In praise of cyclists who live in South Devon

[ColinJ]

A 1:50,000 map is your friend. Any road which is shown as a narrow yellow is likely to have this issue in a downhill direction. The 'Devon Banks' kill the sight lines and the roads are quite often that narrow that you can't rely on squeezing past a vehicle coming up. I tend to stay off them. The roads shown as wide yellow are fine: you can be confident that there'll be space to pass.

Last seen in February. Has been spotted in another place.

That will be helpful for my Devon explorations in the future. I usually 'Street view' new routes these days before riding them. I'll test your advice...

Q.E.D.!!

 

[slowmotion]

It's hard enough driving round there.

It's hard enough driving round there.

We rented a small place just north of Start Point last summer. Beautiful countryside but the lanes were hellish to drive on. I'm used to the sunken lanes of Cornwall but Devon seems to have forgotten about passing places. You have to back up an awfully long way when you meet some giant piece of agricultural machinery. I blame @mudsticks.

 

[mudsticks]

We rented a small place just north of Start Point last summer. Beautiful countryside but the lanes were hellish to drive on. I'm used to the sunken lanes of Cornwall but Devon seems to have forgotten about passing places. You have to back up an awfully long way when you meet some giant piece of agricultural machinery. I blame @mudsticks.

I've often said you should have to pass an extra 'reversing for half a mile' test before being allowed to drive in Devon and Cornwall.

(with a trailer mind)

But yes we do have interesting hills, and roads for cycling, very little you could call flat.

It's been suggested I'm giving myself a bit of a challenge by going off touring in Yorkshire or Scotland say, but as others have said, the hills in those places are arranged altogether more sensibly, than here.

Maybe its partly to do with patterns of land ownership, and field size here .

Traditionally there are more itty bitty farms down here, so the lanes just go between the holdings and thats that - gradient be damned.

Plus we don't get the same levels of snow and ice to impede winter progress.

Just mud, and sticks...

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Peak District varies. There are some steep hills but also plenty of gentle and easy ones like Snake Pass or Cat and Fiddle or Rushup Edge etc.

 

[Edwardoka]

We rented a small place just north of Start Point last summer. Beautiful countryside but the lanes were hellish to drive on. I'm used to the sunken lanes of Cornwall but Devon seems to have forgotten about passing places. You have to back up an awfully long way when you meet some giant piece of agricultural machinery. I blame @mudsticks.

Lovely area. I lived in the South Hams for a year, the coastal walk between Portlemouth and Prawle was stunning.
I should go back again sometime.
And yes, the lanes are a nightmare to cycle on. There is absolutely no need for those hedges

 

[Blue Hills]

Hedges are good.
Live with them.

 

[nickyboy]

Hedges are good.
Live with them.

They are. But if you'd asked me last week after a 28 mile/3600ft climbing ride full of tortuous descents, I'd have happily grubbed the lot out

 

[DCBassman]

It's largely why I tend to boringly stick to NCN27 and rarely use roads at all. I still have scars from meeting a tractor near Brentor...

 

[Sniper68]

I found the same around North Devon.Some brutal climbs but it's the fact the hedges obscure your view making the descents a bit nervy.I think we're a bit spoiled up North.
Cornwall is similar.I have a cousin who lives between Sennen and Lands End and the speed he drives around the tiny little back-wacks is scary

 

[Ian H]

...You have to back up an awfully long way when you meet some giant piece of agricultural machinery. I blame @mudsticks.

I have no idea how, but when driving I seem to have developed the knack of nearly always meeting oncoming traffic at a passing spot.

I'm just back from pedalling West Wales hills: not much different from Devon.

 

[mudsticks]

I found the same around North Devon.Some brutal climbs but it's the fact the hedges obscure your view making the descents a bit nervy.I think we're a bit spoiled up North.
Cornwall is similar.I have a cousin who lives between Sennen and Lands End and the speed he drives around the tiny little back-wacks is scary

You are lucky up North..

You have no idea how spoilt you are

It's one reason, aside from novelty, cheaper price and warm hospitality, that I tend to come there for my cycling holibobs

 

[Blue Hills]

They are. But if you'd asked me last week after a 28 mile/3600ft climbing ride full of tortuous descents, I'd have happily grubbed the lot out

much in the way of gravel? Worries my more than anything on windy descents.

 

[nickyboy]

much in the way of gravel? Worries my more than anything on windy descents.

No, but plenty of mud. Fair play to those living there for whom these are the regular cycling roads. I enjoyed the challenge but they weren't very relaxing. I guess in Summer the road surfaces are better but there's a lot more traffic to contend with

 

[itboffin]

I ventured down to Minehead this year after our trip to France was cancelled for a second time we stayed here https://www.stepsfarmhouse.co.uk/ which i highly recommend, they could not have been more friendly and cyclists to boot.

We did a few days of some of the most brutal climbing i've ever done in any country, we might not have the mountains in the SW but we can sure make up for it with punchy hills. I set a new 20 min FTP and came super close to getting off and walking, which would have been quicker

 

[Dave 123]

I didn't mind the climbs. They're shorter but steeper than I'm used to but they were manageable. The pain was the descents. In the Peaks they tend to be a bit shallower but most importantly they have decent sight lines. Those Devon unclassified lanes are a nightmare; steep descents and no idea what's round the corner

I even got off the bike and walked the last bit of a descent as it was 25% and ended in a T junction that I couldn't see. I had visions of being unable to stop and careering into a tractor at the bottom

I ended up in hospital the other week after a slight incident on a blind, south Devon decent. Steep, gravel in the road and a diesel spill!

Luckily I came away with a slight cut to the outside of my left finger after being wedged between car and hedge bank.
By the next day my nail was black, and the nurse got her special burning needle gun and released the pressure. A very slight injury that hurt like buggery!