Wheal Jewell reservoir and Lydford Gorge

I love walking on Dartmoor, but like to have walks with definite paths so there is no danger of us getting lost..  I was therefore pleased to find the walk at http://www.richkni.co.uk/dartmoor/betsy.htm which said it was a walk with clear paths.

The walk starts off the main road just north of Mary Tavy. We found it difficult to find where we had to park to start the walk, but eventually we found where we needed to stop by the path up to the Wheal Jewell reservoir.  The walk was easy as it was flat and with wide ranging views.  We could see the Wheal Betsy mine works but as there was no definite path to it was did not go to see it closer but instead stayed on the path to the Wheal Jewell reservoir and then walked around that and then back again on the same path.

The leat that flows into the reservoir

Pool beside the reservoir

Wheal Jewell reservoir

As this had only been a short walk we drove on to Lydford Gorge.  We walked down to the Devil's Cauldron then returned to the car and drove to the other end of the gorge and walked to the base of the White Lady Waterfall.  The wild garlic was out, but only a few of the bluebells.  It won't be long before the woodlands around this National Trust property will look wonderful.

Devils Cauldron

River rushing through the gorge

White Lady Waterfall

Nun's Cross and Devonport Leat

We so enjoyed our walk from Princetown last week we decided to return to the same area on Thrusday 31 March to explore the area further.  This time we drove down the road towards Whiteworks and parked the car above Peat Cot Farm and walked back to the bridle path.  This time we then turned left to walk towards Nun's Cross.  The views were spectacular, we could see Burrator Reservoir in the valley below and Plymouth Sound in the distance.

When we reached Nun's Cross we walked on down to Nun's Cross Farm to look for Devonport Leat, but we could not find it.  So we made our way towards Peat Cot in the direction we thought the Leat would be taking.  Eventually we came to it, but the wall with the path was on the other side and we could not get across the leat.  We followed the leat along but it was very wet and eventually we walked uphill to the road.  We noted that the road crossed the leat, so we assumed we would be able to cross the leat at this point, which we did.   We then walked along the leat until we came to below Nun's Farm where it went into a tunnel.

We then walked back to the car the way we had come.  On the way we came to ponies grazing at the side of the path.

Princetown

On March 25th the sun was shining.  We had avoided walking on Dartmoor during the winter so thought it was time we visited this area.  We parked in a lay-by just outside Princetown and walked down the bridle path towards South Hessary Tor and then continued on the path until the junction which we came to when we walked from Princetown in September 2011.  It was a good path so ideal after the wet winter weather we had had recently.  The views were beautiful.  It was a much better walk than down the road which is the way we went last time.

We cut across the path that led to the road and crossed the road and walked to Peat Cot Cottage and farm.  This was a muddier path, but we could avoid the puddles.  When we arrived at Peat Cot Cottage there was a sign to a footpath that led back to Princetown.  We started to follow this but it was very wet.  We continued on through one field and turned left at the end to make our way uphill.  There was a bridge over a stream but to get to it we had to go across stepping stones.  They were too far apart for our liking and so we decided at this point to turn back.

When we cross the field we were walking parallel to the Devonport Leat.  Another couple was walking along the 'wall' of this and their path was completely dry so on the way back we climbed up to this wall and it was much easier coming back.

We then retraced our path back to Princetown for an icecream.

Yelverton to Tavistock

We have been so busy this summer looking after our grandchildren and the Christians Against Poverty ministry that we have not been out walking except when on holiday.  (See my holiday blog for details of our holiday)  today,   When we have had a few hours free we have visited gardens, which I have posted photos of in Tumblr. or short favourite walks in or near Plymouth, such as around Saltram, Wembury or Mount Batten.

Today, however we had a whole day free so decided to walk from Yelverton to Tavistock.  We caught the bus to Yelverton then followed the Cycle Network Route 27 all the way to Tavistock.  It was a very easy walk of about 5 miles.  It was flat or downhill most of the way, with only one slight incline.  The path was tarmaced all the way and most of the way it was in countryside away from roads.  There were lots of wonderful views over Dartmoor and the Walkham valley.

After an hour we walked across the spectacular Gem Bridge and just a bit further on we came to the Grenofen Tunnel.  As we approached this we felt the temperature drop.  You could see the light at the end of the tunnel but it was very dark in the middle of the tunnel, with water dripping down from the ceiling.

It took us about 1.5 hour  to reach the edge of Tavistock.  We walked into the town to buy our lunch and then ate it by the River Tavy.

We then walked back the way we had come along the canal, but instead of keeping to the cycle path we stayed on the canal path and walked to Crowndale Farm, the birthplace of Sir Francis Drake and then on to Shillamill Viaduct.

Wild flowers at Burrator

Saturday morning was showery so we did not head out until the afternoon.  We wanted somewhere nearby and sheltered if the rain came back.  We therefore decided to go to Burrator and walk around the reservoir.  It was lovely to see the rhododendrons.  There bright purple complemented the blue of the water and green of the surrounding moor.

There were still some bluebells out.  I was surprised how many bluebell plants were in the woodland around the reservoir.  Generally the flowers were dying but we found one patch still looking good.  I must remember to return next year when all the bluebells are out as it should be a good display.





The foxgloves were just coming into flower and near the water we saw yellow irises.  At times the path was very muddy but the flowers and beauty of the reservoir and surrounding moor made the walk very worthwhile.

Tasvistock

As a break from driving we decided to take the bus from Plymouth to Tavistock.  We had been wanting to do this for a few weeks since we learnt there is a duo ticket that meant both us of could travel there and back for £8, which we thought was good value.  We caught the double decker bus by Plymouth Railway Station and enjoyed the view from the top deck during the journey.

After coffee in the Wharf coffee shop we started by walking along the river to the centre of Tavistock.  There was a lot of water coming down the weir.

We spent a pleasant hour looking around the pannier market, the stalls outside and other shops before a fish and chip lunch.The market is certainly a very interesting place to visit.

We then walked up to the viaduct and onto the old railway line that is now a cycle and foot path.  From here we had an elevated view of Tavistock.  After going under several bridges we came to a road which we followed downhill until we came back to the main road by Drakes statue.  Another time we will walk up the canal from here but today we made our way back to the centre of Tavistock.  We had intended to walk along the canal but we noticed some purple by the river and so went to investigate.  It was masses of crocuses that had been planted at the end of  Meadowlands.  A lovely cheerful site.

Tavistock is definitely a good destination for a day out from Plymouth, and with buses every half an hour it is easy to use public transport.

Shaugh Bridge

It had been raining nearly every day for over a month.  It was a showery day today, but we wanted to get out for a breath of fresh air.  Last week we had taken my mum to Ivybridge and walked up the River Erme from the viaduct.  The river was spectacular as it rushed over boulders.  Unfortunately I did not have my camera with me so we decided to go to see what another river was looking like.  Today we chose to go to Shaugh Bridge where the rivers Meavy and Plym meet.  The sight did not disappoint us.

Burrator in November

It was a grey morning on Saturday, but not too cold, so we thought a brisk walk around Burrator would be good.  We parked at the dam and saw the water was gushing over it.

The trees were gradually turning colour, it was a pity the sun wasn't shining on them as they would have been more attractive then.  Nevertheless we could still see reflections  in the reservoir.

As we walked to Norsworthy Bridge there were lots of streams flowing fast into the reservior.  The waterfall was as pretty as ever with the fallen leaves covering the ground.

The trees around Norsworthy Bridge were in full autumn colours and looked wonderful against the fast flowing water.

Cadover Bridge

It has been a long time since we visited Cadover Bridge but recently this part of Dartmoor has been mentioned to me a number of times so I thought it would be good to go there again.  We drove through Plympton to Wotter where we had been told there was an excellent view of Plymouth.  However, it was a misty day and we did not see very much.  Driving on through the clay works was not a very attractive route but we were soon onto the moor which was much more pleasant.

We parked at the National Trust car park at Cadover Bridge.  In the past we have walked from there to Shaugh Bridge, but today we decided to walk up the river.  The first thing I noticed was the sheep grazing by the river.  Most rivers on Dartmoor are fast flowing over boulders, but the river Plym at Cadover flows more gently and I was reminded of Psalm 23 "The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.  He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters"

 

We crossed over the road by the bridge and started to walk up a small road parallel to the river.  We only walked as far as Trowlesworthy Warren House as the sky was threatening rain.  But as it held off once we were back at our car we did a short walk through the woods in the opposite direction.

It was surprising how quickly the river went from flowing gently to rushing down past boulders.  It seemed like a completely different river.

Although there were some brown, dead leaves on the ground most of the trees were still green.  There were lots of acorns around and some other berries on trees, but no magnificent autumn colour displays yet.

We did not return to Plymouth the way we had come but continued on the same road until we came to Yelverton,  Driving this way over Dartmoor was much prettier than the other way.

Heather on Haytor

I wanted to see the heather and gorse on Dartmoor.  According to a Dartmoor National Park leaflet there was a lot around Haytor so I looked for a walk in this vicinity.  Again the Park Authority obliged.  They have an audio walk that you can download from their website.  I printed out the instructions and map and we started walking from the Information Centre at the foot of Haytor.  It was very useful to have such clear instructions and interesting to be given background information on what we passed and saw.

To begin with the heather and gorse was a little disappointing, but as we walked further there was a better display.

As well as admiring the flora there were stunning views to various tors in Dartmoor.  It was very interesting walking around the pond in the Haytor Quarry, and it seemed so unusual to see water lilies growing there. We walked as far as Smallacombe Rocks, but then turned back as we did  not have time to do all the 6 miles of the audio walk.

Most of the way the path was good although we had to pick our way carefully through granite stones as we walked around the base of Haytor.  The view between the two main rocks  was spectacular - you could see all the way to the South Devon coast.

This was a very pleasant walk and I would like to do the second part of it another time.

Ivybridge - Puffing Billy walk

We had found it difficult to follow the route of our last walk, and afterwards we were more tired than usual.  We therefore wanted an easy walk today and so were pleased to see there were no steep climbs on this walk and the way was very obvious.

The instructions regarding the starting point on the BBC website were very clear (see http://www.bbc.co.uk/devon/outdoors/walks/puffingbilly.shtml).  The lane off the B3213 was very narrow and I was glad I did not meet anyone coming in the opposite direction.  At the top of the lane I was surprised to see so many cars parked.  There was space for about 8 cars and there were already 6 there.

As promised it was easy to find the track of the Redlake Tramway and we were soon walking along.  Unfortunately there was a mist, or heat haze, in the distance and the visibility  was not good.  This was a pity as there were extensive views in all directions, but there was no point in photographing them.  As we walked along there were plenty of livestock, cows, sheep and some horses.  The first flock of sheep we saw were all black, but later we came upon white and speckled ones.

There were quite a few other people walking in this area, some on the same track as us and others on paths that led off it that either went down to Ivybridge or up to nearby tors.  After a while the track became part of the Two Moors Way and some were obviously walking this route.

The track goes on for 7 miles to Redlake, gradually going uphill, but never steeply.  You really felt as if you were in the middle of the Dartmoor wilderness.  We knew we would  not be able to walk all the way to Redlake and back so stopped after walking an hour.  Although it was a linear walk and we had to return the way we came we noticed different things on the way back, such as a row of stones.

This was a very pleasant walk which would have been spectacular if it had been a clear day.