Must do... Walk the wonderful Lydford Gorge
The couple opposite us on the site had travelled this on their electric bikes and thoroughly recommended it.
We were beginning to think we should have booked to come for at least a week, there was so much to see and do in the area.
There is a bus service that runs through Lydford itself, and the stop is just a short walk from the site. Bus 118 will take you to Tavistock, Okehampton or places in between, such as Mary Tavy or Meldon. The buses take dogs, too.
Lydford is an interesting place to explore. The castle was originally built in 1195. It’s an English Heritage property, only 500 metres from the site, right next to The Castle Inn where we enjoyed a beautifully cooked meal.
The castle was used a prison for badly behaved tin miners. Courts were held to oversee the laws of the Forest of Dartmoor and the four stannaries, or tin mining areas. The court and prison later moved away to Princetown, where there is still a prison.
One of the inmates at Lydford reportedly referred to the harsh prison, with its severe punishment system, as ‘one of the most annoious, contagious and detestable places within this realm’.
Admission is free and further exploration behind the castle, on its mound, reveals Bronze Age settlements.
In fact, if Bronze Age settlements interest you, then try Grimspound up on the moor. This can be incorporated into a great walk finishing at the Warren House Inn, which I believe is the highest on Dartmoor, with a fire which has never been unlit in 175 years, so rumour has it.
Next to the castle is St Petroc’s Church, which is dedicated to an itinerant Welsh monk who was preaching in the West Country in the sixth century.
It is thought the Norman church was built on the area the monk stayed on his frequent visits to the area. Inside the church there is a Norman font made of Hurdwick stone and there are also some wonderful pews with carvings of West Country flora and fauna on the ends.
The much-visited Watchmaker’s Tomb can now be found inside the church as it was moved from outside to protect it from the elements.
The unique epitaph for George Routleigh describes and remembers him as though he were a clock himself.
Opposite the church, at the village entrance, is a granite post commemorating the Viking raid upon the Saxons in 997AD. It is strange what you can find in little places, such as Lydford.
A walk further on down the hill, took us
to the Devil’s Cauldron car park of Lydford Gorge itself, a National Trust property.
Pause at the bridge before the entrance to witness the turbulent waters far below. The gorge is the deepest in the southwest and has a 30m-high waterfall.
Unfortunately, at the time of our visit, the notorious Devil’s Cauldron was inaccessible due to ongoing and extensive repairs. Although some of this work has now been completed, one of the trails is still closed and bad weather can cause problems, so check before you decide to visit; it truly is a sight to see.
Although some of the gorge can be viewed on a more accessible route, which has viewpoints and bird hides along the way, even taking in the White Lady waterfall, the main route is rugged, narrow in places and can be slippery, and some areas are open to steep drops to the water below. There are lots of uneven steps. Dogs can visit but must be kept on a lead.
The waterfall walk is a fairly moderate, circular walk of about an hour, with the more challenging, circular river walk taking twice as long. There is a one-way system in place due to the narrowness of some paths. It is amazing how much water gushes through the gorge and the power it possesses; we had not expected this with the dry weather we were experiencing. We wondered how it might appear during the rainy winter months.
We enjoyed two walks around Lydford, each being around two miles, ideal for our dog’s early morning walk. There is also a short walk on site, in Dart Field where the tents go and the views from here over to Dartmoor are stunning.
We also enjoyed the Ingo Brake walk, which again is accessible from the site and goes straight across from the war memorial, following a public footpath and the Beardown Way signs. It passes Lydford Viaduct, which was built in the 1870s as a railway route between Okehampton and Lydford; this was still in use in the 1960s when so many railways were closed. The size of some of the stones used in its construction were quite considerable – I wondered how on earth they were lifted into place, and kept there.
Eventually the footpaths lead around the edge of Ingo Brake and back to the road to towards Lydford, a short, steep climb taking us past the gorge itself.
The second walk took us on the footpaths around the village, passing a boundary stone to the edge of Dartmoor National
Park, and emerging behind the castle ruin. This leads on to some of the smaller ³