When I set off down the Tamar Valley Tamar Trails on my bike one fine spring afternoon I had no real idea of what sort of a ride I was going to have. The pleasant surprise I got has given me a fresh enthusiasm for the Valley as a cycling destination.
The first aspect of the trails that really grabbed me as I struck off down the Valley was the sheer beauty of the tree lined tracks. Deciduous trees shaped by the wind provide a perfect bluff for the tracks, sheltering you from the worst of any weather mother nature might throw at you. They also have that unmistakable “Dartmoor” feel. Covered in a velvet layer of emerald moss and with that stance that causes the tree’s in this area to take on an almost an ethereal quality.
As I cycled further in to the trail it became quite apparent that this was not just simply the pan flat featureless track that I had first envisaged. The trails constantly lose and gain height and some parts have a lovely flow to them that carry’s you along. Changes in surface are fairly constant too and although the trails never become ‘singletrack’ they were no less enjoyable.
The tyre tracks I was following told me that I was not the only one who had taken to these trails that day and as I swooped through the forest glimpsing dramatic vista’s of the valley through the tree’s I felt like I had ‘discovered’ something.
Retracing my tyre tracks I crossed over the road to pick up some of the trails that loop around Devon Great Consols site and in to Blanchdown Woods. Once again I found myself on fire roads ‘with a twist’.
The tracks are far from pan flat and although always fairly wide the terrain under your wheels on some of the Blanchdown sections is still challenging enough for even a seasoned mountain biker. All the while you are reminded that you are in a stunningly beautiful part of the world. Tree lined bends in the track open out in to quite breathtaking views. History and nature is all around you and the more strait forward sections of trail really let you take it all in and appreciate just where you are riding.
As I wended my way back to the Sawmills car park for a well earned cuppa at the Treesurfers Café I really felt like I had discovered a hidden gem not really on most ‘off road’ cyclists radar yet. These trails are perfect for so many different types of rider. A novice could happily manage most of these tracks but the seasoned friend who had taken them out to introduce them to the pleasures of traffic free riding would also have a fantastic time hooning about and enjoying the vista. These trails have a rare quality in that you don’t have to be accomplished to ride them but if you are you will still find immense enjoyment in them.
Please remember these trails are multi use, look out for walkers and horse riders at all times. But most of all enjoy them I did!
