Lukesland Gardens

 I have visited Lukesland in the autumn and remember it was very colourful, but I have never been when the bluebells, rhododendrons and azelias are in flower.  As it was a sunny Sunday afternoon I thought I would got and see these gardens.  It was so beautiful!  The rhododendron bushes were huge, the azelias of so many different colours and the bluebells gave carpets of blue.  It was lovely walking beside the stream as there was a lot of water running down over the waterfalls.  It was quite a large area (24 acres) and so much to see and admire.  I will definitely be back!

Tavistock Canal

I drove to Yelverton then caught the bus to Tavistock.  It was a double decker and I was able to have the front seats upstairs so a great view as we drove along. From Tavistock bus station I crossed over to the park and walked down to the river which was rushing along.  I walked along this to the road then went through the underpass to the canal path.  I followed the canal until the viaduct, which took about 40 minutes.   In places the water in the canal looked dark and menacing, but in other places the sun shone through the trees and it was green with reflections.  I passed several families of ducks with small ducklings swimming away from their parents.  There were some bluebells at the side of the path, but they were passed their best.  The walk was flat all the way and it was an easy, pleasant walk.

When we returned to Tavistock we walked along the river into the town.  There was a lot of water coming over the waterfalls by the town bridge.  The town itself was packed with people having to queue to go into any shop they wanted to browse.  I was therefore happy to walk back to the bus station and catch the bus back to Yelverton.

Knowle Down Bluebells

 I read on social media that there was a lovely display of bluebells on the road between Horrabridge and Walkhampton, so I decided to investigate.  I was not disappointed.  As I drove from Horrabridge there were lots of bluebells in the hedges. I then saw the bluebells on the slope of the valley at the side of the road.  I came to a parking area and went to make a closer exploration. As I wandered around  Knowle Down I was surrounded by bluebells and their fragrance wafted up to me  There was no-one except a few horses admiring the view. It was a steep slope but a very worthwhile short walk

 

Longtimber Wood, Ivybridge

 After over a week of wet and windy weather where I have not done any substantial walks, the sun came out this afternoon so I took the opportunity to get out.  With all the rain we have had I knew the rivers would be spectacular so I drove to Ivybridge and parked under the viaduct and walked into Longtimber Wood and then along the River Erme.  Even from the road you could hear the river thundering down.  When we reached the river there were multiple waterfalls and white water and the river rushing through gaps in the rocks. It was indeed spectacular.  The trees had the soft green of new leaves and the sun shining through them added to the beauty of the walk.  At times there were streams running across the path but it was a reasonable surface most of the way.  When the path headed away from the river and got very stony I turned back.  It made a very pleasant afternoon walk.

In Search of bluebells in Whitleigh Woods and Southway Valley

 Bluebells are my favourite wild flowers, they are so bright and cheerful.  When they are in flower I try to visit as many bluebell woods as possible.  In the past I have been to Whitleigh Woods at this time of the year and seen bluebells so I decided to revisit this wood to see what sort of show the bluebells were putting on at the moment.  I parked at the end of Southway Drive and crossed the road to the woods.  I didn't see any bluebells until I reached the top of the woods, which was disappointing. The bluebells in the woodland by the road were not at their best as there were still flowers to come out.  However it was good to see some.

By the time I had walked back through the woods to my car I had only been walking for about 20 minutes so I decided to explore somewhere new.  I drove round to the other side of Southway Drive and parked as soon as I saw a sign to the Southway Valley Nature Reserve.  There were steps that led down to the wood.  I could have followed these to the valley floor but decided instead halfway down to walk along a path through the wood.  There were lots of bluebells here, but some were the spanish variety. 

After a while I came to a path that lead to the bottom of the valley where there was a large field.  I turned around and continued walking along a stream that was only a trickle.  Eventually I came to some steps that led up to by car.  

Again the bluebells were not fully out.  In another week they would look a lot more spectacular.  There were definitely more of them in this nature reserve than across the road in Whitleigh Woods.  I will certainly come back another later in the season.  Next time however, I will park nearer the bottom of the reserve so I don't have the steep climb into and out of  the reserve. 

Plymbridge

 Usually I walk from Marsh Mills to Plymbridge and then turn around.  On Friday I wanted to see the bluebells that are in the wood above Plymbridge.  I drove past Glenholt planning to park in Wood Park.  However, when I got there I found there was no parking space so drove down the road to Plymbridge itself.  There I discovered that the car park and road on the other side of river was closed, this must have been why there were so many parked at Wood Park.

As I was at Plymbridge I decided to walk up the river.  There were a few bluebells  and also some wild garlic.  I walked up the river and under the viaduct.  There was then some steps that took me up to the cycle path.  I then turned around and walked over the viaduct.  The Peregrine Project volunteers were not yet stationed on the viaduct although there was someone there with binoculars pointing to the quarry wall obviously looking for the peregrine nest. 

 After crossing the viaduct we went down steps that took me to the other side of the river.  I walked up the river a bit further so I could rest in the bench overlooking the weir.  This is a lovely place to stop half way along the walk. 

I then walked back along the canal.  Twice I had to jump over a stream as the edge of the canal was broken down and the water was running across the path and down to the river.  The canal path was much quieter than usual, probably because of the closed road and car park.

Bluebells along the River Plym

 When I walked from Marsh Mills to Plym Bridge recently I saw lots of bluebell plants so I knew it would be really beautiful when they were in flower.  I had heard that they were out so went to see.  The wood at the side of the path was full of  bluebells, but they were not out completely.  This meant there was a blue haze on the floor of the woodland but not a strong blue carpet. 

When I had crossed the bridge to the other side of the river there were more bluebells along the banks of the river.  The colour made the walk even more beautiful than usual.