Dartmoor CAM Walks

Previous walks Weather Links

This walk: 2015-6-24. Heath spotted orchid, Sheepstor, Peekhill, Sharpitor, Leather Tor, Drake's Leat, Crymes' Leat, decoy airfield, Tormentil, Lousewort, Heath speedwell, Convolvulus, Red campion, Shaugh Prior, Sustrans cycle track No. 27, Leighbeer Tunnel, Wheal Lopes Leat and Aqueduct, way marker, Skylark Inn.

Walk details below - Information about the route etc.

Old maps .....

Where we walked: Google Satellite view of the area - including the GPS track of the walk (compare with the Ordnance Survey map plus track below)

try zooming in with the mouse thumbwheel and "dragging" the map to see points of interest
click on the place-markers to read their label - they are most accurate at the highest zoom level
try "mousing" over the list of placemarks on the left of the screen, highlights their place on the map
use browser back arrow or Alt key and left-arrow cursor key together to return to normal web page.

Previous walk in this area: 24th June 2009.

Setting out from Clearbrook car park.

Heath Spotted Orchid, Dactylorhiza maculata .......

Closer view.

Sheepstor.

Peek Hill with Sharpitor behind (left of centre) and Leather Tor (right).

Clapper bridge at SX 52260 64914 over Drake's (Plymouth) Leat ..... the earth dam was probably put in place during WW2 to take rain-water run-off from Harrowbeer aerodrome down to the River Meavy (see next link below) .....

Looking from inside the leat breached from Drake's Leat by William Crymes around 1599 (this link includes a movie made after heavy rain showing water being diverted fromn Drake's into Crymes' leat).

Another view of this area. Click on the photo to see an entirely different impression of this small area!

At SX 52400 64483, in the area that was the decoy aerodrome (map, see airfieldmaps for information, also RAF Harrowbeer home page and their "Miscellaneous" link)) to draw possible attacking WW2 bombers from RAF Harrowbeer.

Query 1.

Tormentil, Potentilla erecta.

Lousewort, Pedicularis sylvatica (out of focus).

Query 2.

"Sitting in the shade" - just a line in a song - we haven't had a musical link for a while: note The Big Man RIP on saxophone (Clarence Clemons).

Query 3.

Heath Speedwell, Veronica officinalis. Also known as also known as common speedwell, drug speedwell, common gypsyweed, fluellin, Veronica and Paul's betony.

Query 4.

Convolvulus, a Bindweed.

Query 5.

Red Campion.

Query 6 - Pignut? Hemlock? Wild parsnip?

View to Shaugh Prior.

View from the road bridge at SX 5275 6362 overlooking the Sustrans No. 27 Devon Coast to Coast / Drake's Way cycle track.

On the road bridge over the old South Devon & Tavistock Railway, now the cycle track ......

Deatails .....

A tall plant .....

Close-up.

South entrance to Leighbeer Tunnel, aka Shaugh Tunnel and Smokey's Tunnel .....

Wheal Lopes Leat Aqueduct, marked "Aqueduct" on the map.

Waymarker at the north end of the tunnel .....

Overview.

Looking back.

Lopes Leat, looking south .....

Lopes Leat, looking north .....

Lopes Leat sluice valve.

Halfway between Tavistock and Plymouth.

New cycle track section near Clearbrook.

Unusual view of The Skylark Inn.

Ponies at the car park.

Walk details

MAP: Red = GPS satellite track of the walk.

This walk was reached by driving down the road to Clearbrook from the A386 Plymouth to Yelverton road and parking on the right just before crossing a small bridge over Drake's Plymouth Leat. The car park is marked onthe map with the P symbol and a yellow cross on the map.

Statistics
Distance - 5.48 km / 3.41 miles.