B3387

This article is about the later B3387 in Devon.
For the original B3387 in Warminster, see B3387 (Warminster).

Route

The B3387 is a rural road running onto Dartmoor.

The road starts at a roundabout to the west of Bovey Tracey, which is also the junction of the A382 and the B3344, with the latter leading east to the town. The road heads west and almost immediately starts gently climbing, between tall hedges. The first proper junction is a TOTSO with the route ahead a now-unclassified one towards Manaton.

Haytor

Having turned left the road gets steeper and narrower, albeit still with white lines whenever possible. A curve to the south through more trees suddenly brings users onto the open moor, with a grand view of Haytor Rocks ahead. Like a magnet they draw you onwards, even when they temporarily dip out of view, but then they are there rising majestically from the moor. A small car park just past the side road down to Haytor Vale and Ilsington provides an exhilarating 20 minute walk to the top.

There are more car parks further on, making the walk shorter, but surely less exciting, and then the rocks are in the rear view, dwindling in the mirrors. The route passes between the less dramatic Saddle Tor and Rippon Tor, crosses the cattle grid at Hemsworthy Gate and turns north-westwards before the long descent into Widecombe. The road passes the car park and church in this pretty little tourist village and ends at the next road junction where it becomes unclassified.

History

The B3387 is now slightly longer than it used to be, as it took over the route of the B3344 from the current roundabout start to the TOTSO where that route headed for Manaton. It is unclear how long the B3387 existed before the B3344 was curtailed (it did not exist in 1985), but certainly for the majority of the time since 1922, the road to Widecombe was unclassified.