Dartmoor.............Nice Lunch Stop?

[Lissa]

Pete and I are bringing 30 of our mates down to Devon on Friday for a long weekend. We're staying just outside Bideford, and one of the runs we have planned takes us across Dartmoor on Sunday. Does anyone know of a really nice place on Dartmoor where we could stop for lunch?

I'm part of the North East crowd on the forums but the family home is on Dartmoor so they were my biking grounds for a few years.....

Can you be more specific about where the route is going to take you, 'cos Dartmoor is an awfully big area

[Lissa]

Hi MeridiaNx
Yes, we'll be going through Yelverton, Princetown, Postbridge, Sloncombe, Moretonhampstead, Easton, Sandy Park and Whiddon Down.

Does that help?

[Stingo]

Plume of Feathers in Princetown...big car park...popular with walkers, general public and escaped convicts...

Excellent food in the Rock at Haytor Vale but not so sure about parking.

And the pub at Hexworthy is good but can't remember its' name, you cant miss it, it about the only building in the village.



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Hmmm.....the Old Inn @ Widecombe used to be good but think it changed hands and haven't heard any feedback since. My vote would be to second the recommendation for The Rock at Haytor Vale, it's bloody great. Depending on time/luck it can be a bit upmarket/restauranty i.e. great for a swish evening meal, so from what I remember it's not your average pie and chips place. Great food though and there's a nice beer garden across the road from the pub itself. Parking *might* be an issue if it's already busy as there isn't a car park, it's just a line of cars against the wall opposite the pub. Should be space for you all though I reckon, and if it really isn't going to work then the pub is only a couple of minutes (from what I recall) from the main road, where there are carparks for walkers to Haytor itself which will be more than enough space for you.

One other option, though again would require a slight detour, would be to go to Doddiscombleigh. The Nobody Inn there is great, used to have a child free policy though not sure if it does anymore. Mainly though, it is famous for being one of, if not, the best pubs in the area (if not the South-West) for every local cheese you could possibly think of, and whiskey, of which there are hundreds. Arrive early cos they often stop serving quite quickly, but this is also well worth a look-in.

Seeing as you have friends coming to join you and you're leading as it were, maybe you already know the roads in the area....then again if you're asking about pubs maybe not? If not, I really would recommend a couple of roads on/near your route (not sure of all the road no's cos my map is too crap!):

Between Princetown and Postbridge you can turn SE @ Two Bridges to head for Poundsgate. It isn't far at all, but has exceptionally challenging roads, very tight, twisty and fun as long as holiday traffic isn't about. Careful if you do it though, it has the tightest corners I've ever seen.

When you get to Moretonhampstead, I would recommend the following detour cos although the Moreton-Whiddon Down road via Chagford is nice, it aint a patch on this. Coming in from Postbridge way (West) you would go straight over at the crossroads in the middle of town, and take the back road via Doccombe & Dunsford towards Exeter. This meets up with the Teign Valley road part-way up and is excellent. After hitting Dunsford, and just before entering Exeter is a left turn just after going under the A30, this will take you through Pathfinder Village and bring you into Whiddon Down from the East.

Finally, and the best of all I think (though you probably know it being based in Bideford), the B3124 from Whiddon Down - Winkleigh - Bideford......amazing

Hope some of that info helps/makes for a great ride!

Originally Posted by tee jey

Excellent food in the Rock at Haytor Vale but not so sure about parking.

And the pub at Hexworthy is good but can't remember its' name, you cant miss it, it about the only building in the village.
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The pub at Hexworthy is called the Foresters. It's the right turn o the B3357 between Two Bridges and Dartmeet. Had a good meal ther acouple of weeks ago.

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[Lissa]

Thank you so much for your help and suggestions. They've had us poring over our map book this evening

We ARE leading, but we don't know the area...............we can just navigate well

We may only have a few along with us on the Sunday morning, as some do like their lie-in, so hopefully parking anywhere won't be too much of a problem wherever we end up.

Two sleeps to go...............and I'm getting very excited

[Lissa]

Just a quick Thanks for the suggestions of places to eat, and interesting routes. We finally settled on The Rock at Haytor Vale, but unfortunately by the time we arrived they'd stopped serving food................although the land lady then ran out after us to offer us all beef rolls.............nice lady!

The roads we 'enjoyed' over the weekend certainly gave our Pilot Road 2's a thorough testing too

We'll be back!

Originally Posted by Lissa

Just a quick Thanks for the suggestions of places to eat, and interesting routes. We finally settled on The Rock at Haytor Vale, but unfortunately by the time we arrived they'd stopped serving food................although the land lady then ran out after us to offer us all beef rolls.............nice lady!

The roads we 'enjoyed' over the weekend certainly gave our Pilot Road 2's a thorough testing too

We'll be back!

Post here when you do and we'll see if we can't arrange a meet!