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The Granite Way

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The Granite Way 20.4 Mile Cycle Trail (Inc 17.0, 15.4 & 14.1 options) The granite way DIRECTIONS TO the granite way Distance Marker Point General Information From the Ashbury Hotel reception head west to the end 0.0 Miles ① Ashbury Hotel of the driveway. At the Ashbury Driveway Entrance, turn left and head 0.4 Miles ② TURN LEFT towards the A3079. ③ 0.86 Miles TURN RIGHT Turn right on to Holsworthy Road (A3079). ④ 1.21 Miles TURN LEFT Head southwest and follow for 1.6 miles. ⑤ 2.4 Miles STRAIGHT ON Through Pittsworthy Farm on your right-hand side. ⑥ 2.7 Miles TURN RIGHT At the sign post for Week (1/2 Mile). ⑦ 3.1 Miles STRAIGHT ON Under the bridge for the A30. TURN RIGHT At the bottom of the hill turn right at the Junction signposted Bridestowe (1/2 mile). 4.2 Miles ⑧ * TURN LEFT FOR THE 14.1 MILE OPTION! * * TURN LEFT * Further directions will follow for this route On to Pool Hill, this will bring you into the village of 4.6 Miles ⑨ TURN LEFT Bridestowe. * TURN LEFT * * TURN LEFT ON TO RECTORY ROAD FOR THE 15.4 ⑩ 4.75 Miles MILE OPTION, HEADING TOWARDS LAKE! * BEAR RIGHT Bear slight right on to Fore Street for the main route! Carry on through Bridestowe, past the village pub, 4.8 Miles ⑪ STRAIGHT ON shops and church and continue on to Station Road. TURN RIGHT Following the hill out of Bridestowe you will see a ⑫ 5.6 Miles signpost for Corytown (5 miles), turn right here. * STRAIGHT ON * * CARRY STRAIGHT ON FOR THE 17.0 MILE OPTION! * As you approach the bottom of the hill stay right on the 5.9 Miles ⑬ SLIGHT RIGHT tarmac road. ⑭ 6.3 Miles STRAIGHT ON Into the hamlet of Watergate Turn left at the Watergate Cross Junction towards 6.6 Miles ⑮ TURN LEFT Lydford. ⑯ 6.8 Miles STRAIGHT ON Carry straight past Cooper Beech Farm. ⑰ 8.1 Miles TURN LEFT Turn left into Lydford. ⑱ 8.2 Miles TURN LEFT Turn left on to School Road. Towards the top of the hill turn left on to the cycle path ⑲ 8.4 Miles TURN LEFT (signposted), this is the entrance to the Granite Way! CONGRATULATIONS STAGE ONE COMPLETE! THE ASHBURY HOTEL, HIGHER MADDAFORD, SOUTHCOTT, OKEHAMPTON, DEVON. EX20 4NL – 01837 55453 DIRECTIONS TO the granite way ASHBURY HOTEL – WEEK – BRIDESTOWE – LYDFORD – GRANITE WAY TURN LEFT AT ⑧ FOR 0.8 MILES THEN TURN RIGHT TOWARDS FORDA AND 14.1 MILE ROUTE = PASS THROUGH THIS HAMLET TO JOIN THE GRANITE WAY AT SOURTON BY THE HIGHWAYMAN INN. TAKE CARE CROSSING THE A386! TURN LEFT AT ⑩ FOLLOWING RECTORY ROAD TO JOIN THE GRANITE WAY = 15.4 MILE ROUTE AT LAKE, BY THE BEARSLAKE INN. TAKE CARE CROSSING THE A386! CARRY STRAIGHT ON AT ⑫ TO JOIN THE GRANITE WAY JUST SOUTH OF = 17.0 MILE ROUTE THE FOX & HOUNDS PUBLIC HOUSE. THE ASHBURY HOTEL, HIGHER MADDAFORD, SOUTHCOTT, OKEHAMPTON, DEVON. EX20 4NL – 01837 55453 Route Information at a Glance for the Way to the Start of the Granite Way (Lydford) Distance 8.370 miles Total Ascent 875 feet Lowest Point 488 feet (at 6.65 miles) Highest Point 856 feet (at 0.62 miles) Uphill 3.08 miles (36.7%) Downhill 3.09 miles (37.0%) Flat 2.20 miles (26.3%) Max. Height Gain 367 feet Steepest Uphill +13.3% (at 6.99 miles) Steepest Downhill -13.3% (at 6.23 miles) Longest Uphill 0.80 miles (at 4.72 miles) Longest Downhill 0.82 miles (at 1.23 miles) The Castle Inn, Lydford THE ASHBURY HOTEL, HIGHER MADDAFORD, SOUTHCOTT, OKEHAMPTON, DEVON. EX20 4NL – 01837 55453 POINTS OF INTEREST Distance Point of Interest General Information The Parish of Bridestowe is quite picturesque, encompassing over 5000 acres it homes approximately 1600 individuals. “The holy place of St Bridget” is the literal meaning of Bridestowe and this reflects the 4.4 Miles Bridestowe dedication of the local church to St Brigidia. It is the home of a very good local pub, The White Hart, and distinctive shop and cafe, The Riverside Stores both of which offer an ideal opportunity to sit back, relax and enjoy the tranquillity of rural Devon. The historical significance of the village of Lydford cannot be understated. The first record dates to 997 when it was a stronghold for the monarch of Wessex against the Vikings. Later to become a mint for coins producing the Lydford Silver Penny the village was once taxed to the same scale as London due to its huge Parish which covered above 50,000 acres! Within the village boundaries historical buildings still stand to this day, The Church dedicated to St Petrock dating to the 13th Century and the Castle dating to 1132AD. Interestingly the castle was later to become a Prison, of reputable dour conditions which housed political opponents of Sir Richard Grenville and then Hanging Judge Jeffries. 8.0 Miles Lydford Now home to a modest population of approximately 500 people the village and its Parish has changed dramatically from those Hedonistic days. The beauty of Lydford Gorge is renowned, while the castle is an English Heritage site. Lydford is also home to the Castle Inn, offering good food and drink for all cyclists and walkers using the village as a portal onto Dartmoor. The hamlet of Lake is rumoured to have an interesting history and reasoning for its name, it certainly isn’t to do with a body of water! During the Civil War two local villages, Bridestowe and Sourton were on opposing sides, one Royalist, one Parliamentarian. During 1693 it is believed that these two armies met and many lives were lost, the location was about half way between the two villages. The site was Lake which was named after the amount of blood spilled that day! 10.5 Miles Lake Currently the hamlet is far more civilised, homing the beautiful Devon Long House of the Bearslake Inn. Originally a farmstead where the livestock inhabited the same living space as the farmers, The Bearslake Inn became a public house in 1953. The beautifully renovated building is Grade 2 listed and worth a visit as you cycle the Granite Way! The Highwayman Inn is a pub with a difference. The outside itself holds many unusual features with a Giant Size Boot and a stage coach being sculptured into the outside of the building. As you enter into the The Highwayman main bar you realise that the stage coach is actually authentic! 11.5 Miles Inn The galleon bar was taken from a ship, wooden clad with a vibe of nostalgia this feature certainly gets your attention. Needless to say the other eclectic features within its walls could keep you there for a few more hours! The Okehampton Railway station was commissioned for use in 1871, and serviced a route to Plymouth which it was a junction for the Bude – Padstow Line. Prestigious carriages such as the Devon Belle and the Atlantic Coast Express used the route to transport its users to Plymouth and potentially their Okehampton luxurious cruise liners. 16.0 Miles Railway Station Sadly public use of the line was stopped after 1971 when it became more of a service line for Meldon Quarry which was producing 300,000 tonnes of Railway Ballast per year. At present the station is used during the summer months to help commuters gain access to Exeter and tourists gain access to the stunning scenery at Meldon Viaduct. The Polar Express also runs from here leading up to Christmas. The market town of Okehampton services the surrounding community with the main selection of shops available for 15 miles. The town itself offers a plethora of cafes, restaurants and public houses to choose from, along with the more familiar Supermarkets and Pharmacies. The town dates back to 980AD, when its name was Ocmundtude, which means Settlement by the Ockment, which is the river that runs through it. The original settlement is marked by the still present All Saints Church which now stands alone atop of the current town. With the encumbrance of the Saxons the town was relocated into the valley, and originally wedged 16.6 Miles Okehampton between the rivers, and eventually a new chapel was built. This was named St James Chapel and was completed solely due to the distance between the town and the existing church. Sadly all that remains of the original chapel is the granite tower; the rest was burnt to the ground in 1842. The Castle, which is visible from the Granite Way dates to 1086 (although building started in 1068). Through the years it was expanded and eventually changed its usage from a fort into a fashionable hunting lodge for its then occupants the Courtenay’s. By 1539, with the Castle still in a good state of repair it was confiscated by King Henry VII after the execution of William Courtenay, from that time it has mainly been left to ruin. Today it is an English Heritage Site. THE ASHBURY HOTEL, HIGHER MADDAFORD, SOUTHCOTT, OKEHAMPTON, DEVON. EX20 4NL – 01837 55453 THE GRANITE WAY Route Information at a Glance for the Granite Way Distance 8.053 miles Total Ascent 643 feet Lowest Point 708 feet (at 8.05 miles) Highest Point 971 feet (at 4.73 miles) Uphill 2.59 miles (32.2%) Downhill 2.70 miles (33.6%) Flat 2.76 miles (34.3%) Max. Height Gain 262 feet Steepest Uphill +20.0% (at 5.89 miles) Steepest Downhill -16.7% (at 5.76 miles) Longest Uphill 0.58 miles (at 4.21 miles) Longest Downhill 0.58 miles (at 4.85 miles) THE ASHBURY HOTEL, HIGHER MADDAFORD, SOUTHCOTT, OKEHAMPTON, DEVON.
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