Having decided to get your
feet turning those pedals, the question now is where
to cycle safely. Torbay is not like Amsterdam - there
are no specially walled off cycle lanes alongside
the roads - but Torbay Council has, in response to
public demand, provided a partial cycle lane on the
Torbay road, which runs from Torquay to Paignton.
If you want the views and don’t’ mind
the hills, you can start in Ilsham Marine Drive at
Brandy Cove. From there, cycle round the headland,
past Daddyhole and down Parkhill Road to the harbour.
The cycle lane does not start until Torre Abbey Sands,
and so the first part of the route would certainly
be unsuitable for young children; and they would have
to be strictly supervised along the Torbay Road, as
the lane appears and disappears sporadically without
warning and traffic travels fast. Past Corbyn Head
and the wide sandy beach until you come to the one
way system at Preston. From here take the sea route
along Marine Drive and you will cycle past Preston
Sands (partially obscured by an army of beach huts)
and Paignton Pier, where you will see the funfair
during the summer school holidays.
At the end of the promenade
you have the choice of either pumping up the steep
Roundham Road to the headland or taking the Dartmouth
Road for Goodrington and Broadsands. I took the headland
route and then turned back for the town, as the Dartmouth
Road is busy with no cycle lane. The Council says
it is possible to cycle to Brixton, but because of
the lack of cycle lane, I would advise it only if
you are an experienced cyclist. Brandy Cove to Goodrington
will take you about 45 minutes.
There are at least three or
four cycle shops in Torbay that hire out bikes if
you don’t have your own. Simply the Bike, 100-102
Belgrave Road, Torquay (tel: 01803 200024) are open
from Monday to Saturday and charge £10 per day
or £35 for 6 days. Their bikes are Hyde Parks,
which is a cross between a mountain and touring bike
and come in three different sizes. They also hire
and helmets and panniers, and if you want information
on cycle routes, they will buy a map from the shop
along the road and mark them out for you. Colin Lewis,
5-7 Manor Road, Paignton, (tel: 01803 553095) charge
£8 per day or £40 for 7 days with helmets
an extra £2 per day. They have maps of cycle
routes in Plympton and Totnes and also a map of easy
routes through Dartmoor – probably the best
route if you want to experience some of the best of
South Devon’s countryside – and also safer
and more fun for young children.
Click on the box labelled CYCLING
in the website www.discoverdevon.com
for more information on cycle routes and to order
the New Devon Cycling Guide for free. Most trains
and ferries in Devon will take cycles, although there
will be an extra charge. Check with the local station
or harbour to find out.
For the more dedicated cyclist,
or the “drinker with a cycling problem”,
the Teign Valley Pedal Bashers (the cyclist’s
version of the Hash House Harriers) has now been pedalling
for 12 years. They organise twice weekly rides in
South Devon and cycling holidays on the Continent,
and in July this year celebrated their thousandth
ride with the Devon Bash at Tavistock Rugby Club.
The Bashers welcome all cyclists, young and old. They
claim to be more for the amateur than the professional,
and do not cycle for more than 25 miles at a time,
which they aim to complete in two and a half hours.
For all that they say their routes are quite demanding,
so for younger or slower riders there are short cuts.
Subs are only £10 a year, or £2 every
two months. Every member is expected to earn their
“Bash Name” by mapping out at least one
cycle tour. Bashers normally re-christen themselves
with Thirties public school type nicknames, such as
Pottsie, Unda Ware, Timotei, Mudsie and Manky, to
name but a few. Further information from John (Pottsie)
Potts on 01626 865159, John (Unda) Ware on 01626 773972,
Shirley (Poppy) Stringfellow on 01626 773972; Tim
(Timotei) Nelson on 01392 773972, or Doug (Manky)
Flack on 01392 272598).
