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WALK 3
Circular Walk from Bedford Bridge visiting Grenofen Bridge
About an hour to an hour and a half
Large car park with toilets that are open during the summer months
Map reference Outdoor Leisure map 28 504703
Bedford Bridge is our starting point and is the bridge that crosses the River Walkham about half a mile from Horrabridge on the way to Tavistock at the bottom of a long hill. The car park is on your left just before the bridge and can be easily missed if you are going a little too fast.
From the car park walk east to a small footbridge and follow the clearly defined path through the trees.
After 275 yards a wide path strikes off at an angle to the left. The woodland in this area consists mainly of large oaks with areas of bracken. As we top a rise look left and we see the wooden posts and wire of the fence marking the disused railway line. Ahead is a bridge that crosses the railway line. It has suffered from vandalism in past years but is part of our industrial heritage. Crossing the bridge we can look down on the old track bed of the GWR line, which ran from Plymouth to Tavistock South. The line closed in 1962 but there are now plans to reopen it as a cycle track.On the far side of the bridge the path takes a route to the right and before long we leave the tree line and are on open moor.
We cross another path and walk straight ahead. Pause for a moment just past an oak tree that stands alone on our right hand side and take in the view. The Tors of Dartmoor can be seen. From Gibbet Hill above Mary Tavy to Peak Hill above Burrator the panorama is spectacular. How many Tors can you name? On a warm day a buzzard may be seen gliding on the thermals above the River Walkham.
After a little while you arrive at a junction with other paths. We pass a grass bank and then turn right. The public path ends at this point but we follow the wide grassy path to our right with the Grenofen television relay station in our sights straight ahead.
Continuing on our way we arrive at some hawthorn trees with oaks ahead. At this point we join another track and turn right. This was the road from Buck!and Abbey lo Tavislock Abbey. The route is now downhill through Sticklepath Wood over a very rough stone and slate track to Grenofen Bridge. Trout can sometimes be seen in a large pool under the bridge. We return to Bedford Bridge car park by walking along the right hand bank upstream now on a well used public path. The river has flooded on a number of occasions and has rather worn away the path in places and exposed thick tree roots so do take care. This tranquil area is the resort of kingfishers. You may be fortunate enough to see the flash of blue as one flies away from you. Keep a look out also for the Dipper (the emblem of the Devon Wildlife Trust) bobbing up and down on rocks and diving under water.
Look for evidence of a weir and the take off point of a leat. The observant will see the remains of mans activities in the area as we progress along the river bank. There are walls and hidden away are disused mines. After a while we reach an area clear of trees just past some remains of stone buildings. This was the site of the Grenofen Viaduct, which carried the railway over the river on towards Tavistock. It was demolished in 1965 and but some of the stone, bricks and metal can still be seen lying in and beside the river. There is now a plan to rebuild a bridge as part of a cycle route,
To join the public footpath you have to walk up the bank a little. You can take a lower path by the river but it is not well defined and is a little difficult in places but not impossible for the adventurous. We end our walk on a grassy area popular with picnickers next to Bedford Bridge and then back to the car park. |
