Geograph - photograph every grid square

National Cycle Network Route 27 is a 99 miles long route between Ilfracombe and Plymouth, of which 71 miles are traffic-free. The route combines the beaches and estuaries of North Devon with the lush green valleys of the Torridge, the Tavy, the Walkham and other evocative West Country rivers. The route also skirts round the western flank of Dartmoor offering superb views of Cornwall and the surrounding area. There is also many local links and spurs to explore. Largely tracing the course of former railway lines, the route takes you through tunnels and across the breathtaking viaducts and bridges bequeathed by Victorian railway engineers.

The Exeter to Plymouth railway of the London and South Western Railway (LSWR) was the westernmost part of a route competing with that of the Great Western Railway (GWR) and its 'associated companies' from London and Exeter to Plymouth. Whereas the GWR route from Exeter followed the coast to Newton Abbot and then went around the southern edge of Dartmoor, the LSWR route followed the northern and western margins of Dartmoor, passing through the towns of Crediton, Okehampton,and Tavistock.
The route was constructed piecemeal by independent companies, in most cases supported by the LSWR. LSWR trains first reached Plymouth in 1876 and the route took on its final form in 1891. The central part of the line closed in 1968 leaving just local services at either end.
Wikipedia: Link