Autumn in Plymbridge Woods

Autumn in Plymbridge Wood is beautiful with breathtaking views across the valley. You may see kingfishers, sea trout, dippers, peregrine falcon, deer and other wildlife. This is a lovely walk to do with your dogs – plenty for them to explore and have fun splashing about in the river. Just under an hour’s drive from Bowerland.

Directions:

• From the car park walk up the incline, passing the new railway platform built by Plym Valley Railway.
• Go over the bridge onto the tarmac path.
• Walking along the track look down to the canal below. It was constructed in 1829 to transport slate from the quarry using box-shaped barges pulled by horses.
• After walking under a stone bridge on the right you’ll see the ruins of railway cottages, built to house quarry workers. The buildings were converted to a single cottage at the beginning of the 20th century.
• Continue along the track onto the viaduct at Cann Quarry, which was built in 1907 to replace an earlier version engineered by Augustus Bampton and Isambard Kingdom Brunel. The stone bases of the original can still be seen.
• Look up from the viaduct through the telescopes and you might just see the resident peregrine falcons on a ledge above you. Their breeding season is from March to July.
• Retrace your steps and turn left before the railway cottages. Go down the flight of steps and in front of you are the remains of a wheel house. The huge wheel was driven by water, providing power to the cottages.
• Pass under the viaduct and turn left onto a narrow path beside the River Plym. The path will move away from the river and follow the canal.
• At the end of the track, go under the stone bridge and through the kissing gate. Opposite is the car park from where you started.

We hope you enjoy this beautiful walk. Read more of our Wednesday Walks HERE. And see Devon Dog’s Calendar of Events HERE.

 

Featured image by Nilfanion | CC BY-SA 4.0 | via Wikimedia Commons