Tarka Trail Cycle Hire and other Barnstaple, United Kingdom Transportation Tips

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bicycle
Getting TO/AROUND: With Barnstaple's location on The Tarka Trail then it comes as no surprise to find that the small town is well endowed with cycle sales and hire shops. The two main hire companies are Tarka Trail Cycle Hire and Bike Trail Cycle Shop and Cycle Hire (see next tip for more info on the latter).

Tarka Trail Cycle Hire is the more prominent for those of us who travel by public transport as it is located quite literally in the railway station with its main entrance on the platform itself and has a wide range of both adult and childrens cycles for hire along with such accessories as helmets and child seats.

Cycles can be hired by the half-day or daily with rates from £7.50 for a full-size adult bike or £4.00 for a child's (half-day rates) - web site has full details of other rates.

The business is seasonal running from April to October, 9.15 am to 5pm 7 days a week.

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Phone: 01271 324202
Website: www.tarkatrail.co.uk

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bicycle
Getting TO/AROUND: Unlike its slightly better located rival Tarka Trail Cycle Hire this little business is open year round. Situated on the tranquil Fremington Quay, a couple of miles down The Tarka Trail from Barnstaple, BikeTrail offers a range of adult and childrens cycles including some very interesting bits and bobs such as a genuine Rickshaw or even a Penny Farthing!!

Bikes can be hired by the hour or by the day with a standard adult cycle's daily rate of 10 GBP which includes helmet and rucksack.

Even though they are slightly out of the way they do offer a delivery and pick-up service.

Full details are available on the website.

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Phone: 01271 372586
Website: www.biketrail.co.uk

'Mode': TO
Category: Train
Getting TO/AROUND: Barnstaple is North Devon's main (and pretty much ONLY!) railway station, being the terminus of the branch line known as The Tarka Line which runs up through mid-Devon from Exeter. Trains run roughly hourly in both directions from about 7am until 10pm and the journey to Exeter takes about an hour.

In the "Golden Age of Steam" Barnstaple's 2 town centre (Town and Junction) stations were the hub of North Devon's rail network with train services radiating upwards to the North Devon coast, westwards to Bideford and Torrington, eastwards to Taunton and beyond and of course down to Exeter. In modern times however only a single track line down to Exeter remains and the only station is now out of the town centre, about a 10 minute walk over the Long Bridge.

For a brief history of the station and some useful links try the 2nd site.

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Website: www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk
Other Contact: http://www.answers.com/topic/bar

'Mode': AROUND
Category: Bus
Getting TO/AROUND: Barnstaple is the transport hub for all of North Devon. From the bus station here in the town centre (Belle Meadow, at the end of Queen Street) there are regular bus services all over the area, as well as services to and from Exeter to access the south of the County.

The two main service providers are First and Stagecoach (websites below) and there are also a couple of smaller local companies such as Flyers and Turners. Unfortunately each company has it's own tickets and so there is not coverall ticket but First run the majority of routes and their day tickets are great value for money.

The bus station itself is well laid out and signed with the various destinations served by individual bays which have their timetables posted. The information office in the main building is always happy to guide users and also the drivers and other staff will provide general advice.

For those arriving in Barnstaple by train the bus station is about 800 metres, 10-15 minutes, walk, with a couple of bus services connecting the two. Train users can also add a "Plus Bus" option to their rail ticket which gives unlimited local travel around the immediate vicinity - the North Devon Rail Users group has a useful Wiki Page with links and more info.

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Website: www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/southwest/devon/
Other Contact: www.stagecoachbus.com/southwest/