Outdoors & Active

Out and About with Tavistock Ramblers

A winter woodland walk, and lots of history with John Noblet of Tavistock Ramblers. This 4-mile walk visits Morwellham, once a thriving village and port. It is the terminus of the Tavistock Canal and developed in the 19th century to ship copper ores mined in West Devon and East Cornwall. The walk goes by the historic manor of Morwell Barton before passing the crags of Morwell Rocks and the historic quays on the River Tamar.

Park in a layby just below the crossroads at The Rock (SX451711 PL19 8JL) 1. Go back up the road to the crossroads, turn left and almost immediately left again down the signed public footpath past a white gate. Walk down the tarmac drive and past the entrance to

Morwell Barton, a fine manor house dating from the late 15th century.

Continue straight on the now grassy track to a gate. 2. Cross a stile beside the gate and into a field. Keep the hedge on the right and into a second field. Continue ahead towards woodland and a metal gate. The path goes into the woods, at first a little indistinct but soon turning left and becoming a substantial track by Pleasure Rock. Descend gently down through the woodland to reach Morwell Rocks. This is a spectacular viewpoint high above the meandering River Tamar loved by Victorian artists and climbers alike. An information board sets the scene. A little further on, the pit for a waterwheel of Wheal Russell, a 19th century copper mine, can be glimpsed. Go straight on

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through a wooden gate and join a tarmac lane which will lead down to the quay. 3. Pass a row of cottages built by the

Duke of Bedford, to house workers, before bearing left between the old industrial buildings of this once busy quay. Please ensure that you keep to the public footpath here. If you wish to explore further an entry charge applies. Walk past the huge waterwheel, the quays where ore was stacked before loading onto the waiting ships, and The Ship Inn before turning right on the footpath signed to ‘George and Charlotte

Mine’. (The large building on the right is a hydroelectric power station powered by water from the Tavistock

Canal). Continue beside the track

of the old mine railway as it goes into the mine (and a little further on, comes out again). 4. By a black corrugated iron shed, the footpath leaves the railway track and continues alongside a low wall with the River Tamar on the right to the eerie remains of Newquay. Pass a line of huge lime kilns and go up the track to a wooden gate. 5. Go through the gate, turning left signed to the county road. Keep straight on at a T-junction and pass a metal gate. The lane passes Lower

Sheepridge Farm and continues uphill to Sheepridge Farm and

Sheepridge Cottage before reaching the layby where we started the walk. Tavistock Ramblers walk on most Saturdays and Sundays and some Wednesdays. There is a mix of short walks and longer all day hikes to suit all. Go to www.tavistockramblers.org.uk to see the latest programme of walks on offer. You are welcome to join us. If you want something shorter to start with, try a Ramblers Wellbeing Walk to get active. There will be one near you.

You will also find a series of self-guided walks on the website to download or print. Two books of Tavistock District walks and several leaflets of walks in the area are available in the Tavistock Information Centre.