A RECENTLY completed cycle route from Okehampton to Tavistock which is being seen as a key in regenerating the area following foot and mouth is to be featured on the BBC.

A team from the long-running rural affairs magazine programme BBC Countryfile will be filming different parts of the route on Monday and presenter Michaela Strachan will be testing out the 15-mile path, which takes in some of the most beautiful scenery in the country.

The cycle trail is being hailed as one of the most spectacular in England but, despite parts of it being opened for some time, it is still not that well known.

Programme researcher Sian Roberts-Alatti said it was decision to feature one cycle trial, which was lesser known, in each of the four countries of Britain .

'We will not just be doing the tourism spots but finding out a little bit more about the countryside,' she said.

'We will be speaking to experts about various conservation issues and taking in some beautiful scenery along the way.'

The team will be stopping off at Lydford Gorge, Meldon Viaduct, Brentor — where a geologist will talk about the uniqueness of the rock — and Mary Tavy where South West Water will describe how it is using water from the canal to power the town of Tavistock.

An expert on ley lines and some interesting wildlife stories will also be featured. There are also plans to focus on Tavistock's association with Sir Francis Drake.

Sian said Dartmoor was also known for being 'Hound of the Baskervilles' Country and that was another reason it had been considered such an interesting one to feature.

'We are really looking forward to coming down and Okehampton will be our base whilst we film the programme,' added Sian.

'To the rest of the UK outside Devon the route is not that well-known. So many people put bikes on the back of their cars these days when they go on holiday that highlighting these cycle trails, we hope, will be really beneficial to the area.'

BBC Countryfile, which has been on our screens for the past 12 years and is presented by John Craven, is working in conjunction with Sustrans.

The programmes will be televised in the summer.