Trail treasure in Exmoor’s hills — The Braunton 150

Welcome to the Braunton 150, a 150 mile (241 km) mountain biking route taking in Exmoor National Park and the coastlines of North Devon and Somerset. Exmoor is more lush, green and hospitable than nearby Dartmoor, and with stunning coastlines and deep, steep river valleys it makes the perfect spot for a bikepacking challenge!

The Braunton 150 was created as an Individual Time Trial, a type of race against the clock where you can set off at any time and have your total time recorded against others who’ve also done the whole route. Here we propose five stages which you can take at any pace you like - whether that’s five days or under 20 hours… gulp! One word of warning; don’t underestimate the hills of Exmoor.

In addition to the lush green hills, rocky doubletracks, quiet woodlands and fresh rivers, Exmoor hosts many quaint villages that thrive in the summer months on tourism, so you’ll find plenty of tearooms and shops en route to quench your thirst and hunger! Make sure you have an afternoon cream tea whilst you’re here.

The best bike choice for the route would be a rigid or hardtail mountain bike, due to the steep climbs and descents - you’ll need all the gears you can get! You’ll also be just fine on a gravel bike, but be aware that you may need to walk some of the steeper segments.

In terms of getting to the start of the Braunton 150, the closest train station is in Barnstaple, a 6 mile (10 km) ride away. If you are driving to Braunton, you’ll be able to leave your vehicle there as it’s a circular route, to return to is some day’s time! If you’re travelling from mainland Europe, you can take the Eurostar train to London and change for Barnstaple, or take a ferry from a number of ports in Northern France to the South coast of the UK, where you can find local train stations.

For the full official Tour, visit: komoot.com/tour/542254298