Plym Valley, Dartmoor
Exploring some of Dartmoor’s most fascinating archaeological and industrial sites, this route offers moorland views to Plymouth Sound and Bodmin Moor.
Dartmoor is a rich prehistoric and industrial landscape. The upper Plym Valley’s archaeology is particularly diverse, with every major period of moorland history illustrated. En route are prehistoric settlements, with their field boundaries and house foundations. Drizzlecombe’s stone rows, cairns and massive standing stones (4.3m) are outstanding among Dartmoor’s several prehistoric ritual sites.
The valley’s abundant tinworks and field systems attest to further extensive activity in medieval times. Dartmoor’s warrens were first built in medieval times too and abandoned Ditsworthy Warren House, where the warrener lived until the 1940s, was one of several farms breeding rabbits for meat and fur. Nun’s Cross Farm was also abandoned in the 1940s, whilst Nun’s Cross is one of Dartmoor’s oldest stone crosses. Dating from at least 1240, it is a boundary marker for Dartmoor Forest (a royal hunting demesne) and inscribed BOC LOND SIWARD, signifying charter land held by Siward. Eylesbarrow tin mine (the last place where tin was smelted on Dartmoor) brings the moor’s long industrial history into the 19th century.
1
SX555645 Turn left from the car park. Turn right at Cadover Bridge along a tarred track.
2
SX561643 Fork left when the track divides. Continue over a bridge. Reaching a wall, fork left. Follow the grassy track ahead, parallel and then close to the east bank of the Plym. Pick your way carefully through the old tin workings. Look out for mallard, heron, grey wagtails and dippers.
3
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Ford the river. Follow the track ahead up to and behind Ditsworthy Warren House. Follow the track downhill and then up Drizzlecombe, past the menhirs, stone rows, cairns and hut circles. Continue to Higher Hartor Tor. Turn left and follow a grassy path to ruined Eylesbarrow Mine.
4
SX598681 Follow bridleway north (not east) to Nun’s Cross.
5
SX604699 Turn right and follow the bridleway south-east behind Nun’s Cross Farm and over Nun’s Cross Ford by a clapper bridge, one of many such simple stone slab bridges on Dartmoor. Continue south-east for 200m.
Keep right when the path divides and head south over the tor to Plym
Ford, picking your way carefully around tin workings and wet ground.
6
SX610684 Cross the ford and follow the track ahead for 75m. Turn right onto a rough path parallel to the river past many more old tin workings. Ford Langacombe Brook. Continue parallel to the river. Cross Shavercombe Brook and follow it upriver to a hidden waterfall.
7
SX595660 Climb out of the gully and head west towards the Plym. Striking a leat (part of a large and still largely extant network of water channels which provided domestic water and power for machinery) follow it parallel to the Plym.
8
SX582660 Reaching a clapper bridge, leave the leat and head down to the river. Retrace your steps to the start.