The original Two Moors Way from Ivybridge to Lynmouth, across Dartmoor, Mid Devon and Exmoor, in the Two Moors Way Association's sections: Holne, Widecombe in the Moor, Chagford and the Teign Gorge, the quiet lanes of Mid Devon, then the Barle valley and the Chains down to the sea.
Best season: No official season. The Two Moors Way Association names no best season. The open moors are poorly signed in places, so carry a map and compass in any weather. In both National Parks, Dartmoor and Exmoor, dogs must be on a lead from 1 March to 31 July. Before you go
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Eleven sections, the Association's own from Ivybridge, of 7 to 24 km on our line; it calls them one-day sections, and some are short enough to walk two in a day. The eight-day plan does that north of Morchard Bishop. Mid Devon has very few places to stay, and we have not yet checked beds at Widecombe in the Moor, Drewsteignton, Hawkridge and Simonsbath. Choose a plan, or pick your own start, finish and nights below.
Changing where you stay suggests a new number of days: the fewest that keep each day under 8 h of walking and in daylight, where a place to stay allows.
Days end where the route has a stay, a camp or a village.
Stage 1: Up onto southern Dartmoor and along the old Redlake railway for about 6 miles through lonely moorland, over the clapper bridge on the Avon and past Huntingdon Warren, then down by Scorriton to Holne. The Association's section 3, about 13 miles (20.9 km); 21.2 km on our line. It calls it the most testing section. From Ivybridge to Scorriton the moor is poorly signed: carry a map and compass.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
A moorland village the Way passes through, with an inn, a community shop and tea room.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 2: Over the Dart at New Bridge, along Dr Blackall's Drive and by the West Webburn to Widecombe in the Moor: 12.2 km on our line. The Association's section 4 runs from Holne to Hameldown, about 7 miles (11.3 km), and ends on the Hameldown ridge; Widecombe is a detour of about 1.5 miles from it. The mapped line runs through the village, so this stage ends there.
Widecombe in the Moor Town or village
The Association ends its section on the Hameldown ridge, and the village is a detour of about 1.5 miles from it; the mapped line runs through the village. We have not yet checked a place to stay in Widecombe: look on the Two Moors Way Association's stay-and-eat map.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 3: Over Hameldown and by Grimspound, Bennett's Cross and the stone row on Hurston Ridge to Chagford: 18.3 km on our line, from Widecombe. The Association's section 5 runs from the Hameldown ridge to Chagford Bridge, about 9.5 miles (15.3 km); the bridge is about a mile from the town. Our stage ends where the line passes closest to Chagford, about 0.5 km from the centre. From Dunstone Down and Hameldown to Chagford Common the moor is poorly signed: carry a map and compass.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
A small town about 0.5 km off the line. The Association ends its section at Chagford Bridge, about a mile from the town.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 4: Along the River Teign and through the Teign Gorge below Castle Drogo to Drewsteignton, the last of the Dartmoor part: about 4 miles (6.4 km), the Association's section 6; 7.1 km on our line. The Mill End Hotel is by the trail about 2.5 km in.
Drewsteignton Town or village
A village at the end of the Dartmoor part of the Way. We have not yet checked a place to stay in Drewsteignton: look on the Two Moors Way Association's stay-and-eat map.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 5: Into Mid Devon, where places to eat and sleep are very limited, the Association says, meeting the Tarka Line railway at Morchard Road, to Morchard Bishop, which has a pub and a shop: about 16 miles (25.7 km), the Association's section 7; 24.0 km on our line, the longest stage. The Devonshire Dumpling, a pub with rooms by Morchard Road station, is about 4 km before the end.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
A village with a pub and a shop. Morchard Road station on the Tarka Line is about 4 km back along the trail.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 6: To Witheridge, which has a pub and two shops: about 8 miles (12.9 km), the Association's section 8; 11.6 km on our line.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
A village with a pub and two shops.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 7: Over Bradford Moor and along quiet lanes, under the North Devon link road, to the hamlet of Knowstone: about 8 miles (12.9 km), the Association's section 9; 11.5 km on our line. West Bowden Farm, a B&B, is about 0.9 km before the end.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
A hamlet, with a pub that serves food but has no beds listed. West Bowden Farm is about 0.9 km back along the trail.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 8: Onto Exmoor at Hawkridge: about 8 miles (12.9 km), the Association's section 10; 10.7 km on our line. There are no facilities on this section, the Association says: carry food and water.
Hawkridge Town or village
Where the Way reaches Exmoor, after a section with no facilities. We have not yet checked a place to stay in Hawkridge: look on the Two Moors Way Association's stay-and-eat map.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 9: Into Somerset, by the Tarr Steps, to Withypool, which has a pub, tea rooms and a shop: about 6 miles (9.7 km), the Association's section 11; 9.6 km on our line.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
Overnight
Hotel
Pick a date to check the season.
An Exmoor village with a pub, tea rooms and a shop.
Or a room in the village. Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 10: Up the Barle valley by Landacre Bridge and Cow Castle to Simonsbath: about 7 miles (11.3 km), the Association's section 12; 9.7 km on our line.
Simonsbath Town or village
A village on Exmoor, at the head of the Barle valley section. We have not yet checked a place to stay in Simonsbath: look on the Two Moors Way Association's stay-and-eat map.
Find your own accommodation; TrailSplits has not checked what is open.
Stage 11: Over the Chains, by Hoar Oak and down the East Lyn valley to the sea at Lynmouth: about 12 miles (19.3 km), the Association's section 13; 15.9 km on our line, 3.4 km less. The Chains are poorly signed: carry a map and compass.
Longest day: day 5, 5 h 58.
Days end at a stage end with a refuge or a village, or in a village the route passes through. Walking times are measured on each stage's mapped line by our route analysis (terrain heights and our hiking-time model, moving time only): no time is published for these stages.Outside Switzerland our walking times often run short of the times route operators publish; treat them as optimistic. Running times use 7.5 km/h plus one hour per 700 m of climb: a steady reference, not a prediction. Daylight is sunrise to sunset where the day starts; the time left is for breaks, meals and delays.Refuge dates come from the operator's own pages; when they are not published, we say so. For villages we count the places to stay OpenStreetMap lists; we have not checked which are open. A plan is not a booking: reserve every night before you commit to these day lengths.
Where each stage ends, the 2026 and 2027 seasons the operator publishes, and how to book. Read from the operators' pages on 13 October 2026; each stage page shows the sources and the grade profile.
| Stage | Night at | 2026 | 2027 | Booking |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Ivybridge to Holne | Church House Inn | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 2. Holne to Widecombe in the Moor | Widecombe in the Moor · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 3. Widecombe in the Moor to Chagford | Three Crowns | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 4. Chagford to Drewsteignton | Drewsteignton · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 5. Drewsteignton to Morchard Bishop | Watcombe Farm | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 6. Morchard Bishop to Witheridge | The Mitre Inn | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 7. Witheridge to Knowstone | West Bowden Farm | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 8. Knowstone to Hawkridge | Hawkridge · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 9. Hawkridge to Withypool | Royal Oak | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
| 10. Withypool to Simonsbath | Simonsbath · accommodation in town, not checked | Each host has its own season | Book with a host | |
| 11. Simonsbath to Lynmouth | The Bath Hotel | 2026 dates not published | not published | Booking method not published |
Loading the forecast for low point (50 m) and high point (527 m)…
Typical weather on this trail: at the lowest point (50 m) and the highest point (527 m). Select a month to see why it is rated as it is.
| Month | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weather | Mixed | Mixed | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Good | Mixed |
| Stages rated good on typical weather | 0/11 | 0/11 | 10/11 | 11/11 | 11/11 | 11/11 | 11/11 | 11/11 | 11/11 | 11/11 | 11/11 | 3/11 |
| High point, day / night | 6°/1° | 6°/1° | 8°/2° | 11°/3° | 13°/6° | 16°/9° | 18°/10° | 18°/11° | 15°/9° | 12°/7° | 9°/4° | 7°/2° |
| Low point, day / night | 9°/4° | 9°/3° | 10°/4° | 13°/6° | 16°/8° | 19°/11° | 20°/13° | 20°/13° | 18°/11° | 15°/9° | 12°/6° | 10°/4° |
| Rain, mm | 144 | 115 | 104 | 96 | 82 | 82 | 106 | 107 | 97 | 152 | 162 | 166 |
| Snow at high point | Frost | Frost | Frost | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | Frost |
| Daylight | 8 h 24 | 10 h | 11 h 47 | 13 h 46 | 15 h 29 | 16 h 30 | 16 h 07 | 14 h 38 | 12 h 44 | 10 h 49 | 9 h | 7 h 58 |
Source: TerraClimate 1991–2020 monthly averages. Averages for the area at each point’s elevation (4 km grid, corrected for height). Not a forecast or a report of current trail conditions. Snow at the high point is estimated with a simple snowpack model from these temperatures and precipitation, not observed; steep islands and high summits can hold more snow than it shows. Daylight is for the 15th of each month. Hut, transport and park seasons are separate: check them for your dates.
Before you go
Arrange your stays, food and travel first, then check conditions again near departure.
There is no central booking. The Association's stay-and-eat map lists places to stay and eat, but takes no responsibility for them: book each one directly. In Mid Devon, from Drewsteignton to Hawkridge, there are very few, so arrange beds and meals ahead. Luggage Transfers carries bags along the whole route, the Association says. We have not yet checked places to stay at Widecombe in the Moor, Drewsteignton, Hawkridge and Simonsbath: look on the Association's map.
The Dartmoor National Park Authority looks after the paths in the park, from Ivybridge to Chagford and Drewsteignton. Our checker could not read its pages on 13 October 2026, so we cannot say whether any path on the Way is closed there: check the park's pages before you set off.
Dartmoor National Park AuthorityThe Exmoor National Park Authority looks after the paths on Exmoor, from Hawkridge to Lynmouth. Our checker could not read its pages on 13 October 2026 either: check them for closures before you go. The Association points walkers there for bus information on Exmoor too.
Exmoor National Park AuthorityBetween the two moors, from Drewsteignton to Hawkridge, facilities are very limited, the Association says: book beds and meals ahead and carry food. Devon County Council lists temporary path closures outside the parks; it showed none on the Way when we read it on 13 October 2026.
Devon County Council: temporary path closuresThe whole Way is waymarked, but the open moors are poorly signed: from Ivybridge to Scorriton, from Dunstone Down and Hameldown to Chagford Common, and on the Chains on Exmoor. Carry a map and compass and know how to use them. Dogs must be on a lead in both National Parks from 1 March to 31 July (Association tips and FAQs, read 13 October 2026).
Two Moors Way Association: tips and FAQsThe Association's coast-to-coast route starts at Wembury on the south coast and reaches Ivybridge by Yealmpton in two sections, about 7 and 9 miles. That part is not mapped on OpenStreetMap as part of the route, so this guide and its GPX start at Ivybridge. To start at Wembury, take the train to Plymouth, walk about 10 minutes to the bus station and take the bus to Wembury; Traveline has the times.
Two Moors Way Association: route sectionsClosures and notices last checked 13 October 2026: Devon County Council: temporary path closures. Check them again before you set out.
Getting there
Choose a stage or journey above to narrow the travel searches.
Google Maps journey searches, not confirmed services. A mountain endpoint may need a booked transfer or an additional walk.
Ivybridge has main-line trains and national coaches, the Association says. The trail starts in the town, about 1 km from the station.
Two Moors Way Association: transportThe Tarka Line between Exeter and Barnstaple stops at Morchard Road, on the trail about 4 km before Morchard Bishop: a way in or out for the middle sections, with a limited service.
Two Moors Way Association: transportA cliff railway links Lynmouth with Lynton. Buses 309 and 310 run all year from Lynton to Barnstaple, with no Sunday service, the Association says; from Barnstaple the Tarka Line runs to Exeter. Check times on Traveline South West.
Two Moors Way Association: transportTake your trip with you
Prepare each section while you still have a connection: on the open moors the signal can be weak.
Keep your route and maps on your phone for places without a signal. For multi-day trips, prepare them in the installed TrailSplits app.
Saving a bookmark is not a map download. Storage can be cleared by your device; keep a backup map for remote trips.
The Two Moors Way Association gives 102 miles from Ivybridge to Lynmouth; the eleven of its thirteen sections from Ivybridge add up to about 98.5 miles (158.5 km), in 11 sections on our map. The guide's day planner offers plans from 8 to 11 days on the overnight stops, and you can choose your own nights.
No official season. The Two Moors Way Association names no best season.
Ivybridge has main-line trains and national coaches, the Association says. The "Connect your journey" section has the travel details, with 2 more travel notes.
There is no central booking.
Yes: the whole route and every section, free, for a GPS watch or a phone. The guide also saves your plan for offline use in the app.
Closures we know of are shown on the days and sections they affect, in the day planner and on the stage pages. We watch one official notice page (Devon County Council: temporary path closures); the date we last read them is shown with the notices on this page. Check them again before you set off.
Route & sources
This guide covers the original Two Moors Way, from Ivybridge to Lynmouth: 102 miles, the Two Moors Way Association says. The Association lists it as sections 3 to 13 of its coast-to-coast route, numbered 1 to 11 here, which add up to about 98.5 miles (158.5 km). It publishes no stage times, only each section's length in rounded miles ("approximately"), shown beside ours on every stage. Its extension from Wembury on the south coast by Yealmpton to Ivybridge (sections 1 and 2, about 26 km) is not mapped on OpenStreetMap as part of the route, so it is not drawn here. The line here is the route on OpenStreetMap (relation 228450, from the planet of 11 October 2026): 151.9 km, cut at the section ends, with two changes. Section 4 ends here in Widecombe in the Moor, which the mapped line passes through, not on the Hameldown ridge, a detour of about 1.5 miles from the village; section 5 ends in Chagford, not at Chagford Bridge, a mile from the town. Most sections are within 2.2 km of the Association's rounded figures; Widecombe to Chagford is 3 km longer, because it starts in the village, and Simonsbath to Lynmouth is 3.4 km shorter on our line. Our climb is measured on terrain heights, so short steep steps are smoothed out.
Official guidance and mapped-source comparison checked 13 October 2026. Map data is a route reference, not confirmation of today's path, weather or accommodation availability.
Two Moors Way Association: route sectionsMap data © OpenStreetMap contributors · Source relation
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