Drake's Trail - Plymouth - Tavistock
Drake’s Trail in West Devon is a 21-mile, multi-use route linking Tavistock with Plymouth. I've cycled Drake's Trail three times as part of longer rides. My first time was Tavistock to Plymouth (mostly downhill), the other times were Plymouth to Tavistock (mostly uphill). The trail follows the route of the old GWR Tavistock to Plymouth railway (apart from a section between Horrabridge and Clearbrook). Expect viaducts with magnificent views across to Dartmoor, wooded cuttings and the occasional tunnel from this age of grand engineering.
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Cycle Eggesford to Meshaw
This circular route from Eggesford Railway Station is a great way to visit the Devon Wildlife Trust nature reserve at Meshaw Moor. I cycled this route from Chulmleigh during BikeWeekUK. I rode back via Chawleigh (and the newly re-opened Earl of Portsmouth pub), Eggesford Station (stopping to buy veg at the Old Nog's Farm Shop) and Heywood Wood.
I didn't allow enough time to search for the rare Heath Fritillary butterflies that love these areas. I did see Meadow Browns, Painted Ladies and a Mother Shipton moth amongst the profusion of wild flowers at this Culm Grassland site.
This route explores the Taw Valley and the Witheridge and Rackenford Moor Devon Character Areas.
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North Devon Biosphere
The North Devon Biosphere is a place where people and nature come together in our world-class environment of dunes, grassland and moors, towns and villages, and coast and sea. We are proud to be a UNESCO World Biosphere and our mission is to connect people and nature to inspire a positive future today.
https://www.northdevonbiosphere.org.uk/
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NorthDevonBiosphere/ (2.9k)
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ndevonbiosphere (1.2k)
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northdevonbiosphere/ (1.4k)
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/north-devon-biosphere/ (89)
Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/o/north-devon-biosphere-34783873553
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One Train From Exeter
One Train from Exeter can take you to some great cycle paths. From Okehampton you can cycle the East Dartmoor moorland fringe to Newton Abbot, or up the Okement and Torridge valleys to Barnstaple. From Axminster you can cycle through the East Devon AONB and the Jurassic Coast to Exmouth. From Plymouth you can cycle through wooded slopes and the western edge of Dartmoor to Okehampton. For a greater challenge, you can cycle from Barnstaple across southern Exmoor to Tiverton Parkway.
Take your bike on the train and get closer to a traffic-free adventure. A Devon Day Ranger ticket will give you a days unlimited travel within Devon for £14.50 (it's even cheaper with a railcard!). Residents of Devon and Cornwall can buy a Devon & Cornwall Railcard for £12 and save 1/3 on off-peak journeys within the two counties.
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Natural Capital Marketplace
The Natural Capital Marketplace's mission is to join the dots and accelerate the scale of natural capital improvement projects across the UK. We do this by providing landholders with custom-matched projects that they can choose that align with their objectives for their land. These projects can be implemented by the landholder or more typically in partnership with one of our verified delivery partners. Projects can be funded in a range of ways, and these options are clearly laid out (and always looking to optimise grant funding and DEFRA support).
The natural capital outcomes from these projects (for example carbon credits or habitat improve) are then certified against third party standards (e.g., the woodland carbon code) and are then sold to councils. water companies and corporate customers that have committed to a pre 2050 net-zero carbon target.
https://app.naturalcapital.market/
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Site Maintenance - upgrading Joomla!
Please bear with me while I'm upgrade this website from Joomla! 3.10 to 4.1.5
There have been some changes to default templates between the two versions of Joomla. I'm slowly learning how to adjust the new layout - but with 2,700+ pages on this website it may take some time.
The most difficult change will be working out how to restore meta keywords to the site. These were used in Joomla 3 to control which banners were shown on which pages. Joomla 4 has removed meta keywords.
Grant
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Tarka Trail
The Tarka Trail is a series of footpaths and cyclepaths (rail trails) around north Devon, England that follow the route taken by the fictional Tarka the Otter in the book of that name. It covers a total of 180 miles (290 km) in a figure-of-eight route, centred on Barnstaple.
https://www.tarkatrail.org.uk/
Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Tarka-Trail-2188061954797585 (100)
The 31-mile (50 km) section between Braunton and Meeth is car-free, level and mostly tarmacked, and is shared by pedestrians and cyclists, with horseriding also permitted on part of it. There is a guidebook available for this section.
http://www.exploredevon.info/activities/cycle/tarka-trail-braunton-meeth/
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Propensity to Cycle Tool
The Propensity to Cycle Tool (PCT) was designed to assist transport planners and policy makers to prioritise investments and interventions to promote cycling. The PCT answers the question: 'where is cycling currently common and where does cycling have the greatest potential to grow?'. The PCT can be used at different scales.
First, the PCT is a strategic planning tool. Different visions of the future are represented through various scenarios of change, including the Department for Transport’s draft Cycling Delivery Plan target to double cycling in a decade and the more ambitious ‘Go Dutch’ scenario, whereby cycling levels equivalent to the Netherlands are reached in England and Wales (allowing for English and Welsh hilliness and trip distances). By showing what the rate of cycling could feasibly look like in different parts of cities and regions, and illustrating the associated increase in cycle use on the road network, the PCT should inform policies that seek a wider shift towards sustainable transport.
Second, the PCT can also be used at a smaller scale. The scenario level of commuter cycling along a particular road can be used to estimate future mode share for cycling on that corridor. This can be compared with current allocation of space to different modes, and used to consider re -allocation from less sustainable modes to cater for cycling growth. In other cases, low current or potential flows may indicate a barrier, such as a major road or rail line, causing severance and lengthening trips. This could be addressed through new infrastructure such as a pedestrian and cycle bridge.
https://www.pct.bike/m/?r=devon
Lovelace, R., Goodman, A., Aldred, R., Berkoff, N., Abbas, A., Woodcock, J., 2017.The Propensity to Cycle Tool: An open source online system for sustainable transport planning. Journal of Transport and Land Use. 10:1, 505–528, DOI: 10.5198/jtlu.2016.862.
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One Bus From Exeter
How far can you travel on One Bus From Exeter? In about an hour you can get to Honiton, Sidmouth, Exmouth, Dawlish, Teignmouth, Newton Abbot, Bovey Tracey, Moretenhampstead, Chagford, Okehampton, North Tawton, Chulmleigh, Witheridge, Tiverton, or Willand. You won't need to find a parking space - and you won't have to return to your car. You can walk along the East Devon Way, or the South West Coast Path, or the Exe Valley Way and return by another bus. Find the quiet places. Avoid the traffic congestion of last year. Step more lightly on the Earth.
Back in the early 2000s, I walked the Tarka Trail and the North Devon part of the South West Coast Path in sections. I would get a bus to a town or village on the Tarka Trail, walk 5 to 10 miles and then return on another bus. One Bus from Exeter is a return to that idea. One Bus From Exeter was to going to start with step 4 out of national lockdown, however infection rates are still high. Use this site to plan your walks, look at the Covid19 data on the Devon Dashboard, listen to the science and exercise your personal responsibility. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/covid-19-coronavirus-restrictions-what-you-can-and-cannot-do
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DCA - Taw Valley
This is an intricate, complex and varied landscape within a dramatic valley, which contrasts with the surrounding open, elevated farmland. Woodland and slopes combine with bends and spurs in the valley to hide views onward and create constant surprises. Tightly wooded sections unexpectedly open out to display wide vistas across the valley. Around Eggesford, the steep valley sides and mixture of broadleaved and coniferous woodland is evocative of continental Europe. Elsewhere, tranquil parkland gives the valley a soothing atmosphere.
This area comprises the main valley of the River Taw, plus its tributary valleys, including the River Bray, River Mole, Crooked Oak Stream, and Mully Brook. The area forms a rough ‘T’ Shape, surrounded by areas of higher land. The Codden Hill and Wooded Estates and the South Molton Farmland lie to the north, Witheridge and Rackenford Moor to the east and the High Culm Ridges to the west. To the south is the High Taw Farmland.
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/north-devon-area/taw-valley
https://www.devon.gov.uk/planning/planning-policies/landscape/devon-character-areas
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