Simon's Coastal Adventure: The Last Hill

Predictions like that seldom come true, but that's what my Garmin told me. I was sitting in a cafe in a rainstorm in Teignmouth, waiting for a break in the rain. One more hill out of Teignmouth, then downhill to Dawlish, and flat, flat, flat along the beautiful Exe estuary to Exeter.

After my late night meal, I lingered in the pub to post my blog report. By 9.30 I was the only customer and the staff were itching to get home. By the time I'd ridden to the campsite, unpacked my stuff, washed etc, I was in bed by 11.30, asleep by 11.31.

It was a lovely campsite, everything thought out with care and beautifully done. But it was silent, apart from the sheep. Hardly any bird song. I woke early, and was just about to go back to sleep when I heard a few spots of rain on the tent. I knew it was due to rain later, so I jumped up and packed away as quickly as possible.

On a grey, damp morning, I took time to explore Shaldon, a lovely old village which seems largely unspoiled. Very varrow streets almost impassable for cars, criss-crossing to make an interesting little maze. There's also a zoo and a smugglers' tunnel. The main A379 road from Torquay does a little loop in Shaldon and then crosses the river to Teignmouth , leaving Shaldon with only local traffic.

Looking across The Salty to Teignmouth

Eventually I crossed the wide river Teign, known as The Salty, to visit Teignmouth. Teignmouth is a proper town with a small harbour and a nice sea front lined with hotels, looking as if it's perhaps seen better days?

There's One Last Hill to get out of Teignmouth, so I was intrigued to see a footpath along the coast, running along the coastal railway line. However I was told that it's narrow, cycling is prohibited, and where the railway goes into a tunnel, at Holcombe, the footpath goes under the railway (with steps down and up) then steeply up to join the main road (by a road called Smugglers' lane). Perhaps not for me then.

Rainy cafe in Teignmouth

The rain stopped, and I tackled that hill, and its little brothers, along the busy A379. I've got quite familiar with the A379 over the past week, the main road along the south coast, usually avoiding it but occasionally doing a mile or two, sometimes a hill. It has got busier as I went east, and from Torquay it's been quite busy. So I was pleased to leave it at Dawlish, a nice town that's blighted by the railway line along the coast.

Dawlish

The Exe Valley Trail starts at Dawlish and is mostly on segregated cycleway, or sometimes a quiet road. It goes through Dawlish Warren, on a sandbank sticking out into the Exe, then up the Exe to Exeter: past Starcross, where you can get a ferry to Exmouth on the other side. Past Powderham Castle, home of the Earl of Devon, and then along the Exeter Ship Canal to Exeter itself, about 12 miles in all.

Starcross

It was easy, quiet cycling, with nice views over the surrounding countryside (but not so much of the river, as that was either behind the railway line or behind an embankment). Arrived at Exeter far too early, hung around, train home, trying to stay awake, very straighforward.