Station Road, Braunton, EX33 2AF
The Tarka Trail is one of the most celebrated leisure cycling and walking routes in the South West, following a traffic-free course along the old Southern Railway line through some of the most beautiful countryside in North Devon. Named after Henry Williamson’s beloved novel about an otter who roamed these very valleys, the trail offers a completely relaxed and car-free way to explore the region at whatever pace suits you, whether that means a gentle hour’s pedal with the family or a full day’s cycling from Braunton to Bideford and back.
The most popular cycling section runs from Braunton to Barnstaple, a distance of around six miles each way along a flat, well-surfaced path that follows the course of the Taw estuary. The views along this stretch are consistently lovely, with wide tidal mudflats attracting wading birds and wildfowl in impressive numbers, the wooded hills of the Taw valley rising on either side and the distant profile of Exmoor forming the backdrop on clear days. It is the kind of cycling that feels genuinely restorative rather than effortful.
Beyond Barnstaple, the trail continues southwards along the Taw valley towards Eggesford and can be linked to the Granite Way and other routes for longer cycling adventures. The full circular route that gave the trail its name covers around 180 miles through North and mid-Devon, though most you focus on the accessible and outstandingly scenic estuary sections close to Braunton and Barnstaple.
Bike hire is available at multiple points along the trail, with Otter Cycle Hire in Braunton and several operators in Barnstaple offering a good range of bikes and accessories. The path is also very popular with walkers and features numerous points of interest including historic bridges, wildlife hides and the magnificent tidal wetlands of the Taw and Torridge estuaries.
The Tarka Trail is a genuine North Devon classic, and one of those simple pleasures that always seems to deliver.
