TO mark 50 years since the Two Moors Way was first launched, the route is to be extended to take in even more of the region’s beautiful landscapes.

The trail currently links the South West’s two National Parks, Exmoor and Dartmoor, creating one of the region’s most loved long-distance walking trails.

As part of the 50th anniversary celebrations, partners confirmed a significant milestone for the route’s future.

The Two Moors Way is officially being extended to fully incorporate the Erme–Plym Trail between Ivybridge and Wembury, establishing Wembury on the South Devon coast as the southern end of the route. The Erme–Plym Trail is now also formally recognised as part of the continuous Two Moors Way journey from coast to coast.

The anniversary, on Friday, May 29, was due to be celebrated at the route’s halfway point, Morchard Bishop, as the Free Press went to print. Partners, volunteers and walkers came together to honour its past and look ahead to its future.

First opened in 1976, the Two Moors Way originally ran from Ivybridge on the southern border of Dartmoor National Park, traversing Dartmoor, and the Mid Devon countryside, before crossing Exmoor and finishing on the coast at Lynmouth more than 100 miles later.

Current chairman of the Two Moors Way Association, John Howell, said: “For 50 years, the Two Moors Way has been shaped by volunteers, walkers and partners who care deeply about this landscape.

“Today is a celebration of that shared commitment – and of a route that continues to inspire people to slow down, walk and really experience the beauty of Devon, from its coasts to its countryside.”

Dan James, enterprise and communications manager at Exmoor National Park Authority, said: “The Two Moors Way shows the power of National Parks working together to create something bigger than the sum of their parts.”