The Tarka Trail

The Tarka Trail is a pedestrian and cycle way that runs in a 180 mile figure-of-eight through landscapes little changed from those described by Henry Williamson in his classic 1927 novel Tarka the Otter.

It is a fantastic and sustainable way to explore our Biosphere Reserve from the coast, through deeply incised river valleys with ancient tangled woodland to the productive farmland and moorland higher up the catchments.

The Trail passes through towns such as Lynmouth, Barnstaple, Bideford, Torrington, Okehampton and Ilfracombe and parts of it coincide with the South West Coast Path, the Two Moors Way and the Dartmoor Way.

• Shared Use Section
• Tarka Audio Trail

The New Tarka Trail Guide for the shared use section between Braunton and Meeth is now available from the following outlets.  The guides cost £1 each and include a map of the trail, useful contacts, £100 worth of money off vouchers and discounts at attractions, accommodation and businesses within easy reach the trail.  Profits from the sale of these guides will be used for improvements to visitor information and the biodiversity of the trail.
From Braunton to Meeth - The Trail is now live on Google Street View
Another new leaflet has been produced to encourage walkers to venture further on to the Tarka Trail in North Devon. It is FREE and promotes 11 circular walks along easy to follow way-marked loops that take people off the beaten track into wildlife rich landscapes and remote villages and hamlets and will be avialble from the County Council, Tourist Information Centres and libraries from July/August 2011

Tarka Trail (Devon County Council)
Circular walks from the Tarka Railway Line

Shared use section

The 30 mile stretch between Meeth and Braunton runs along the line of an old railwayand is part of the National Cycle Network (routes 27, Devon Coast to Coast and 3, West Country Way) and totally traffic free. Along this stretch, interpretation boards and other information help you discover the heritage, culture and natural features you can see on way. Horses are welcome on the trail between Torrington (Servis bridleway) and Meeth. Sustainable management of the Tarka Trail

This section of the Trail is part of a new European Cycle West project to jointly promote cycling routes in Britain and the South West. The Trail is part of the "Velodyssey" route linking south-east Brittany, including the Iroise Biosphere Reserve and Devon.

Guidance

• Where to hire bicycles
  
• All users
• Horse riders
• Tarka Trail Vegetation Management
• Badgers undermine the Tarka Trail - news item

Did you know that the old London and South West Railway route now used as the Tarka Trail replaced the older Rolle Canal built less than 40 years earlier. Rolle Canal Society

Tarka Trail Audio

Along the Tarka Trail shared use section there are 21 discovery posts with information on the history and wildlife of the Trail and the places it passes through. Location map

Download audio files on your MP3/MP4 player that correspond to the discovery posts or just listen to them on your computer.

Wildlife along the trail

There are many valuable habitats beside the cycle track including estuary mud flats and salt marsh, oak woodland, hazel coppice, hedges, ponds, streams, ditches, meadows and Culm grasslands. All these habitats need management whether it is cutting coppice, clearing out ponds, laying hedges or mowing meadows. The Coast and Countryside Service manage these habitats and volunteer groups are fequently involved with these tasks. More on Biosphere Reserve wildlife

When/where to see glow worms on the Tarka Trail (Click "tips" tab)

Art along the trail

There are a number of art installations - benches, waymarkers and shelters along the Tarka Trail between Okehampton and Barnstaple comissioned in partnership with the cycling charity SUSTRANS.

Other artworks have also been comissioned in other parts of the Biosphere Reserve as part of an Art in the Landscape initiative to demonstrate how the arts can be used as a tool to tackle issues such as regenerating and understanding our environment and the communities that inhabit it. A publication documenting the pilot projects is available from Northern Devon Coast and Countryside Service.