Traffic-free Cycling Routes in Devon

Here are quite a number of highly-detailed route guides for stunning, traffic-free cycle routes in Devon. Though Devon is a county renowned for its hills, many of these routes are surprisingly flat.

The list below are all the traffic-free cycling routes I published highly-detailed route guides for. My route guides rate a route for things like the surface, availability of refreshment stops, safety (especially for younger children) and more, so from the outset you have a clear idea what to expect.

More than that, my route guides give you a weather forecast, and interactive map (from where you can download a GPX of the route) and much more!

Even better, I have lots of other, similar route guides available for other counties, too, so you have no excuse not to go exploring!

The traffic-free cycle routes

  • Tarka Trail – Barnstaple to Braunton
    The Tarka Trail is simply stunning, and this section is exceptional, in so many ways. With glorious views over the incredible Taw and Torridge estuary, the route offers waterside tranquillity, mixed with rural, traffic-free bliss, along a disused railway. There are a number of cafés along the route, from the start at the Barnstaple train … Read more
  • Tarka Trail – Ilfracombe to Willingcott
    The Tarka Trail offers some of the very best traffic-free cycling available in the UK. This 3.5 mile segment is disconnected from the rest of the Tarka Trail though. Starting adjacent to the site of the old Ilfracombe railway station, the route follows the track of the old Ilfracombe branch of the London & South … Read more
  • The Wray Valley Trail
    The Wray Valley Trail cycle route overall rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) The Wray Valley Trail links Bovey Tracey with Moretonhampstead, with much of the route along a disused railway line. The route takes it’s name from the Wray Valley, through which … Read more
  • The view along the Dart Valley Cycleway
    Dart Valley Cycleway
    Dart Valley Cycleway cycle route overall rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) This 6.3 mile route is gorgeous, and will make a great day out, but is quite a mix. From the outset, you need to understand that the entire route isn’t traffic-free. … Read more
  • Exmouth to Budleigh Salterton
    Exmouth to Budleigh Salterton cycle route overall rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) The Exmouth to Budleigh Salterton cycle route runs for 5.6 miles, from Exmouth train station to Budleigh Salterton, mostly along a disused railway line. There is a short on-road section … Read more
  • The Exe Estuary cycle route to Exmouth
    Exe Estuary cycle route overall rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) The Exe Estuary trail is stunning, and mostly traffic-free, with some on-road sections. This 13-mile, mostly traffic-free cycle route is on the northern side of the estuary, leading to Exmouth. Especially in … Read more
  • Nun’s Cross Trail cycle route
    Nun’s Cross Trail cycle route overall rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) Nun’s Cross Trail runs from Norsworthy Bridge, Burrator to Princetown, 4.5 miles away. It is graded as a Red route, because there is a stretch where you’ll be riding uphill, over … Read more
  • Princetown Railway traffic-free cycle route
    Princetown Railway cycle route overall rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) The Princetown Railway used to run from Plymouth to Princetown. The route that’s described here starts in Princetown and heads to Burrator Reservoir. It is possible to make it an almost entirely … Read more
  • Saltram Loop traffic-free cycle route
    Saltram Loop Cycle Route Overall Rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) The Saltram Loop is a six mile, practically completely traffic-free circular route in Plymouth. It runs right through the Saltram Estate, using part of NCN 27, and is suitable for cycling with … Read more
  • DayCycle – Tarka Trail
    Tarka Trail cycle route overall rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) The Tarka Trail in North Devon follows a disused railway that once linked Barnstaple to Hatherleigh, and onwards. It’s a very well-known traffic-free route, set in a stunning natural environment. The trail … Read more
  • Family-friendly Cycling On The Granite Way
    The Granite Way is a stunning, traffic-free shared path that follows a disused railway, high up on Dartmoor. Skirting the high moor, it runs for 8.68 miles, from Okehampton to Lydford. It also forms part of the Devon Coast To Coast route. Built on the track bed of the old London And South Western Railway … Read more
  • DayCycle – A Redlake adventure
    20 miles there and back, mostly gravel This route incorporates a significant amount of gravel riding. Not quite extreme off-road, but certainly not easy riding all the way. Gravel riding, especially when carrying luggage on the bike, is considerably slower than riding on tar, and although the Redlake route isn’t particularly long, it’s equally suited … Read more
  • DayCycle – Grand Western Canal
    Grand Western Canal cycle route overall rating: (Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of) The Grand Western Canal was originally intended as part of a far larger canal network, to create a canal link to the English Channel. Only part of the canal survives, and … Read more
  • DayCycle – Dawlish to Exeter St Davids
    Dawlish to Exeter cycle route overall rating: B3⭐⭐⭐⭐ If you’re looking for a stunning day out, this is the route for you. At 14 miles in length, it offers spectacular sea views, quaint waterside villages, and even canalside cycling. Overall, the route is very flat, but it does have a section that tops out at … Read more
  • Family-friendly Cycling on Drake’s Trail
    Drake’s Trail starts in Plymouth and at first mostly follows the course of the river Plym, eventually leading to Clearbrook, which is a village on the edge of Dartmoor. From Clearbrook, Drake’s Trail leads through Yelverton, on to the town of Tavistock, 19 miles later. Most of the route is built on a disused railway … Read more