Cicerone - National Trail - Walking The Two Moors Way (NT)

Cicerone - Walking The Two Moors Way

This guidebook to walking Coast to Coast across Devon, presents 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 11-stage walk passes through the beautiful Devon countryside and across two of southwest England's magnificent moorlands, Dartmoor and Exmoor. The schedule can be adjusted to give a one-week walk, or a more leisurely pace if preferred, and the book includes low-level bad-weather alternative routes for some moorland stretches.

A full route description is given for walking the route from south to north, with a summary description for walking in the opposite direction. 1:50,000 map extracts show the route and there is lots of practical information on public transport, refreshments and accommodation to make day-by-day planning simple.

The county of Devon incorporates a wonderful range of landscapes, from the rolling fields and enclosed paths of South Devon to the wild, wide-open spaces of Dartmoor, with its hill ponies, granite tors and Bronze Age relics. To the north, Exmoor's sandstone moorland sweeps down to the sea, and lofty coastal hills tower over the Bristol Channel. Map booklet showing the full route on OS 1:25K maps is included with this guide.

• 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.