Roborough to Lopwell Dam

This was a new walk for us.  We had often seen the gatehouse and drive at the edge of Roborough Down but had not thought to investigate where it went.  A post on social media told me it was the driveway to Maristow House and led all the way to Lopwell Dam, so we decided to investigate.

To access the path you have to walk over a cattle grid, which needed balance, but after that it was a wide path all the way down.  Just past the gatehouse we saw a stone which had 2 miles carved into it.  We were not sure why 2 miles, but guessed it was the distance to Maristow House.  Initially there were far reaching views to the River Tamar.  We could just make out the Tamar Bridge in the distance.

The path gradually went down hill, past fields and woods and farms.  There were a few gates to open but no obstacles.  At times there were views and other times nothing much to see.  It was a fairly straight path so not very interesting at times.  We crossed a couple of small roads and eventually came to the road that leads round the corner to Lopwell.  It took us just under an hour to get there.  This last bit of road was the only steep hill, and it was not very steep.

It was a pity the cafe at Lopwell was closed and obviously up for sale.  So we just had a short break before heading back to the car.  Although it was uphill all the way it was not too strenuous.  It was an interesting quiet walk.  For the whole time we were walking (2 hours) we saw only one other group of 3 men, and it was obviously their first time on this path.