London Lands End Cycle Route Book

Please note: Our websites www.cyclinginholland.com and www.london-landsendcycleroutebook.com are experiencing instability, due to problems at the web hosting-provider. If you can't access these websites, try again later; they are there, but not continuously. 

Note you can still order my guidebooks about Cycling in The Netherlands and the London-Land's End Cycle Route at all times via the EOS Cycling Holidays website. We are sorry for for the inconvenience and hope this issue will be resolved soon (14 June 2013).

BLOG LONDON LANDS END CYCLE ROUTE BOOK:

Yes, the mammoth task is completed! After six years of cycling and surveying, both professionally and just for fun, I can now proudly present the London-Land's End Cycle Route Book, featuring indeed the very best traffic-calmed cycling touring routes of southern England. 

The pannier-pocket guide features 1200 kms (940 miles) of routes, 140 maps (for both urban and rural areas), 500 listed facilities (like bike repair shops, camp sites, hostels and Bed & Breakfasts), detailed directions with local knowledge all the way  and a fully continuous enjoyable route (overcoming gaps in Sustrans' National Cycle Network). GPS-tracks, route updates and social media for users are available via the designated website. 

I hope this book will inspire people to take up cycle touring for many years to come, whether you are a passionate individual cyclist or would like to head out by bike with for your loved ones. The guidebook easily allows you to cycle shorter route sections and naturally caters for that one big cycling adventure! Parents will find many route sections extremely suitable for their younger children and can indeed take their teenagers on that special family holiday which will spark everyone's imagination, generating fond memories which will last for ever!

As you see on the map, the book not only caters for UK-cyclists, it also invites touring cyclists from the continent to go for a cycling holiday in England. Routes from both Dover and Harwich head for London to join the main route there. In Devon you can head for the ferry to France from Plymouth, allowing you to cycle around the English Channel! You can also use the guidebook to connect to the Cycle West Routes in France.

So, what is this book like then from the inside? Well, the book features 24 route sections and every individual section starts with an overview of the characteristics of the route section. You'll see how much distance you'll cycle traffic-free (35%; bike symbol) and how much distance you'll cycle on very quiet roads (58%; bird symbol). It also shows you how much distance you actually have to deal with any traffic (6%; symbol of one car = road with some traffic flow, 1%; symbol with two cars = main road on which an adjacent footpath is always available). The overview also shows all stations on the way (60 in total), so you can plan where to hop off and on trains. An elevation chart gives you a good idea about the terrain "to be conquered". Local visitor information, combined with attractive pictures and beautifully drawn line-drawings by artist Tom Pick from Sweden give you a further feel about the route ahead. An example of such a page is shown above.

Another important feature of the guidebook are the full directions for the whole journey. Note this is only provided for the east-west cycling direction. The "telegram"-style with symbols and abbreviations (full overview included in the guide) is written in such a way that you actually don't need to be able to read the maps. You can always see at a glance how far it is to the next village, town or rural pub/cafe. For reasons of clarity, all distances in the guidebook are in kilometers. All way points of the directions are also marked on the maps. The book features various map scales to be able to deal with both rural and urban areas. Above a sample of a rural page, below a sample of an urban page.

On the maps, you might notice the round boxes with letters. These match with the letters on the facility pages in the back of the guidebook. This allows you to find accommodations and bike repair shops very quickly, where-ever you are. Accommodations for all levels of luxury are provided, so not just campsites, hostels and Bed & Breakfasts, but also some charismatic expensive hotels. The listings provide full contact information of every venue, so name, address, postcode, phone number and website. Rural pubs/cafes are mentioned in the route directions with their names only.

So, where do the routes in the guidebook take you? Well, in brief; when starting from the recommended starting point (London Bridge Station) you'll cycle across the heart of London via quiet back streets and traffic-free routes in great open spaces, for example Hyde Park and Richmond Park. You'll leave the capital completely traffic-free via the towpaths alongside the Thames. Via Windsor Castle, you'll make your way to the Avon & Kennet Canal. This canal route takes you into Wiltshire with ancient Avebury and Stonehenge. Flat happy cycling with amazing views is provided by the Bristol & Bath Railway path and the Strawberry Line, taking you via Bath, Bristol, Avon Gorge and Cheddar. 

From Taunton in Somerset, the route continues into England's rugged West Country, crossing Exmoor National Park into Devon with its splendid Tarka Trail. You can then choose to cycle Devon Coast to Coast to Plymouth or to continue west into Cornwall. Highlights of the Cornwall route are Tintagel Castle, the beautiful Camel Trail, the famous surf beaches of Newquay and beautiful Penzance with its striking St Michels Mount. A circular ride via Land's End and Cape Cornwall will be a worthy finish to your ride!

You can read an extensive route summary on the designated website, which also features a picture library with over 200 pictures. The retail price of the book is £15.99. If you order the book through the official London-Land's End Cycle Route Book website you'll have to pay an additional fee for postage, but you'll also receive GPS-tracks of the routes for free. GPS-tracks are worth £10 and can be ordered separately. I hope you'll be out on your bike soon; feedback on guidebook and routes are very welcome via the Official Guestbook or Twitter on @LondonLandsEnd.

Other popular blog articles by The Cycling Dutchman:

Explaining Dutch cycling infrastructure:

Sharing the road or segregated cycle paths? Well it is both!

Just a different lick of paint!

The Cycling Dutchman on helmets

Dutch bike rides and Dutch cycling culture:

The Ultimate Amsterdam Bike Ride

Looking for the Dutch equivalent of Queen's Bicycle Race

The Dutch West Cape by bicycle

Translating the Dutch cycling model to the United Kingdom:

The "Taw Vale Case", or how Britain still advocates a world ruled by cars, despite its good intentions 

Totnes Integrated Cycle Plan

The Cities Fit For Cycling Campaign

How local campaigning can make a difference

The power of Bikeability

The ultimate Amsterdam bike ride

OK, here is the thing. Amsterdam is famous for its bicycles and cycling culture, but if you are visiting from overseas and decide to join in with all that cycling fun, you might not find it fun at all. You’ll indeed find out that Amsterdam is ruled by cyclists, much more so than you’d like. Cycling in Amsterdam’s historic city centre can be extremely hectic, with local cyclists fighting for every inch of space, not to mention buses, taxis and trams. As a browsing, wobbly cycling tourist who is trying to figure out how it all works, you may well have to deal with Amsterdam cyclists who overtake you very close and fast, cut you off at corners or harass you by relentless ringing of their bells. If you completely “mess it up” in their eyes, you might get shouted at too!

To be happy on your bike as a cycling tourist in Amsterdam, you should avoid the main through fares in the city with its cramped and narrow cycling infrastructure, used by large numbers of rushing locals. My Cycling in The Netherlands guidebook provides a great Amsterdam Circular route, taking you from the Central Station into the greenbelts of the city. This 20-28 km (12-17 miles) route will take you to places in the historic Amsterdam canal belt where cycling is actually at its best, with lots of Amsterdam landmarks to be seen on the way. It will also give you a more correct image of what cycling is like in The Netherlands as a whole.

Join us on this circular route at the main ferry landing behind Amsterdam Central station. If you were still in doubt about the unpleasantness of Amsterdam’s inner city cycling, it says it all here. Total mayhem when a ferry arrives. Cyclists, mopeds and pedestrians all rush off in all directions, pushing through, honking and ringing bells. As a visitor you should just observe this spectacle, it is definitely unique for Western Europe. 

Whatever you make of it; isn’t it great they are all on bikes or by foot, rather than in cars? The mayhem will only last a couple of minutes or so and then, the cycle path alongside the IJ-Harbour is yours!

To start, we follow the signposts of the Amsterdam-Brussels long-distance cycling route, taking us away from the harbour and station onto a cycle path alongside a scenic canal to Nieuwmarkt Square. In medieval days, this used to be the city’s boundary. You’ll be greeted here by an impressive city gate, now housing a stylish cafe. It is one of the few remains of Amsterdam’s medieval fortifications which were not affected by an ambitious 17th century extension project, which would create the majority of all those famous canals Amsterdam is now famous for. 

Nieuwmarkt Square is also the place where American Brian from San Francisco made a spontaneous analysis of Amsterdam cyclists. The way how he cataloged them in various groups of sub-cultures makes a great read, don’t miss this very funny website!

The route continues further south and hits the banks of the Amstel River, which gave Amsterdam its name. The traffic calmed road on the east side of the river provides a splendid cycle route away from the historic canal belt with some famous Amsterdam landmarks to take in on the way. The Magere Brug, in English known as the skinny bridge (which is a straight translation of the Dutch name) has been a river crossing point for centuries. It is a must for most Amsterdam canal boat tour companies to sail at least once under this bridge on every tour.

You’ll also cycle by the Stopera concert hall, the Amsterdam Heritage Museum, Royal Carré theatre and the luxurious and most expensive hotel in town, the Amstel Hotel. 

Further south, the route via the banks of the Amstel River takes you under the Amsterdam orbital motorway, from where the horizons widens. A peaceful Dutch river scene including angling, canoeing and cycling awaits you from here. 

A Rembrandt statue depicts the Old Dutch master catching the scenery in one of his paintings. Right next to this statue, you’ll find an authentic Dutch windmill, the closest in the vicinity of Amsterdam’s city centre. 

Just down the road, you’ll find the Kleine Kalfje cafe the obvious spot for a break. It is on a crossroads for popular local leisure cycling routes and cyclists make up the majority of the customers.

From here, we continue west by the Kalfjeslaan. This traffic free rural lane also sets the border line between Amsterdam City and its independent southern suburbs. The lane is lined with trees and popular for Sunday walks or bike rides. It brings us into the Amsterdamse Bos, the Amsterdam Woods, a large park, comparable in size with London’s Richmond Park. The Amsterdam Woods were created in the 1930s as a labour regeneration project and it is now one of the few full grown forests in the world below sea level.

The Amsterdam Woods are the most obvious local leisure destination for Amsterdam city dwellers. On nice sunny days, you’ll find many Amsterdam people heading out by bicycle to the park, either for just a ride or a picnic. Weekend mornings are especially popular for running.  

Further entertainment is provided by an educational centre (Bosmuseum), a city farm (Geitenboerderij), a Dutch pancake restaurant in traditional rural setting (Boerderij Meerzicht) and an open air children’s pool (at “Grote Speel Weide”). The Amsterdam Woods also feature a large hockey sports complex and a 2 km-long rowing canal (Bosbaan), which has been widened in recent years to be able to host international rowing tournaments.

The vast size of the park makes you can still feel very much on your own, despite all the high profile attractions. The park, with paths either designated for walking, cycling or horse-riding (Dutch micro infrastructure at its best!), is a must for any visitor to Amsterdam who is into cycling. Having cycled in many places over the world, I still find the Amsterdam Woods unique. As “The Cycling Dutchman” I feel proud and very lucky to have grown up in this special place.

Heading back from this park to Amsterdam’s City Centre, the route follows a cycle path parallel to a heritage tram line, with electric trams from 1920s and 1930s era operating during weekends. The route takes you through the actual tram railway yard, with plenty of opportunities to see some of this old rolling stock, being collected from places as far as Vienna. 

Don’t miss the Amsterdam Olympic Stadium parallel to path. It was used for the 1928 Olympics and was saved from demolition in the 1990s by a public appeal. The derelict stadium was fully restored to its former glory, allowing you now to cycle around the stadium and to visit the Olympic Experience, with lots of artifacts and imagery of those 1928 Olympics. The stadium cafe also recalls the days when Ajax Amsterdam and the Dutch national football team used the stadium for their international matches.

Beyond the stadium, you’ll briefly cycle through an early 20th century residential area. These old high apartment blocks with their very steep stairs along tree lined canals with bike parking racks every 50 metres or so, are typical for the living situation for many citizens of Amsterdam. Deprived from gardens, it makes you understand why public green open spaces are so important for many people here. The Vondelpark is the next one to take in.

Being closer to the City Centre than the Amsterdam Woods, the Vondelpark has a completely different feel. This is an inner-city park and its wide traffic-free avenues, shared among pedestrians, runners, skaters and cyclists can get very crowded. The park was built in the late 19th century and part-funded by the Dutch AA, very much a cyclist’s organisation at the time. 

It took over 20 years of conflicts between pedestrians and cyclists and on-going public debate before the right to cycle in the park was definitely assured. These days "the rules" are as follows; slower traffic (pedestrians) keep right to the sides of the avenues, whilst faster traffic (skaters and pedestrians) use the middle area, overtaking slower traffic on the left; see how you go!

Via Leidse Plein Square and the Leidse Straat shopping street with its single tram track (no cycling!) the route reaches its final stretch back to Central Station. The Prinsengracht Canal provides great Amsterdam scenery and traffic-calmed cycling, although you must keep an eye on traffic coming from the side bridges on the way. Most of the 17th century Amsterdam Canal system is now declared World Heritage site and the views bridge towards the Westerkerk Church are indeed majestic.

Just beyond Westerkerk, you’ll cycle past the Anne Frank House Museum. It is one of those few places in the world where people can still experience the true terror of the WWII holocaust. Queues are inevitable, as every visitor gets the opportunity to walk through the small room where Anne Frank wrote her famous diary whilst hiding for the Nazis, a highly emotional experience. If you decide to visit whilst being on your ride, bring a strong bike lock, as there is no guarded bike parking available at this location.

Talking bike parking, the ride then finishes back at Amsterdam Central station at what is now thoroughly an Amsterdam landmark too. The Fietsflat is a multi-storey bike parking facility, unique in the world and a worthy finish to your ultimate Amsterdam bike ride. 

Note the circular route as described in this article is not signposted. If you like to cycle this route, it is highly recommended you purchase my “Cycling in The Netherlands” guidebook, which features over 700 kms of routes. 

All routes in this book have been specially chosen for the international visitor; they feature as many landmarks as possible, taking you through a rich variety of landscapes and high quality routes! Full route descriptions, maps and accommodation listings are included. 

If you order the book through website cyclinginholland.com before 1st August 2013, you'll also receive this article in PDF-format and GPS-tracks of the Amsterdam Circular route for your outdoors navigation device.  

Other popular blog articles by The Cycling Dutchman:

Explaining Dutch cycling infrastructure:

Sharing the road or segregated cycle paths? Well it is both!

Just a different lick of paint!

The Cycling Dutchman on helmets

Dutch bike rides and Dutch cycling culture:

Looking for the Dutch equivalent of Queen's Bicycle Race

The Dutch West Cape by bicycle

Cycling Holiday Fair Amsterdam

Translating the Dutch cycling model to the United Kingdom:

The "Taw Vale Case", or how Britain still advocates a world ruled by cars, despite its good intentions 

Totnes Integrated Cycle Plan

The Cities Fit For Cycling Campaign

How local campaigning can make a difference

The power of Bikeability

Holidaying by bicycle in Southern England with the Cycling Dutchman:

The power of cycling tourism: London-Land's End by bike!

Holiday Packages by Eric's EOS Cycling Holidays

A bike ride with German and Swiss journalists

The "Taw Vale" Case

Britain is a country with lots of good intentions. Government bodies, companies, organisations and individuals all say they want to reduce their carbon footprint. Shouldn’t we all walk and cycle more or use public transport, rather than just hitting the road with that extremely convenient, but so polluting metal box on wheels? It is easier said than done. The reality is that many of Britain’s roads are narrow and worn out, barely able to cope with an ever increasing level of motorised use. This road network also somehow has to cater for sustainable means of travel, but in reality cycling, walking and good public transport is only accepted as long as it is not in the driver’s way.

Rarely, something wonderful happens. In 2007 the Barnstaple Western By-pass opened, freeing a pleasant North Devon market town from an everlasting gridlock of exhaust fumes, traffic noise and endless delays. The new by-pass also meant that road capacity in the town suddenly became available to create some good sustainable transport links. The Square, The Strand and Taw Vale were effectively “reclaimed” from motorised traffic. Together, they became a truly high quality sustainable transport corridor. 

Six years on, this route is really living up to its expectations. The number of cyclists using the route for commuting is rising by the day and the Park & Ride facility, from where delay-free buses run to the town centre on the same route, is increasing in popularity too. Its car park is often jam-packed! Last but not least, this pleasant riverside route has become a place where people relax and enjoy. At the same time, there is also a good alternative for visitors still intending to travel to the town centre by car. Those at Devon County Council who came up with this strategy should be applauded for their vision and courage to implement it; it just ticks all the boxes, making everybody happy!

Everybody? We already know that cycling, walking and good public transport in the UK seems only to be able to exist with the goodwill of drivers. Unfortunately, this turns out to be true once again. As the number of drivers travelling to Barnstaple town centre during rush hours slightly exceeds the capacity of the purpose built “Inner Relief Route”, the call to reclaim “Taw Vale” for motorised traffic is getting stronger. Drivers regularly experience a 5-10 minute delay! 

Rather than for once reconsidering their own means of transport, it is easier to press local councillors to plead at their county council to legalise a left turn from Taw Vale at “The Square”, now only open for buses, taxis and cyclists. It is a move which will increase the traffic flow on Taw Vale and neighbouring Victoria Road considerably. It also will create a rat run route, with the only purpose to filter in to the same main motorised traffic flow further up in town, likely to cause new delays.

You could be indifferent to do this and let it happen, but by the time these motorists will get to their newly created queue at “The Square”, the damage will already have been done. Ladies with baskets on their bikes, parents with children and all those new cycling commuters, currently happily cycling on the road in front of the Park Hotel between Barnstaple town centre and Newport, will feel exposed once again to the mercy of fast moving metal boxes. As we should know by now, it is just not pleasant to cycle in such traffic conditions. In fact, it is the biggest emotional barrier for people in the UK to take up cycling!  It is very likely many will give up their new-found sustainable means of transport because of this unpleasant environment. The opportunity lost and yes; those traffic delays will just grow more as a result!

To understand the importance of Taw Vale and Victoria Road for local sustainable transport you have to know that a popular walking and cycling route from the Newport and Whiddon Valley suburbs ends on Victoria Road (“Hollowtree Route”). Where this path joins Victoria Road, cyclists have to complete a ¼ mile on-road journey to reach the town centre area and the Taw Vale Riverside cycle path. This route is direct and with the current conditions, reasonably traffic-calmed, both essential ingredients to make the Hollowtree Route work.

Victoria Road can still get busy at times though and many new cyclists travelling from the town centre still find it difficult to perform a correct right turn from Victoria Road onto the cycle route. They do it (bless them!), although they could learn some skills from 10-11 year olds who do this type of turns as part of their Bikeability test. 

An increase of traffic by opening the junction at The Square (see picture on right) will make Victoria Road a truly unpleasant environment for cycling though, not only putting off all those new well intending adults, but also all those freshly trained young people. Drivers who say that “there are plenty of places where cyclists can go” should think again. To make a real journey from A to B you need more than the Tarka Trail and there are often very limited options for those who don’t want to be exposed to serious traffic. For the cycling travel corridor Whiddon Valley-Newport-Town Centre the Victoria Road/Taw Vale link is essential; there is just no other suitable route!

Also Newport Road, Newport’s “High Street” (picture on left) which also feeds onto Taw Vale/Victoria Road is currently just about acceptable for many of the new cyclists, making “shared space” policies work. The “opening” of the left turn from Taw Vale at “The Square” will make this road an attractive rat run route for drivers though, reducing more road space where cyclists currently feel “tolerated”. 

You only have to visit Newport’s South Street at rush hour (just around the corner, see picture on right) to see what Newport’s “High Street” can expect. Why is it that people want to create more horrible road conditions like this, especially after so much effort has been made to get rid of them? Funnily enough, those responsible for these decisions never seem to live on roads with these conditions, but on pleasant cul-du-sacs, well away from noise and pollution.

An often heard argument is that businesses need “through traffic” for their footfall, but does anyone with a sane mind think that by creating another “South Street”, businesses on Newport Road will actually thrive? The reality is that with increased traffic flow, the opportunities to actually visit a High Street shop by car are very minimal; there is just no space to park! Recent research shows that footfall of shops caused by “through drivers” often gets greatly exaggerated (by as much as 400%). It is one of those myths that refuses to die. The reality is that in many places, shop’s footfall actually increases with better access for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users, as it generally comes with a more pleasant shopping environment to be in, attracting more custom!

The importance of low traffic intensity traffic-calmed Taw Vale is also the key to the success of the Barnstaple Park & Ride facility. The current bus service to the town centre is reliable and fast, as the whole of Taw Vale functions as a (nearly) traffic-free bus lane. Its popularity will shrink if travel times of the bus service double, as buses will have to join queuing cars at “The Square” junction. In brief, by changing the current arrangements, two unpleasant routes of heavy traffic will be created (which have to merge into one at The Square), ruining the only sustainable traffic corridor available; madness!

But there is more at stake than just local transport links. The current Taw Vale route is exemplary for a country that seeks ways to adapt to a more sustainable lifestyle. The current success of Taw Vale shows what the results can be if road space gets truly reclaimed from motorised traffic. Barnstaple’s “Square” used to be traffic mayhem, but it is now a great open space where a community comes together, celebrating a healthy outdoor life style. It is an image which reaches much further than you might think.

For example, my own cycling holiday company features a picture of happy Taw Vale cyclists on its promotion materials, putting North Devon on the map as an international cycling destination. Forches Post Office staff can tell about the number of cycling guidebooks I dispatch from their branch for delivery worldwide and it is only going to be more. Also beyond my own efforts, Barnstaple is getting nationally known in cycling circles because of its Tarka Trail and Devon Coast to Coast route, bringing new business to the town. People want to adapt to more sustainable lifestyles and Barnstaple proves it is possible, not only to visitors, but also to its own residents. The Tarka Trail and the Western By-pass have both put Barnstaple in a primary position and sustainable links as Taw Vale/Victoria Road are essential to make sustainable transport a truly viable option.

Rather than making attempts to destroy it, Barnstaple Town Council should make efforts to make more similar traffic-calmed sustainable travel routes between the town centre/Tarka Trail and its suburbs. For residents in areas like Gorwell, Forches, Pilton, Bickington and Bishop’s Tawton access to “cycle routes for all” is “challenging” at best. There are many people out there who would choose for sustainable means of transport if there was indeed a viable alternative way to get to the town centre. I am sure the current 5-10 minute traffic delays would completely cease if such routes were created.

Come on Barnstaple! You are so close to being an exemplary UK sustainable travel town; don’t get distracted and keep looking forward! Don’t return to those motorised policies which ruled this country for over five decades; we all know what kind of society it created! Do we want to live in a world ruled by cars or not? That is the real question when talking opening up “Taw Vale” to motorised traffic. I hope Devon County Council will give a different answer to this question than Barnstaple Town Council currently does!

Eric van der Horst

Independent Cycle Route Consultant and Barnstaple resident


Some emails to the author in reply to this article (email addresses known to author):

* Thanks for raising awareness about this ridiculous about-face of policy. I am against changing the current traffic arrangements for Taw Vale. I'll be writing to my councillors.

With best wishes

Michele R Taborn, Barnstaple

* Very well done on raising the profile of this important issue. While I am not a local resident I have greatly enjoyed the Taw Vale cycle way on several occasions while holidaying by bike with my wife. Please add my voice to those that think it should be wholeheartedly supported rather than lost for such limited and questionable benefit to motorists. I always enjoy your blog, please keep it up!

Best wishes

Mike Hutchings, Horsham, West Sussex

* Thanks for the heads-up on the proposed changes to traffic arrangments in the Taw valley, Barnstaple. As a regular cyclist in Barnstaple I am against any changes to these regulations as they will negatively affect the local environment, ignoring the need to encourage car drivers to find other ways of getting into town. Cycle ways allow safe and enjoyable cycling. Barnstaple has a good network of cycle routes and an excellent park and drive scheme already, and I see this as a retrograde step in the transport policy of the area that will discourage the use of alternative transport.

Graeme Willgress, Okehampton 

* I use this route everyday and agree that it would be a retrograde step to put traffic back onto Taw Vale at the volumes they were before the new bridge was built. Taw Vale is an essential part of the mostly traffic free riverside walk that runs from Pottington industrial estate, along the Strand and out to Rock Park and Bishops Tawton, where I live. I will certainly write to object, but could you let me have a link to the town council proposal, so that I can see it in full

Many thanks,

Pete Leaver, Barnstaple

* I am against changing the current traffic arrangements for Taw Vale

Katja Leyendecker, Newcastle

* I'm a member of Sustrans in Barnstaple and I was not aware of this plan.  Thank you for telling me.  I fully support your stance and I am against changing the current traffic arrangements for Taw Vale.

Bob Smith, Barnstaple

* Many thanks for your latest blog about this appalling possibility. I am appalled that Barnstaple Town Council could have voted for opening the left turn on to Victoria Road to motor traffic.
This seems to me a wholly retrograde step. It is central Government and Devon County policy to encourage sustainable transport modes – walking & cycling as means of transport. This is for several reasons:

- They reduce pollution from motor traffic – CO₂ a greenhouse gas largely responsible for climate change and NO₂ which is just now being identified by the NHS as a potent cause of asthma & other respiratory diseases, especially in children.

- Greater use of walking & cycling for transport will mean fewer people, especially children, leading a sedentary lifestyle. Not being active leads to being overweight or obese which is closely linked with diabetes, heart disease and other health problems. The NHS has called this “an epidemic” which it estimates will cost £20bn by the year 2020. The Public Health Authority, imminently to be merged into Devon County Council, is extremely concerned.http://www.swpho.nhs.uk/resource/item.aspx?RID=37372

- Increasing the numbers of people walking & cycling for transport, i.e. for fairly short trips which make up a big proportion of the congestion in built-up areas, will reduce that congestion. This effect is well documented in The Netherlands.

- Making it easier, pleasanter and safer to walk or ride will allow children to be more independent, i.e. to walk/ride to school, to get out to the shops, to go and see friends without having to be ‘taxied’ by parents. This improves their mental health, particularly self esteem,

and allows them to socialise on the way to & from school. It frees parents to get to work, and to have more time for themselves & th rest of the family.

I therefore urge Barnstaple Town Council strenuously to reconsider your request to DCC on this matter.

Yours Faithfully, Julian Burn, Totnes

If you are against the reopening of Taw Vale for through traffic, get your voice heard!

Write to Barnstaple Town Council:

Barnstaple Town Council

To all Town Councillors

Barum House

The Square

Barnstaple

EX32 8LS

Write to Devon County Council:

Devon County Council

Mr Lewis Ward

Planning, Transportation and Environment

County Hall

Topsham Road

Exeter

EX2 4QD