Get on your bike to enjoy the natural beauty of the Exe Trail

Martin Hesp enjoys a wonderful day out next to one of Devon's most beautiful estuaries

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No one needs a newspaper feature to tell than that estuaries are very, very special places. These zones where rivers meet the sea create a magical mix of fresh and salt water - a brackish blend that makes them some of the most productive and important habitats on Earth.

Estuaries serve as nurseries for fish and shellfish, and are critical feeding grounds for thousands of migratory birds. But they're more than just wildlife havens, estuaries are nature's filters, cleaning pollutants from our waterways before they reach the ocean. Their salt-marshes and mudflats also act as natural defences, protecting coastlines from storm surges and erosion.

They also happen to be fascinating and beautiful places where you can spend a day exploring creeks, wildlife reserves and waterside villages, as well as simply taking in the ever-changing scenes that come and go with the changing of the tides.

I was thinking all this one day last week as I cycled alongside one of the South West’s largest and most important estuaries. And when I say “cycled alongside” I really mean “circumnavigated”.

How do you circumnavigate an estuary on a bicycle? Good question. You'd have difficulty cycling around many Westcountry estuaries - but there is one, huge, glorious stretch of water, sand, reed and mud that is well-equipped for such an adventure.

I’m talking about the Exe Estuary, which nowadays boasts the Exe Trail - a 16-mile stretch of bicycling beauty and pedalling perfection. I am happy to hurl all the superlatives I can at this long and winding road. A road which, of course, is for the most part restricted for the use of cyclists and walkers.

It is wonderful. If you own a bicycle and live in the region, do yourself a favour and ride along all or part of it soon.