I wanted to give this request serious consideration hence the slow response, I was out on a trip on Tuesday (report to follow) and in a board meeting all yesterday. I have done many of these routes and – as said elsewhere – pretty much all of Devon is good – so here goes.
· 1 (Tavistock - Plymouth)
OK, quite decent on the edge of the moors
· 1 (Exeter - Tiverton)
OK in the country sections, the best bit was the long way from Cullompton to Tiverton via Uffculme which has been hived off to the 373 which is better.
· 2 (Newton Abbot - Exeter)
Good, especially the coastal sections
· 3 (Plymouth - Kingsbridge)
Good, passes through some good villages. Continues seamlessly into the 93.
· 6 (Okehampton - Bude),
Attractive rural route with deckers, Holsworthy is an attractive town worth a visit.
· 6A (Exeter - Okehampton)
OK, goes along the ‘old road’ paralleling the A30, not that dramatic
· 7 (Totnes - Exeter)*
OK Totnes to Newton Abbot
· 12 (Newton Abbot - Brixham)
Very busy and frequent route, quite slow but attractive places. Brixham well worth a visit.
· 21 (Ilfracombe - Westward Ho!)
Good. As been suggested before Appledore is a lovely spot and is probably more interesting than Westward Ho! But good if you can manage both to include the exclamation mark!
· 21C (Barnstaple - Georgeham)
Very good beyond Braunton, the area around Croyde Bay is lovely. One suggestion is to walk from Croyde Bay to Woolacombe, takes about an hour, largely along the beach, then see 31 below
· 22 (Dawlish Warren - Paignton)**
Good Dawlish to Babbacombe (edge of Torquay) – worth stopping off here, rather urban after that and goes a long way round.
· 25 (Plymouth City Centre Circular)
Yes – the must-do route in Plymouth, stop off at Barbican and/or the Hoe
· 30 (Taunton - Axminster)
Rather away from the others, bit of a main road run, but OK.
· 34 (Plymouth City Centre - The George Park & Ride)
Royal William Yard is good, also takes in Torpoint, I don’t know beyond that
· 39 (Newton Abbot - Exeter)
Good, Bovey Tracey and Chudleigh are reasonably attractive. If it is the right time of year the 271 links into it at Bovey Tracey and heads into serious Dartmoor at Widecombe in the Moor.
· 44A (Axminster - Exeter)
OK, the towns on route (eg Ottery St Mary) are OK, pleasant rural scenery but not spectacular
· 49 (Plymouth - Heybrook)
I don’t know this one. Maybe combine with the 48 to Wembury, not sure.
· 55 (Exeter - Tiverton)
Busy main road route, Bickleigh is pretty, not much else.
· 57 (Exeter - Exmouth)
Good. Topsham is an attractive village on the route. The train is a good parallel alternative and allows a visit to Lympstone which is lovely.
· 59 (The George Park & Ride - Plymouth City Centre)
Never done this one, looks potentially attractive
· 92 (Dartmouth - Totnes)
Good. Dartmouth is lovely.
· 93 (Kingsbridge - Dartmouth)
Excellent scenery and dramatic along the coastal stretch, runs through with the 3. Used to be reliably deckers but now it isn’t, although some journeys are on schooldays, worth seeing if you can organise to take one of these.
· 94 (Plymouth - Noss Mayo)
Not done this but pleasant countryside. You definitely get to see the sea at Newton Ferrers.
· 118 (Okehampton - Tavistock)
One of the very best – stunning Dartmoor scenery. Absolute must.
· 120 (Paignton - Kingswear)
OK, worth going to Kingswear to take the ferry to/from Dartmouth. Might be better to take the 18 from Brixham to Kingswear, better scenery than the 120 (although 120 is usually deckers)
· 125 (Paignton - Stoke Gabriel)
Attractive but not sure how much, if at all, you see the sea if you aren’t getting off, and two hours is probably too long to spend here. That’s the trouble with some of these rural routes to or near the sea.
· 155 (South Molton - Barnstaple)
OK, quite busy, reasonable villages en route but not spectacular, South Molton is OK
· 157 (Exmouth - Sidmouth)
Scenic, good route. Doesn’t go very near the sea at Budleigh Salterton, maybe worth taking half an hour here (with 357)
· 164 (Totnes - Salcombe)
Gorgeous, spend some time in Salcombe! Maybe even get the ferry across the bay and back again.
· 178 (Okehampton - Newton Abbot)
Attractive route both north and south of Moretonhampstead, reasonable views of Dartmoor hills to the west.
· 219 (Hartland - Bude)
Excellent rural scenery even on the main road.
· 310 (Lynton - Barnstaple)
Very attractive run. Worth walking down to Lynmouth (much less work than walking back up!) – or take the antique cable car.
· 315 (Barnstaple - Exeter)
Was better in Stagecoach days as the 5B, always deckers. Lovely scenery in the middle section, quite open, empty and green
· 319 (Barnstaple - Hartland)
Attractive run, often deckers. Clovelly worth a stop provided you know what to expect…
· 345 (Okehampton - Exeter)
Again was better in Stagecoach days at the 5A with deckers. Also attractive. Hatherleigh is pleasant.
· 346 (Tiverton - South Molton)
Good rural route – yet again was better with Stagecoach deckers as the 155, but pleasant.
· 398 (Dulverton - Tiverton)
Really good rural backwater route. If you can combine it with the 198 on from Dulverton to Minehead that is pretty spectacular on the Exmoor section (esp the journeys via Winsford). Used to be a through route, sadly those days long gone.
· 885 (Beer - Axminster)
Good route. Seaton is OK but Beer is a little gem of a village. All the Axe Valley routes are good but, as suggested in post 7) do try the 899 from Seaton to Beer to Sidmouth, this goes through impossibly narrow lanes and does include views over to the coast in the south.
· X22 (Tiverton - Taunton)
Bit of a main road service but Wellington is OK
· X38 (Plymouth - Exeter)
Another main road service, Ashburton & Buckfastleigh are good but it barely touches the latter.
· Dartmoor Explorer (Exeter - Gunnislake)
Outstanding – absolute must, at least between Moretonhampstead and Tavistock. The section on to Exeter is quite slow but attractive but the Dartmoor bit is spectacular.
· Gold (Plymouth - Paignton)
Busy route, OK, Totnes is a very attractive town.
· Sunseeker (Ilfracombe - Lynton)
Very good. Be interesting if there are deckers on it this year…
OTHERS
31 Ilfracombe to Woolacombe, an attractive area, Woolacombe is good and, as suggested, you can walk there from Croyde Bay.
75, 317 south out of Bideford to Torrington and Okehampton are good, also the 71 and 72 from Barnstaple to Torrington
88 Totnes to Newton Abbot via Ashburton and Buckfastleigh, attractive mid Devon scenery and pleasant towns to stop off in
899 Seaton to Sidmouth – see 885 above
Exmoor Coaster, Minehead to Lynmouth, obviously, stunning scenery, but I know you have done it before.
To dip your toe into Cornwall you could take a 70/70A from Plymouth across the ferry and round the coast to Cremyll, then get a ferry back.
They take more planning but Devon still has a handful of obscure once-a-week services, so if you can tie one of these in somewhere you may well get some even more rural scenery. Some terminate in the middle of nowhere but there are others you can work in such as the 870 on Tuesdays between Crediton and Tiverton.
Have a great time!
