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Countess Wear Bridges – Exeter Ship Canal shared path loop from Marsh Barton

Routes

Bike touring routes & trails

Countess Wear Bridges – Exeter Ship Canal shared path loop from Marsh Barton

Easy

4.8

(10)

134

riders

Countess Wear Bridges – Exeter Ship Canal shared path loop from Marsh Barton

00:47

13.1km

40m

Cycling

Easy bike ride. Great for any fitness level. Mostly paved surfaces. Suitable for all skill levels. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: April 19, 2026

Tips

Includes a movable bridge

Check opening times.

After 2.72 km for 39 m

Waypoints

Start point

Train Station

Get Directions

399 m

Double Locks Pub

Highlight • Cycleway

Great pub to stop on a bike ride if you are covering the Exe Valley Trail

Tip by

2.39 km

Countess Wear Bridges are two bridges in Exeter, Devon that cross the River Exe and the Exeter Ship Canal. They have a D-Day connection because they were used for military training by British paratroops prior to the Normandy landings in 1944. The bridges were chosen because they resembled two bridges in France that were part of the Operation Deadstick, a daring mission to capture and hold the crossings over the Caen Canal and River Orne. The training involved rehearsing different scenarios and tactics in case the plan went wrong on D-Day.

Tip by

9.76 km

Cows Grazing on the Exe Water Meadows

Highlight • Natural

10.1 km

Exeter Ship Canal shared path

Highlight (Segment) • Trail

The tarmac option following Exeter Ship Canal from the Swing Bridge near Countess Wear, there's also a parallel gravel road through Riverside Valley Park that's accessible by bike if you fancy. A smooth and flat run into town or out, but take care as pedestrians and cyclists share the path here and it can become busy at peak times.

Tip by

12.3 km

Ducke's Marsh

Highlight • River

Lovely place to walk can get very flooded around here but the weir is a lovely place to sit and relax

Tip by

13.1 km

End point

Train Station

Way Types & Surfaces

Way Types

8.64 km

3.01 km

928 m

237 m

179 m

< 100 m

Surfaces

9.77 km

2.96 km

346 m

Elevation

Nothing selected – click and drag below to see the stats for a specific part of the route.

Weather

Thursday 9 July

31°C

16°C

0 %

Additional weather tips

Max wind speed: 10.0 km/h

to get more detailed weather forecasts along your route

Comments

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Countess Wear Bridges – Exeter Ship Canal shared path loop from Marsh Barton

Swing Bridge Over the Canal

Double Locks Pub

Exeter Ship Canal