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The Two Moors Way

Devon's Coast to Coast: Wembury Bay to Lynmouth

ISBN

9781852849917

Availability

Published

22 Feb 2019

Reprinted

11 May 2022

Edition

Second

Pages

216

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.25cm

Weight

340g

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Guidebook to walking Devon's Coast to Coast, a 117 mile route incorporating the Two Moors Way and a section of the Erme-Plym Trail. Beginning at Wembury Bay on the south coast and finishing at Lynmouth, the walk passes through the beautiful countryside of Dartmoor and Exmoor. A map booklet of the full route on OS 1:25K maps is included.

Seasons

Late spring to early autumn. Spring brings warm days and stunning displays of wildflowers, foals on the moors and lambs in the fields; in late summer purple heather covers the hills; in autumn the wooded valleys glow with beech and oak in stunning autumn leaf.

Centres

Ivybridge, Chagford, Morchard Bishop, Witheridge, Withypool and Lynmouth. The route passed through few places of any significant size, so pre-planning accommodation and supplies is essential.

Difficulty

The route is suitable for competent walkers, and can be divided into shorter or longer stages if required. Devon is a hilly county, but there are few long and steep ascents/descents. Parts of the Mid Devon stretch can be very muddy in winter. Navigational skills will be required for both moorland stages in bad weather/poor visibility.

Must See

Dartmoor's wide open spaces, home to hill ponies, granite tors and Bronze Age relics. Exmoor's sandstone moorland and towering sea cliffs. Narrow-hedged lanes, historic farmsteads and remote churches in quiet, rural Mid Devon.

ISBN

9781852849917

Availability

Published

22 Feb 2019

Reprinted

11 May 2022

Edition

Second

Pages

216

Size

17.20 x 11.60 x 1.25cm

Weight

340g

Overview

A guidebook to walking a 188km (117 mile) Coast to Coast across Devon, combining the Two Moors Way with a section of the Erme–Plym Trail. Extending from Wembury to Lynmouth, the route links the Dartmoor and Exmoor National Parks and includes sections of high moorland where navigation skills are necessary.

The route is described from south to north, with a summary for southbound walkers. It is presented in 11 stages of between 11 and 29km (7–18 miles), with alternative low-level options for two of the upland stages.

Contains step-by-step description of the route alongside 1:50,000 OS maps
Includes a separate map booklet containing OS 1:25,000 mapping with the route line
Handy trek planner, route summary table and selected accommodation listings help you plan your itinerary
Facilities and transport information for each stage, plus local points of interest
Sized to easily fit in a jacket pocket

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Map key

Overview map

Route summary table

Trek planner

Introduction

History of the route

Geology and landscape

Wildlife

When to go

Planning the walk

Accommodation

Public transport

Maps

Getting there and getting away

What to take

Food and drink

Health and safety

Mobile phones and emergencies

Waymarking and access

Using this guide

The Two Moors Way – Devon’s Coast to Coast

Stage 1 Wembury to Yealmpton

Stage 2 Yealmpton to Ivybridge

Stage 3 Ivybridge to Holne

Stage 3A Ivybridge to Holne (low-level route)

Stage 4 Holne to Dunstone Down

Stage 5 Dunstone Down to Chagford Bridge

Stage 5A Dunstone Down to Chagford Bridge (low-level route)

Stage 6 Chagford Bridge to Morchard Road

Stage 7 Morchard Road to Witheridge

Stage 8 Witheridge to Knowstone

Stage 9 Knowstone to Tarr Steps

Stage 10 Tarr Steps to Simonsbath

Stage 11 Simonsbath to Lynmouth

Appendix A Useful contacts

Appendix B Selected accommodation

Appendix C Stamp stations

Appendix D Further reading

Updates

November 2024

Stage 9/10

There has been an official change to the route of the Two Moors Way within the Exmoor National Park section.

In October 2024 a bridge was installed across the Barle at Great Bradley, north of Tarr Steps (early on Stage 10) and the route moved to the west side of the river for a stretch: on those rare occasions when Tarr Steps is impassable, walkers can head up the east bank of the Barle to re-join the main route, which then follows the west bank to the bridge.

Paragraph 3 on page 175/176 should now read:

On reaching a footbridge turn left to cross the river, then continue upstream on the other side. Cross back over to the east bank via Great Bradley Bridge, installed by Exmoor National Park Authority and opened in October 2024. The well-signed route continues up the valley to Withypool, in and out of woodland and meadows. Eventually a huge meadow...

Two Moors Way (218.963 KB)

January 2021

Updates

Page 59 - at present, the sign in the hedge has gone

Page 76 - 'which drops left down to Lud Gate' - should read ‘which descends to Lud Gate’

Page 127 - 'bear half left' - should read ‘… leat on a footbridge. Follow the path through the hedge, and continue…'

March 2019

Updates

Stage 3:

The marker stone at Crossways referred to on pp72-3 (Stage 3) should be in position by the end of April 2019.

Stage 3/3A/4:The Church House Inn Holne (passport stamp station) is closed.
Stage 3/3A/4: Holne Tearoom (not the Village Stores) is closed on weekdays in winter.
Stage 3A: The Oak South Brent is closed.
Stage 3A: Crumbs & Cuppa South Brent has been renamed The Rowan Tree Café.

Reviews

If you are planning to do all or just part of the walk, this is the best book to get.

This is a pocket guide to walking the Two Moors Way and is described in eleven stages. The Two Moors Way was launched in 1976 and I walked the route with a group of friends a few years later. Very few people did the walk back then but now it has become a lot busier. In 2005 the route was extended to Wembury in south Devon making it a true coast to coast route. New low-level routes have been added in case of bad weather, thus taking away the wild parts of Dartmoor, which is perhaps not what those who originated and inspired the route, Sylvia Sayer and Joe Turner, would have wanted.

Some walkers seem to get lost around Crossways, near Redlake; I have come across walkers lost here on a number of occasions even though there are granite way markers to point them in the right direction.

There are colour photographs throughout, good descriptions of the route {from south to north only) and some history of the places passed. There is a list of some accommodation along the way and phone numbers of useful places like tea rooms. Details of how to plan the expedition are also included. There are small sections of OS mapping of the route in the guide book but what is really great is it comes with a pocket map book of the route using OS mapping. You do not need to carry the maps while doing this 117 mile (188km) walk.

The guide book and map book are both in plastic covers which makes them useable in
the field. If you are planning to do all or just part of the walk, this is the best book to get.

Dartmoor News

By Sue Viccars

After gaining a degree in Geography and Archaeology at Exeter University Sue Viccars worked for a London map publisher before grabbing the chance to return to Devon, where she spent 20 years commissioning walking, equestrian and countryside books for David & Charles Publishers. She received her first walking book commission three weeks after going freelance in 2000 and since then has written or contributed to around 20 books (and edited dozens more), specialising in her home territory of southwest England, with particular reference to Dartmoor and Exmoor. She writes the walks for Exmoor: the country magazine, and has been editor of Dartmoor Magazine since 2008.

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