An age-old market town located in the northern foothills of Dartmoor, Okehampton has never disappointed those ardent adventure lovers. Besides providing you the opportunity to explore the ancient villages, their traditions, and the small market, the place is regarded as the walking centre of Devon.

Several hiking trails and cycling routes pass through Okehampton, making it an excellent place for outdoor enthusiasts to start their adventure. Moreover, the place has adequate facilities and services that would enable you to fill your appetite and store your backpack with ease and convenience. However, reaching Okehampton by road is not that easy or convenient. You might end up losing a great deal of time as well as energy. In fact, you may not get a safe parking option here. If you are intending to travel by bus, then you should know that bus services in this place are highly desired and thus, it is most likely for you to find overcrowded buses.

Well! It is time that you give up your worries as the Okehampton train line is back in operations. Read on to know more about the same.

Update on the Okehampton train station

Okehampton train station is the starting point of the Devonshire Heartland Way which offers an inland route for cyclists and hikers. The 18 km traffic-free route, that is, the Granite Way, also passes through Okehampton. Some other well-known hiking trails and cycling routes passing through this place include the Two Castles Trail, the West Devon Way, Devon Coast 2, and the Dartmoor Way. However, despite being the heart of so many adventure destinations, Okehampton was not much visited by adventurers only because of the lack of trains.

The rough railway tracks and the remoteness of this place since the 18th century made Okehampton an unsafe place to travel. As such, only the Sunday heritage train from Exeter in the summer season passed through this station. However, things changed when the Government decided to rejuvenate the railway line and resume the train operations almost after 50 long years.

With just twenty minutes walk from the northern border of Dartmoor national park, Okehampton is all set to be the gateway to the moor. This is indeed exciting news for adventure lovers, especially the teenagers who would now get an opportunity to explore the unexplored.

The beginning of something new for North Dartmoor and Mid Devon

As stated before, Okehampton offers you enormous routes and trails to fulfil your adventure needs. If you intend to go for the Devonshire Heartland Way, you would have to start your journey from the Okehampton station and travel all your way to the north of Exeter. So, if you are parking at Okehampton, then you would have to catch a bus to reach Exeter. Isn’t that hectic? Well! The restart of the train services would not only offer you enhanced flexibility to reach Okehampton but you would also get the opportunity to carry your bikes on those trains, thereby remaining worry-free about the need to catch buses or park cars. Devon Country Council has further proposed to reconnect and restart the railway line between Okehampton and Plymouth, which may provide Dartmoor with a railway loop.

It is estimated that the railway line would reopen in December, 2021. So, if you are excited to take an escape to any of the hiking or cycling routes from Okehampton train station, just keep a check on the daily updates or news regarding its re-opening.