June 2021
Earlier that year I’d brought a new touring bike, and decided to go on a week long tour to give it a proper test. My Parents had just moved north of Bristol so it seemed appropriate to end with them. I wanted to explore more of Devon and the West Country, so developed a route that would skirt Dartmoor, go through Exmoor , the Somerset Levels and pass by Bristol where i could drop in on a friend.
A great time was had. Camping on Dartmoor is always rewarding, and the Tarka trail up to Barnstaple is cruisy fun. Exmoor has some punishing climbs, but makes it for it by feeling like your on the roof of the world. The descent down from Winsford hill in Dulverton is one for the bucket list. The flatness of the Sommerset levels is strange after.