The varied moods & aspects of Dartmoor
Plymouth Rambler Ron Smith talks us through a 6-mile walk with lovely views.
T
he same six miles in the same week of mid-May; eluvial deposits of tin ore, mined out by tinners before but what a difference! Bright sunshine and 1700. The local names for these tinned out gullies are lovely views right across the Moor one day; just a few beams, or gerts. days later, low cloud and blustery drizzle. Both are the The leat was built in the 1790s after this form of tinning Dartmoor us Ramblers know and love - truly one can was no longer in use, to supply what was then called get pleasure from a walk in all Plymouth Dock as it needed weathers. increasingly more water. Norsworthy Bridge is a very The Plymouth Leat, or Drakes good starting point for various Leat, had been put in 200 walks deep into the Moor, with years earlier. Our leat was only generous space for car parking. allowed to be built on the strict Simply drive past Burrator proviso that it did not in any Reservoir to the head of the way interfere with Drakes Leat, valley, park just beyond the so had to draw its water from bridge. beyond Princetown, requiring a Our walk starts up the lane to tunnel under Nuns Cross Farm The end monolith of the stone row Leather Bridge and then heads to reach us here. Today, Drakes right. Emerge from the wood Leat no longer runs, since and continue to Crazywell Pool. This deep excavation it was blocked by the building of Burrator Reservoir. of the medieval tinners is a favourite swimming spot Devonport Leat still runs vigorously to above the end of in high summer. Pass the pool and go up diagonally the reservoir, then tumbles down to assist filling it. onward until you reach the Devonport Leat. Follow this We follow the leat, initially above and parallel to a track. along the hillside noting how it needed to be built up When the track crosses Elder Bridge, keep following the round the tops of several gullies. These were filled with leat nearly to the head of the valley where it emerges 48
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