Cycling the Tarka Trail, Devon - day 2

Today was misty and damp to start with – but we were not put off our cycling mission!
We had survived our first night at Bideford Park Resort – a beautifully sited place, if not quite my idea of bliss... definitely a no frills stay for us, but probably great if you have young kids and good weather!

We set off to Puffing Billy in Torrington intending to cycle to Meeth – the end of the Tarka trail for bikes, as far as I can tell. The journey to Torrington was a proper trip into deepest Devon. We weaved our way through tiny winding narrow lanes with huge hedges, up hill and down dale; over streams and rivers which were all in spate after days (or maybe weeks) of rain, rain and more rain. The Torridge looked beautiful, cascading over rocks as we drove through steep green embankments, with pine and other trees managing to grow vertically to form a high canopy, when they looked as if they should be sliding off the sides onto the road below.

Puffing Billy is a pub on the site of Torrington Station. The station platform remains, but the track is now dedicated to cyclists and walkers and there is a bike hire company and cafe on site too. although we had our own bikes,

The map said it was 11 miles from Torrington to Meeth – so 22 miles return. Easy peasy. But, I’d not taken account of the gradient. I’d just assumed it would be largely flat – but no – it was a gentle persistent climb for the first 5 miles until it reached a peak, marked by a sign and sculpture, of 128 m above sea level. I’d been assuming train journeys were all flat... silly me. However, starting at Puffing Billy is a much better option than starting at Meeth as there are more uphill bits going out than coming back (if you get my drift).

But, it was a wonderful ride. Setting off we soon passed over an iron bridge and then entered some deep dark woodlands, real Tarka country, where you might see an otter if you’re very lucky and very patient as the streams ran parallel to the cycle path.

Look out for the wonderful sculptures on the trail – good opportunities to stop and have a breather. We met very few people on our trip and some of those seemed a little wooden...

 We arrived in Meeth just in time for lunch.  Wasn't that lucky!  The trail sort of fades away and there are no banners or fanfares to congratulate you or welcome you to the end of the line.  However, is a sign for a nearby pub - up a hill (of course) on the road, so we followed that and found ourselves at The Bull and Dragon.  This turned out to be a good friendly pub with tasty food - we had ploughman's with a huge chunk of mature cheddar, fresh bread and homemade chutney.
They also laid on entertainment for us: one of the more colourful drinkers in the pub suddenly vanished just as a woman stormed in the door.  "Have you seen him?" she yelled.  "I'll kill him if he's here...".  The other drinkers shook their heads and after a bit she disappeared driving off in her car, narrowly avoiding some cyclists.  A minute later the guy appeared again - he'd been hiding behind the curtains apparently!  It all happens in Meeth!

The cycle back was lovely - especially the last 5 miles - downhill all the way.  Because it was soggy underfoot I was completely splattered with mud from head to toe - and it felt good!
That evening we went to the Hoops Inn on the main Clovelly to Bideford road and again had a fantastic meal from a vary long and varied menu.

Good night out, but guess who was driving?