Route Overview
| Distance | 8.63 miles, of which some 200 metres are on a bumpy, narrow, permissive path |
|---|---|
| Surface | Tarred throughout, except for the 200 metres permissive path in the middle. |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Child-Friendliness | ✅ Very child-friendly |
| Suitable Bikes | Anything (including trikes) |
| Barriers | There are no barriers along the route, though there are several gates. The gravel section, along the permissive path, would be difficult for trikes. |
| Café / Food | Avoid the station café, and instead go to the Youth Hostel café, on the opposite side of the tracks, as they serve far better coffee. You can also have coffee at Devon Cycle Hire (on the trail) and again at the Castle Inn, Lydford. |
| Train Access | You can get to the start of the route by train, changing at Exeter St David's. |
| Parking | There a pay & display car park at Okehampton station, and limited parking at the Youth Hostel Café (including a single EV charging point). |
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 (LSWR), much of the route showcases extreme Victorian ingenuity, none more so than the stunning Meldon Viaduct.
When you get to an odd arrangement of railway sleepers to the right, you will be at the site of the old Meldon Junction, where the long-lost branch line to Bude, Cornwall, used to veer off. The Granite Way continues along the old track bed that used to run all the way, through Tavistock, to Plymouth. The traffic-free path itself ends on the edge of Lydford.
The Granite Way cycle route overall rating:
(Colour explanation: blue = good, yellow indicates some warning, and red indicates issues to be aware of)
Surface on the Granite Way
The surface is very good, except for a short (around 200 metres) permissive path in the middle, where suddenly it becomes a rough single-track.
Refreshments
Your options for refreshments are limited to the café at Okehampton station, the café across the tracks, by the Youth Hostel, Devon Cycle Hire, and the Castle Inn, in Lydford.
However convenient it might seem, the coffee at the station café isn’t very good at all, and a far better cup is served at the Youth Hostel café.
Bikes
Most bikes can use the route, but trikes and most cargo bikes will struggle. If you’re happy to turn back at the rough, single-track section, trikes will be fine, provided you accessed the Granite Way from Sourton. Doing so means you will avoid the gates and sharp turns at either end of the tunnel under the A30.
Toilets
There are toilets at Okehampton train station, at Devon Cycle Hire (Sourton) and again in Lydford, opposite the Castle Inn. In between, you’d need to leave the trail if you wanted to access toilets, at the Pump and Pedal, in Sourton.
Hilliness
The route is mostly flat.
Safety from traffic
Except for a very short on-road section at the start, and a longer on-road section through the village of Lydford, the route is completely traffic-free.
Points of Interest
Okehampton Castle is worth visiting, as is The Highwayman Inn (slightly off-trail) – supposedly England’s most haunted pub, and certainly extremely unusual. To get to the Highwayman, turn right on the lane leading off by the church. It is well worth the diversion!
Of course, Lydford Castle (and the ruins behind it) is worth a visit, too.
Routes in Devon
- Dart Valley Cycleway
- Exmouth to Budleigh Salterton
- The Exe Estuary cycle route to Exmouth
- Nun’s Cross Trail cycle route
- Princetown Railway traffic-free cycle route
- Saltram Loop traffic-free cycle route
- DayCycle – Tarka Trail
- Family-friendly Cycling On The Granite Way
- DayCycle – A Redlake adventure
- DayCycle – Grand Western Canal
- DayCycle – Stover Trail & Wray Valley Trail
- DayCycle – Dawlish to Exeter St Davids
- Family-friendly Cycling on Drake’s Trail
Barriers
There are no barriers along the route, but there are several gates. Also, the single-track section in the middle would likely prevent trikes or most cargo bikes from getting through.
Cycle Hire
You can hire bicycles from Devon Cycle Hire, Sourton, or from Granite Way Cycle Hire, opposite Okehampton station.
Child friendliness
Even very young children will enjoy almost all of the Granite Way.
Social safety
Much of the route is very remote and isolated. However, during summer, especially over weekends, the route can be fairly busy with people.
Weather forecast for the Granite Way
What the Granite Way looks like
This video of the Granite Way is set to play at four times normal speed.
Getting to the Granite Way
Thanks to the Dartmoor Line, between Exeter and Okehampton, re-opening to regular passenger trains, you can get yourself and your bike to Okehampton, and the start of the route, by train. Just be sure to read my Bikes and Trains post first!
Parking near the Granite Way
There is a pay and display car park at Okehampton train station, and a single electric charging point at the Granite Way Cycles building (The Goods Shed, The Youth Hostel, Klondyke Rd, Okehampton EX20 1EW), opposite the tracks from the train station.
Additionally, you can park in Sourton, at Devon Cycle Hire (Sourton Down, EX20 4HR), or in Lydford (School Rd, Lydford, EX20 4AT)
More Routes
To find more routes, click this link.
DayCycle
DayCycle routes are routes that can can easily be cycled by most people in a day, or part of a day. Do have a look at all the other DayCycle routes available on WillCycle.
The Granite Way interactive map
You can download the GPX file from the map below, simply by clicking the GPX button. Hovering over the elevation profile will show the elevation for that point along the route, in both metres and feet. It will also show the gradient.
If viewing the map on your phone, you will also see a Navigate and Record Route button, below the map. WillCycle Supporters can have voice turn-by-turn navigation of the route.
And finally…
If this route guide was of use to you, it will be of use to others, too. Don’t keep it secret! Share it with everyone, on social media, in Facebook Groups, on chat forums, and elsewhere.
I was on my bike every yard of the way. No need for me to ride it again. Lovley and accurate.
Thank you.