By Kate Baxter

The East Devon Trail is a new 115-mile bikepacking route through the hills and coastal areas of Devon and neighbouring Somerset and Dorset.

Katherine Moore, 30, created the new route. She told Nub News: "I just love exploring new places, and it is so nice to be able to show people that you don't have to go very far to explore and see somewhere new."

It took her two months to work out the route and it has been created in collaboration with Devon Wildlife Trust, Wild East Devon, Pebblebed Heath Conservation Trust, the RSPB and East Devon AONB.

The route goes through Honiton, Beer, Branscombe, Lyme Regis, Woodbury Common and Exeter – and lots of places in between.

Bikepacking is when you ride your bike for more than one day at a time, with all the kit you need strapped to your bike. You can do multiple day trips. finding local accommodation, or you can break the route down into single day trips.

Woodbury Common

If you are cycling for most of the day, the East Devon Trail will take between three and five days to complete, although it can be broken down into day rides.

Along the way, cyclists will ride through lowland heath, agricultural land, pebblebed heaths, quaint villages and they will also see East Devon's beautiful beaches.

Katherine has recommended two local campsites, one near Axminster and one near Tipton St. John, but she wants people to get exploring on their own and she didn't want her trail to be too prescriptive.

A resident of Honiton could set off on a one-day cycle and complete the eastern part of the loop. This would involve going up onto East Hill Strips to Fire Beacon Hill and then down into Sidmouth. From there you can go along the coast to Lyme Regis, and then back through Axminster to Honiton.

As an animal enthusiast, she designed it specifically to show off Devon's wildlife and to take in the varied landscapes of the region.

"I studied Zoology at university and so I am really into wildlife, which comes across in this route. When you're on a bike, you have an opportunity to see so much. We're all so busy, hurrying around, we don't stop.

"If you're bikepacking and riding at dawn or dusk you see owls and deer and so much that you wouldn't see if you were just popping out for a quick ride at midday."

Katherine said: "I was brought up on caravan holidays in the South West of England and I just think there is so much to see down here. The different landscapes – in one day you could see heathland, beaches, forests – are so varied."

The East Devon Trail has been designed to help you discover as much wildlife as possible.

Those who are very lucky may spot beavers in the River Otter or perhaps even a seal off one of the beaches.

The route also takes in the RSPB Bowling Green and Goosemoor, which is a birdwatching site just outside Exeter. The pebblebeds of Woodbury Common and Mutters Moor in Sidmouth offer crucial habitats for lizards, butterflies and nightjars whilst Seaton Wetland is a great place to see a wide range of wading birds, including the ringed plover.

Katherine grew up in Devon and then left the area to attend university and find work. She lived in Bristol for six years but returned to Devon in February 2021 when her mum was diagnosed with lung cancer. Katherine is currently living in Clyst St. Mary, but she and her partner John are moving to Chudleigh soon.

"I was at home to help, and I was going out on my bike for an hour or two, and it was my little escape. It was my way of having some 'me-time' because I know you can't pour from an empty cup."

Katherine has been cycling for eight years. Before this, she worked as a farm nutritionist. She because so interested in cycling that she decided to make it her full-time career.

How did she come up with the new route?

In order to create her route, Katherine explored dozens of local tracks and bridleways of East Devon, and only some made it into the route. Many of the right of ways she investigated turned out not to be passable, but this was all part of the fun.

"I just explored and did lots of trials. Some rides led me down to rivers which were no good, and others would lead somewhere that was a real gem and I'd have to include it."

She wanted to include train stations on the train to make it as sustainable and accessible as possible, and so that was a starting point for her planning. She also included some of her favourite parts of East Devon that she experienced as a child, such as Woodbury Common. 

"One of my highlights is Duckies on Beer Beach – it's a greasy spoon on the most beautiful beach, and I just think it is great! I try and make sure everyone knows about it!

"It all involved trying out lots of local delicacies! I was absolutely gutted when we went to Budleigh. There was an ice-cream shop called the Creamy which we always used to go to as a child, but it had closed! But I discovered Taste in Sidmouth, which was great!

Preserving Devon's wild area is also very important to Katherine: ""One of the things I want to make clear is it isn't even good enough to leave a place as well as you found it – try and make a positive impact, such as picking up a crisp packet. It's all about education and preserving these wild spaces."

You can find out more about the East Devon Trail by following @eastdevontrail on Instagram

The route is free to use, but Katherine strongly encourages users to make a donation to Force Cancer.