NCN 3 - West Country Way

506.4 km 5153 m climbing About 6 days 16% off road Road cycling South West England

The route runs from Land's End north and east through Cornwall before turning inland across Devon and Somerset to Bristol.

The terrain is rolling throughout, with the steepest kilometres in the second fifth, roughly between Penzance and the Roseland peninsula. About a sixth of the route is off road, though it is tagged as a road route overall. The surface character eases across the later sections through the Mendip Hills toward Southville and the city centre.

The figures

Distance	506.4 km
Climbing	5153 m
Off road	83 km, about 16% of the route
Riding time	about 34 hours, roughly 6 days at a moderate pace
Region	South West England
Route from	Sustrans

Worth knowing before you go

Cornwall is thinly settled between the early landmarks at Land's End and the larger town of Penzance, so carry food and water out of Penzance. The stretch between Petrockstowe and Bolham is long and rural, with very few settlements on the line. The route passes through Exmoor before dropping toward the Somerset levels, and the transitions between those sections are where navigation needs attention.

Put your own dates on this and TourTrax splits it into days at your pace, finds somewhere to sleep at the end of each one, estimates what it will cost and gets you to the start without flying.

Plan this route → Download the GPX

Other route guides

NCN 3 - West Country Way is an official route from Sustrans (their website).