100 Climbs Route: Day 3, Dorchester to Tavistock

In August 2018, three Cycling UK members - Dominic Millar, Graham Salisbury and James Findlater – cycled a 3,300-mile, 29-day route around Britain to take on all 100 hills featured in Simon Warren’s book ‘100 Greatest Cycling Climbs’. This route plots day three of the journey, 102 miles from Dorchester to Tavistock, taking in the climbs of Salcombe Hill and Haytor Vale.

Day three starts simply enough, continuing your route westwards with a potter out of Dorchester towards and then along the Jurassic Coast. Don’t be fooled by the thought of ice-creams and seaside amusements - there are some fairly fearsome challenges along this stretch to Exeter. There’s only one climb from Simon Warren’s book, though: Salcombe Hill, with its sections of 20%.

After navigating around Exeter, it’s a case of heading southwards – through the Shillingfords, Chudleigh, and eventually Bovey Tracey, which marks your entry to Dartmoor National Park. Bovey Tracey is a good chance to take a breath and gird your loins – you may well need it.

Upon leaving Bovey Tracey, almost instantly you face Haytor Vale, which rises up the eastern side of Dartmoor to take you onto the moor. Soon you’ll find yourself dropping down a wonderful descent to Widecombe-in-the-Moor. Enjoying the ride? Make the most of it today – tomorrow you’ll be climbing back up here.

It’s the same situation in Dartmeet, where the drop into the village will have to be revisited in reverse for the climb up onto Yar Tor tomorrow. And then today's descent from Rundlestone, through Merrivale and down to Tavistock will be tomorrow morning's warm-up. So that's something to look forward to...