Snowdrops at Cothele

Snowdrops are one of my favourite flowers, so I am always keen to see them growing naturally.  A  walk by the River Yealm between Yealmpton and  Puslinch Bridge is aways a good spot to see them.  This year there seemed to be more on the left bank of the river, and the other side of the bridge was so overgrown we did not see any.

Saltram always has a good display of snowdrops.  They have planted many in the gardens, but around the reception area they look a bit false at the moment.  No doubt they will be better when they have spread naturally rather than in the clumps.  The area between the river and Snowdrop Woods always has a good showing and they did not disappoint again this year.

Today we visited Cothele.  Usually we do not go so early in the year as we wait to see the daffodils at the end of February.  I was surprised by how many snowdrops there were, with many different varieties.  In the Valley Garden by the stream there were some tall snowdrops and in the gardens there were beds full of them.  It was particularly good to see them under the bright pink camelia and in the centre of the pond with the coloured stems and dark foliage as a foil.

Cothele also had a wonderful selection of camelias to admire.  The white ones in the courtyard were particularly impressive.

Central Park

 Central Park is right on our doorstep so I frequently walk around it.  Although plenty of trees there are not many flowers there.  In early spring there are a few snowdrops, some crocuses and some daffodils.  Then the bluebells bring splashes of blue and the cherry trees in Pounds Park make a colourful arch.

The most spectacular display is from the rhododendrons and azaleas that are in or near Pounds House.  

Daffodils by River Fowey

 We caught the train to Bodmin Parkway and walked from there along an old carriage way parallel to the River Fowey.  It was a pretty walk with woodland both sides and after the initial slope down nice and flat.  At Rospryn Bridge, after walking through the car park and over the bridge we continued along the river path. There is an accessible path further away from the river, but we chose the rougher path so we were beside the the water.  It was still a reasonable path to walk on, although may not be good after wet weather.  

Soon we were seeing daffodils at the side of the path.  After a while there was a large area of them.  After crossing the bridge we saw many more daffodils on this side of the river.  I would have liked to have explored these woods further but we had a train to catch so returned to the station.  If we had more time we could have walked up to Lanhydrock House or further along the river to Lostwithiel.

However this had been a very pleasant hour walk.

Buckland Abbey

I only wanted a short walk today so thought we would take the yellow route around Buckland Abbey estate and a wander around the gardens.  Part of the yellow route was closed off.  Thankfully other walkers told us about it so we did not have to walk down the hill and then up again, as there were no signs about the closure.  There was nothing of interest on the yellow walk, and the butterfly maze on the way there was also very disappointing.  However the gardens were looking lovely.  There was lots of colour in the Cider house border and the wild flowers outside the Abbey were a picture.

Cremyl to Milbrook

 Walking around Mount Edgecumbe is always good, and an ideal place to go on Bank Holidays when the roads are busy. We made an early start so we could get an car parking space near Admirals Hard and drank our coffee in Mount Edgecumbe Park watching a very large ship coming down the Tamar and out to sea.

  

There were a number of hydrangeas in the park, varying in colour to bright blue to pink. 

After walking around the Park we decided to try a new walk and go to Milbrook.  From the entrance to Mount Edgecumbe House we crossed the road and followed a path through woods.  This was a well defined earth path that initially ran parallel to the road but gradually went down hill.  Occasionally we had glimpses through the trees out to the river, even as far as the Tamar Bridge. 

The path became steeper towards the end and eventually it came down to the waters edge at Higher Anderton.  We then walked along the lakeside road towards Milbrook.  It was high tide so the Lake was pretty.  We crossed over the causeway and around the pond to the bus stop in the village.  As a bus was due I could not stop to take any pictures of pond, where there were geese and swans. 

The bus took us back to Cremyll and we sat again in the Park eating our lunch.  I always enjoy discovering new walks and this is one I will definitely be doing again.  I have heard there are lots of bluebells in Clarick Woods so I aim to come back next May.

Cadover - June 14th

 I have just realised I have not posted any blogs on walks I have done since the beginning of June.  There have not been many as I have spent time with grandchildren and  details of  the long weekend away in Padstow are in my holiday blog.  However there have been a couple of walks that I should record.

In the middle of June I drove to Cadover intending to walk to Shaugh Bridge.  This is a repeat of a walk I did when I first moved to Plymouth.  I started walking through the woods following a broken pipe line.   The path was rough with lots of tree roots and stones sticking up.  I took the upper path as I hoped it would be better than the one nearer the river.  At one point the path became smooth and so I was not watching my feet so carefully and tripped over a tree root.  I went flying!  Fortunately there was not real damage but I was shaken up.  I continued walking for a while and saw the Dewstone on the other side of the river, but when it came to a muddy slippery patch I did not feel confident to jump from one stone to another so turned back.

On the way back I took the lower path and there was some lovely views of the river.  It looks so different to  when it flows over flatter ground near Cadover Bridge.

It was a pity not to have made it to Shaugh Bridge, but having had many months not able to walk because of an injured knee I did not want to damage it again.  I am conscious I need to walk on easy paths these days.

Burrator

 Another sunny day so I made an early start and drove to Burrator.  As I approached the reservoir I was met with some highland cattle wandering along the road.  They did not seem to mind the cars, even though they had a young one with them.

I walked from the dam to Norsworthy Bridge, taking the inside path that goes along the shore of the reservoir.  Often there are beaches beside the water but today the reservoir was very full and came right up to the trees.  There were some purple rhododendrons and yellow azaleas that added to the beauty of the scene.  There were also patches of bluebells all the way along.

The path was flat but rough in places with tree roots and stones, so I had to be careful how I walked.  There was a lot of  water flowing into the reservoir but only one stream had overflowed across the path.  As I approached Norseworthy Bridge the river was flowing fast over the stones.

Being out early there was no icecream van at Norseworthy so I had to return without any refreshment.  There wasn't even one at the dam when I returned to my car.  It was a very pleasant walk, with very few people walking along the inside path, although there were a lot of cars at the dam and people walking along the road.  I think the inside path is a secret that few have discovered.