Avoid cycling on Dartmoor—it’s absolutely brutal!

Dartmoor Epic Ride
Kicking off from the charming town of Buckfastleigh, nestled on Dartmoor’s edge, I embarked on an unforgettable cycling adventure aboard my Specialized S-Works Tarmac. My route wound through the stunning Plym Valley cycle trail, leading me into the heart of Dartmoor National Park. The terrain here is relentless, with punishing hills reaching gradients of 25%. This 50-mile journey, packed with 5,000 feet of climbing, was a true test of endurance, rewarded by breathtaking views of Dartmoor’s rugged moors and iconic landscapes.

The History of the Plym Valley Trail
The Plym Valley Trail is a beloved multi-use path in Devon, England, stretching approximately 10 miles (16 km) from the outskirts of Plymouth city center northward into the wooded fringes of Dartmoor National Park. It’s a traffic-free route ideal for cyclists, walkers, and families, winding through lush oak woodlands, riverside meadows, and open moorland along the River Plym. As part of National Cycle Network Route 27 (NCN27)—the Devon Coast to Coast route—and the broader Drake’s Trail, it offers gentle gradients and stunning views, but its origins are deeply rooted in the industrial and transportation history of the 19th and 20th centuries.

My observations are the subject of this ride. So come along and enjoy another great cycling adventure.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored video.

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Products I use:

E Bike: Specialized Turbo Creo SL Comp Carbon
Vlogging Camera DJI Action 5 Pro, DJI Mini Mic
Tyres: Specialized Pathfinder Pro 38c / Specialized Roubaix Pro 30/32c
Mudguards: SKS Bluemels
Pedals: Speedplay and Cleats
GPS: Wahoo Roam V2
Mount: Specialized Stem Accessory
Rear Camera, Radar and Tail Light: Garmin Varia RCT715
Front Camera and Light: Cycliq FLY12 Sport
Saddle Bag: Silca Mattone Pack
Top Tube Bag: Tailfin 0.8ltr Pack
Water Bottle: Fidlock System
Bell: Knog Oi

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Hi guys, welcome back and thanks again for joining me in my ride today. Well, I’ve jumped in the car and I’ve driven down the road about 20 miles to a place called Buckfast Lee. And from Buckfast Lee, I’ll be shooting down to the city of Plymouth and then joining the um Plim Valley Cycle Trail up to Burtor Reservoir um across Dartmore and then back down to Buckfastly. This loop is about 50 mi long, just shy of 5,000 ft of climbing. So, as usual guys, let’s go and see if we see anything interesting on today’s ride. Yeah. So, I’m out on the tarmac today. Absolutely beautiful bike. Look at that weather up there, guys. It’s absolutely beautiful, isn’t it? Woo. Yeah. I was supposed to have done this route in the summertime, but I just couldn’t find the time and uh had an opportunity to jump on the bike today. So, uh, I took it. Yeah, though it’s a lovely dry, sunny, blue sky day. It is really chilly. It really is chilly today. Woo. Or should we just call it fresh? It was It’s very fresh today. God, I’ve been this way for absolutely ages. Yeah, it’s nice to come back to these old roads or these old roots I should say. Morning, bud. Oh, got a little bit hectic on that corner, didn’t it? Yeah, I do have uh plenty of hills on this route to warm me up. Yeah. Trouble is done quite a bit of hill climbing already. Yeah, my legs are definitely not woken up yet. I’m coming down into a place called Safe Brent now. God, this place hasn’t changed at all. Yeah. Yeah, when I get to Plymouth, I’ll be joining the uh the Plim Valley Cycle Trail. Beautiful trail. For me, it’s about 7 mi long um with the part I’m doing today. Um yeah, and I’m looking forward to that. I haven’t done that for a long, long time. But I won’t be starting at Koi Pool in Plymouth. I’m starting it from the old Plimbridge Road. Yeah, just um making my way to A small little town called Ivy Bridge. I’m nearly there. Oh, a steep hill this one. All clear. I wish they wouldn’t put these stupid um dangerous pieces of uh cycling infrastructure down there. Well, that one’s full of uh full of debris, that one. I won’t ride in them. You know, you guys know that in Ivory Bridge now, guys. Heat. Heat. A woman in front really needs to pay attention. Yeah, she just pulled right out in front of me. Okay. Oh, she’s on the go slow. I’m going faster. She in a world of her own. She was I’ll be going over that bridge here in a minute. I’m off seven miles. Morning. How you? So, this is a nice cycle lane. We got a bus lane right there and the traffic out there. Yeah, this is really nice. Oh, say now it’s just ending. Another cycle path blocked. Crazy mate. Raising the color, guys. It’s on every lampost around here. Uh, this is the old plumbridge road. Yeah, working out. It’s been about 42 years since I’ve last ridden this road, this lane. So, I’m kind of going down memory lane for myself. So, this is the old Plumbbridge lane. This will take me up and over all the way down to Plin Bridge where I then can pick up the uh Plin Valley Cycle Trail. So, it’s about seven miles of this, which is nice, isn’t it? God. I used to be able to drive over this years ago. The trail’s just ahead of us. Can’t you go forward? Sorry, we’ve got to go back across there cuz someone’s parked in front of the gate, so we can’t get through. All right, bro. Wait there, guys. He’s He’s reversing back. Oh, yeah. Some some idiot. The car moved and we was able to get through. There’s the idiot. You got loads of parking around here. He’s got to go and park there. Yeah. Needless to say, this used to be an older railway line, Great Western Railway. It’s pretty much like this for the next five miles. Most of it uphill. Yeah, it’s pretty much a a long draggy climb. Not too bad to be fair. Can you imagine how wonderful they must have been on a train journey back in the day? Steam train chugging its way up through here. Isn’t that lovely? Yeah, we got lots of bridges in vioduct to cross over. Yeah, you can see the slope there. Just all uphill, I’m afraid. That’s on your right guide. Thank you. That’s the trouble when you ain’t got a bell. You got to you got to holler out. Beautiful, isn’t it, guys? Oh god, he’s got his lights on. I’m struggling to see. I got my sunglasses on. Got the bell. No lights. Nice. He’s got the bell. I got the lights. Oh, it’s been absolutely lovely despite the huge climb. Not steep, just really long. I still got a lot of climbing to do. What have I done so far? Yeah. So, so far I’ve done 2,483 feet. I’ve pretty much got the same again. It’s just shy of 5,000 ft, I believe, this uh this route. So, I’m halfway on my climbing. That’s Devon for you. Yeah, I got the uh the biggest climbs when I get up on Dartmore. There’s always a big climb on Dartmore. Oh, we got gates. Forgot about these. Little far. All right. Good. Always a bit of a nightmare, I think, if you’re a disabled person, coming up here in your wheelchair or scooter and you got um barriers like that. Not good. Back out onto the highway again. Ain’t they gorgeous? I like where the phone uh the post box is. Wonder if that’s still a chapel. I doubt it. The chapel looks like somebody’s home now. Yeah. God, this is a uh a real long torturous lane. That’s some steep parts in that. Then going down the other side now. I got another hill to climb. Just goes up and down. 3.7 mi, 889 ft. Yeah. I’m in a place called Mia at the moment. It’s beautiful. Beautiful. Is it guys? I’ve actually got to go up that way. Barber store and cheap store. Show off. Beautiful out there, guys. Have a look over the wall. Yeah, looking absolutely stunning up there. I got to go that way in a minute. Straight ahead up over that hill. It’s right in front of us. I’m going up this way where these uh pedestrians are going. Thank you, Jer. Thank you. Another big climb. Nothing unusual here. I got a swing of right now. This is all clear. It’s quite a fast road this one. It’s all clear for me. Hello, Mr. Sheep. Beautiful out there, guys. I got all this climbing. Got a headwind. Trust me to have a headwind going across Dartmore. Not good. She’s having fun. But Lots of cows up here. It’s over there on his own. So far, I’ve done 36.3 miles and 3,820 ft of climbing. It’s hard going, isn’t it? Oh yeah. All right. Oh, a little bit of downhill. I’ll take it. Woo. Uh, that was the end of that. I enjoyed it. Look at it, guys. It’s brutal, isn’t it? It’s beautiful, but brutal. Yay. I’m in Prince Town now, guys. I don’t know if you can see it on the camera, but that’s Dartmore Prism there. Yeah, that was a brutal prison in its day. It really was. Yep. Nice and clear for me. Yeah, the last time I rode this road was uh on the Dartmore Classic. It was tipping down with rain and freezing cold as well. Beautiful, isn’t it, guys? I go for now or he’s going to run out in front of me. just goes up and down. Up and down. Oh my god. Taking a right here. Oh, lots of gravel on the corner. Yeah, I got a big hill to climb now. This ain’t going to be any fun. I can tell you that right now. There’s 25% guys. 25%. Not even started really. And I’m looking for another gear. It’s even a dodgy coming down the hill. A nightmare climbing it. Oh my god. It’s got a defibrillator in there. I can understand why. Oh, climb that one. Quite pleased with myself. So, bit of downhill and I got another one. Oh, another massive hill now. 0.3 97. Uh, what’s it now? 14 15%. She’s well happy on her rebike here. Well happy. Bless her. It really is uh it really is brutal up here on Dmore. What a loop. My god, that was a a grueling loop. Glad I done it though. I’ve been meaning to do that one for a long, long time. Yeah, like I said, I never got a chance uh through summer. It just went so quick, didn’t it? Summer time. Uh-oh, man. Oh, he’s pulled in. Anyway, mate. Oh, glad I met him there. Right, guys, I finally finished that loop. Thought it was challenging. Yeah, I’m back in Bookfast now. 51.1 miles and 5,219 ft of climbing. Yeah, I absolutely loved it despite it being brutal, but that’s what you get when you ride on Dartmore. I hope you enjoyed that one. If you did, please give us a like and come and subscribe to the channel if you haven’t already. Until next time, guys, keep smiling and riding and hopefully I’ll see you soon. Bye for now. Bye-bye. Bye.