Stover Trail goes right past the remains of a granite tramway, which used to run all the way to Haytor, on Dartmoor.

Routes in Devon

Barriers

There are no A-frame barriers along this route. There are however bollards in some places, and in Bovey Tracey there is a stone gateway that is very narrow.

Cycle Hire

You can hire bikes from Dartmoor Bike Hire, in Moretonhampstead, but do call first.

Ratings

Safety: ⭐⭐⭐
Hilliness: ⭐⭐
Refreshment stops: ⭐⭐
Barriers: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Surface: ⭐⭐⭐

Overall: ⭐⭐⭐

The grading system I use is explained here.

Paying the rent

This site is supported by ads. Please turn your adblocker off for me? Also, when you see an ad that interests you, consider clicking it? Supporting the advertisers in turn supports this site. Please don’t simply blindly click ads though?

Weather forecast for the Stover & Wray Trails

What the Stover & Wray Trails look like

Moreton7
Moreton6
Moreton4
Moreton3
Moreton5
previous arrowprevious arrow
next arrownext arrow
Shadow

Getting to the Stover & Wray Trails

The route as shown on the map below starts at Newton Abbott station, so you can easily get to the start car-free, by taking your bike on the train. As ever, read my Bikes On Trains guide for useful and helpful tips for taking your bike on the train.

If driving, you have the option of parking near the MT Tums café, park on the north side of the bridge over the A38, park in Bovey Tracey, or in Moretonhampstead.

More Routes

To find more routes, click this link.

DayCycle

DayCycle routes are routes that can can easily be cycled by most people in a day, or part of a day. Do have a look at all the other DayCycle routes available on WillCycle. Many contain detailed route guides, as well as embedded maps (like the one below).

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.