Cycle Tour of Devon and Cornwall: Day 1
| 15th September 2020 | Route: Exmouth to Shaldon |
| Distance: 23.3 mile (37.2 km) | Elevation: 0.3 miles (0.6 Km) |
After a couple months of planning I finally set off on my new adventure cycling around the coast of Devon and Cornwall. My trip was delayed due to waiting for my new touring bike to arrive. The delivery date of the original bike I ordered kept being pushed back so I decided cancelled the order. I found an alternative cheaper and better bike locally at the Bike Shed in Exeter.
I spent the morning itemising the things I needed to pack and how I was going to pack all the gear within the cycle panniers.
I had to be ruthless removing items that I was planning to take in order to keep down the weight of the panniers. By lunchtime I had finally managed to pack all the essentials I needed to take and made some decided last minute checks of the bike. This was lucky as I discovered the compact cycle pump I had packed didn’t fit the tyre valve and so I had to quickly cycle to the local Halfords to get a new one!
My sister made me a lovely pesto pasta lunch to load me up with carbs and by 1 pm I was ready to leave. On my way out of Exmouth I dropped by my parents to say goodbye and then headed for the start of the journey for a ride along the Exe Estuary Trail towards Dawlish Warren.
The route along the estuary is flat for the majority of the way and covers a distance of 14 miles but ironically I ended up just over 1 mile away from Exmouth on the opposite side of the estuary.
It was a lovely ride and enabled me to get used to the heavily loaded bicycle. The panniers alter the balance of the bike and so turning needs to be done more gradually but it was surprising how easy it was to cycle with all the additional weight. The route took me through Lympstone, Topsham and then across the river Exe along the Exeter ship canal at Countess Wear. I stopped at a view point overlooking Topsham from the opposite side of the estuary.
While taking a couple of photos a guy came over to have a chat and asked where I was heading. He explained that he had retired here two years ago from London having lived there for 30 years. He then told me about all the trips he had done since retiring before wishing me luck with my journey.
The next stop was at Turf Locks which is where the ship canal enters the Exe estuary. It is also famous for the popular pub located on the bank of the estuary but it was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.
An old lady came over to chat with me. She was out bird spotting and was very disappointed that the pub beer garden was closed as it was her favourite place to watch wading birds. I continued on my journey stopping briefly at Powderham to see the deer in the park and the views of the castle.
I cycled through Starcross and then onto Dawlish Warren where the cycle trail ends.
I had a break on the warren before setting off to Dawlish town and the first hill climbs on my bike. I had great views along the coast from the hill and could see the cruise liners that were moored at Torbay due to the Covid crisis.
I arrived in Dawlish just before 4 pm and briefly stopped to look at the famous black swans before continuing on my journey to Teignmouth.
It was a steep climb up over the hills to Teignmouth and the cycle sat nav took me on a slight detour to avoid the main road which took me over some additional hills and through the pretty village of Holcombe.
I arrived in Teignmouth at 4 pm and cycled along the seafront as the skies cleared and the sun came out in the evening. I could see what I thought would be a suitable place to camp on the other side of the estuary at Shaldon.
I cycled over the Bridge Road which had wonderful views of the estuary.
I rode through the village of Shaldon and the village green.
As I was cycling through the village a wasp flew down the back of my t-shirt and got stuck. I tried to shake it off but it stung me on the shoulder as I tried to remove it!
At the far end near of the village I found the steep hill that led up to the golf course and a small wood. On the edge of the golf course I brought a pasty for my supper from The Ness Cafe and then searched for somewhere to camp in the wood. I found a suitable place under a large beech tree which was sheltered and hidden from the nearby lane.
I ate my pasty looking out at the views across Teignmouth as the sunset.
I then quickly set up my tent and settled down for the night to the sound of owls hooting nearby.
I feel asleep quickly but was woken at midnight when the wind started to pick up and was rustling branches of the beech tree. I dozed again but was woken at 2 am by the loud nearby sound of the council trimming the hedgerows along the lanes. I was able to sleep on and off again until dawn.
