Dartmoor CAM

This walk: 2007-2-26. Shaugh Bridge, views of Dewerstone Rocks, West Down wood, North Wood, pipe track, wooden bridge and stile, ladder stile, Cadover Bridge, restored cross, Wigford Down, cairn & cist, Dewerstone tor, cable brake house, 19C inclined tramway, Shaugh Bridge.

This walk starts in a steep-sided wooded valley on the edge of Dartmoor National Park. It continues out into open ground before Cadover Bridge, then climbing to the high ground above the valley on the return leg before going into woods again for the final leg. The weather was cloudy with sunny periods, but still no blue skies!

Walk details below - click to see information about the route etc.

General view near the start of the walk in Dewerstone Wood, just up the steps from the car park at Shaugh Bridge

Dewerstone Rocks from across the valley, with the River Plym below, from approx. SX 54100 63660

A look back at the Dewerstone Rocks

The pleasant path through the National Trust North Wood, en route to Cadover Bridge. Approx SX 54525 64000

Looking down at the River Plym

View of the pipe after which this section of path is known as "the pipe track"

Ladder stile on the path

Another view of the Plym

Almost at Cadover Bridge

Cadover Bridge, not a good view (SX 55542 64640)

Restored cross (SX 55330 64718), reached after crossing Cadover Bridge and turning left, climbing uphill, near the wall running around Lower Cadworthy Farm

Cairn & cist (SX 54427 64425), view looking from the west

Close-up of the cist in the centre of the cairn circle, an ancient burial site from Late Neolithic and early Bronze Age (2,300 � 700 BC). More information from this Dartmoor National Park fact sheet

View westwards from the cairn, showing the track

Rocky outcrop before the tor above Dewerstone Rocks (seen at left)

Dewerstone Rocks

View northwards from the tor (at SX 53857 63835) above the Dewerstone

Old cable brake drum house (SX 53725 64280) for the 19th Century inclined tramway that runs down to the clay drying kilns by Shaugh Bridge. The cross axle and some fittings are still there

Another view with the top part of the tramway

View down the inclined tramway - note the holes in the stones for fixing the rails

A bend in the tramway around this rocky outcrop

Another view of the River Plym - over the hill behind us, it is joined by the River Meavy immediately above Shaugh Bridge

Shaugh Bridge (SX 53277 63678), almost back at the car park

View from the footbridge just by Shaugh Bridge

Walk details

My second "real" GPS walk.

The route of the walk was modified from Walk 31 in "Walk Dartmoor" by Kate & Allan Hobbs ISBN 1-904946-12-7, RRP �12.99., also HERE on this web site.

The route below is 6.2 km/3.8 miles. The going was good in most places although there is some up and down involved and the final paved track down from the tramway is not so easy on the feet.

Reproduced from Dartmoor OS Explorer map 1:25 000 scale by permission of Ordnance Survey
on behalf of The Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
© Crown copyright. All rights reserved. Licence number WL 10021.
Also, Copyright © 2005, Memory-Map Europe, with permission

Shaugh Bridge is towards bottom left on the map

Parking was at the P symbol, at Shaugh Bridge (SX 53277 63678). Access by car is via Roborough to Bickleigh, driving straight through the village and turning left just after the 42 Commando barracks to Shaugh Prior. Follow this road for about 1� miles to the bridge. Drive over the bridge and turn immediately left into the car park