Synopsis: Impromptu walk along the River Walkham. No planning other than a Dartmoor map thrown in my rucksack. This was a pleasing return to a superb river walk, possibly the best in Devon.
(selection of photos from Flickr photo set – use link above to view album)I picked up the car, hastily made a sandwich and drink, threw my Dartmoor map into my rucksack, and off I set, with no clear idea where I was headed. I parked in the first lay-by I came to on Dartmoor and sat in the sun to eat my lunch. Over lunch the thought occurred to me that it wouldn’t take me long to get to the River Walkham, a lovely river walk, but one that I’d not done in an age. And so, lunch done with, I set off for the car park near Bedford Bridge, close to Horrabridge.
River Walkham, Dartmoor
I don’t intend to write a great deal, as this was simply a splendid walk, one for which words would add very little. I happen to love this walk and can’t recommend it highly enough, especially if you like river walking. I suggest if you wish to get a feel for this walk, you simply browse my photos as stored in my Flickr photo set (link above). I have seen kingfishers on this river on past occasions, but didn’t see any today. Keep a look out for them and you might strike lucky.
River Walkham, Dartmoor
I decided to end my outward walk at a house where the path began to rise along a track up the hillside. Annoyingly my OS Dartmoor map ended at this point, so I had no idea what lay beyond. In hindsight, a bit of me wishes I had continued on that little bit further to Double Waters, where the River Walkham joins the River Tavy. But time was running on anyway, so perhaps I made the right decision for today as it happens.
One thing I will add. I thought this was going to be an out-and-back walk, that is to say I’d return along my route out. I met a couple out walking and we started talking. I mentioned the modern bridge high over the river, a bridge, one I don’t recall seeing on previous visits to this area. The couple explained this has been built as part of a new cycle route between Tavistock and Plymouth. They explained that a path would take me up onto the bridge if I so wished.
River Walkham, Dartmoor - Grenofen Bridge
I thought it would be interesting to follow the couple’s suggestion, so on my return, near Grenofen Bridge, I detoured onto a signed cycle path which connected me with the new cycleway. This connecting path and the cycleway itself are not shown on Ordnance Survey maps, presumably because these are newly instigated routes.
National Cycle Route #27, Devon Coast to Coast, section: Drake's Trail - Gem Bridge
I’m glad I made this detour as it confirmed my supposition, a lot of effort and money must has been put into creating this new cycleway. The quality of the route is excellent. The bridge across the River Walkham, the Gem Bridge, that I’d previously walked under and was now standing on, is quite a piece of engineering, costing £2.1m. It is simply but elegantly styled, and high above the river (24m/79ft) it affords grand views along the Walkham Valley. A report on the opening ceremony in 2012 is to be found at ‘Wednesday 5th September Gem Bridge and Grenofen Tunnel Open’. This brand new bridge replaces a little wooden footbridge that spanned the River Walkham which required a scramble down into the valley to cross.
Drake's Trail - footpath bridge over cycleway
A little way past Gem Bridge the cycleway passed under a bridge which carries a footpath. I couldn’t see an obvious connection between the cycleway and the footpath, although there was some evidence people had scrambled up the old railway cutting about 50 metres east of this bridge. I would have thought this cried out for a few steps being inserted here.
Devon Coast to Coast, section: Drake's Trail - bridge over footpath deep in the valley below
Drake's Trail - connecting track descending to car park at Bedford Bridge
I walked only a little way along the cycleway before deviating onto a track that would lead me back to the car park at Bedford Bridge. I can’t therefore vouch for the whole route, but I’m tempted to bring my bicycle with me on my next visit and cycle the route.
I noted the cycleway signs were marked ‘27’ and on the Sustrans website this is shown as the ‘Devon Coast to Coast’ cycle route (Ilfracombe to Plymouth), with a total distance of 99 miles, of which 71 miles are traffic free. The stretch from Tavistock to Plymouth is known as Drake’s Trail. For information see: Drakes Trail information leaflet. The Sustrans webpage for Devon Coast to Coast indicates in respect of Drake’s Trail that “This has recently been developed into a fully traffic-free stretch of National Cycle Route …”.
Apparently “‘Eventually it will form part of a cross-Channel cycle link stretching more than 260 miles from Ilfracombe to southern Brittany.” I suppose the cross-channel ferry from Plymouth to Roscoff makes that a possibility. An imaginative, ambitious and very laudable project, a venture that is sure to breath vitality into all the people and communities it touches.
Note (navigation hint): I’d got into difficulty the last time I attempted this walk, which was on a trip out with Mum, when off we set along the official public footpath which you’ll note closely follows the banks of the river. We weren’t long into our walk when we discovered the path had been washed away, presumably by the high river levels during the winter months. We gave up on our walk that day. I reported the issue to the council, but I never did get a response. I chose to use another route from the car park today (as you’ll see if you view my tracklog overlay), not actually the public footpath, but following a track that connects with it. I didn’t inspect the public footpath just out from the car park, so I can’t say whether this is now passable or not.
My walk today became a, admittedly very slim, figure of eight. The cycleway I fell upon added interest and inspires me to explore by pedal-power at a later date. The river walking was exemplary. Impromptu today’s walk may have been, but excellent it proved to be all the same.
Walk Statistics:
Total Distance: 5.3 miles
Moving Time: 1hr 44min
Stopped Time: 1hr 16min
Total Ascent: 160 metres
Maximum Elevation: 131 metres
Buses: (none)
