Two rivers, a church and a bit of moorland for this walk

The prospect of very wet and blowy weather lead to the choice of this particular route as we thought it would be best to keep off any high ground. This walk, which we've done several times before, promised more shelter. In the event, the rain did not pass us by, so it was a wet walk, but not as wet as we were expecting. Despite that, it was a brilliant day and a great time was had by all who came.

We started and ended in the Bedford Bridge car park on the Tavistock to Yelverton road. We walked alongside the Walkham River for a couple of miles until it joined the Tavy. From there, we headed up hill to Buckland Monachorum for lunch and then across a stretch of moorland back to the car park. I clocked 7.2 miles on my GPS and I'd class it as a 'moderate' for effort. Although there was a fair distance alongside the river, the ascent to Buckland Monachorum was a protracted slog.

The Gem Bridge, built to replace the much older Brunel bridge, which carried the GWR line to Tavistock. The bridge now carries the very popular Drake's Trail, part of the National Cycleway. I have walked under it many times but have never been on it or across it

Remains of an old mill or a structure associated with mine workings? Whatever it was, look closely and you can see evidence for a (water) wheel pit and a leat that fed it. One of the pleasures of many of our walks is that we often come across something intriguing, that gets you thinking "I wonder what that was there for?". Sometimes, it's obvious, other times, we have to be satisfied with an educated guess - or ask Mr Google

Talking of leats, here we are walking along a fairly large one taking water/power to where it was needed at some distance from the take-off point.

A clear stretch of the leat, filled with leaves. I think I should point out that there aren't many stretches as clear as this one

For this stretch, the leat was festooned with fallen trees, turning the path into quite an obstacle course. I doubt that they will be cleared and will be allowed to rot away. Good exercise though

On the other side of the river now, just down from Grenofen Bridge, and we come across this very impressive retaining wall. Built, I think, to keep the flatter working area of the nearby mine clear of falling debris

Lunch with, not just a view, but an accompaniment of rushing water

The Walkham tumbling over rocks. A video is below. Enjoy the sound of rushing water 

At Double Waters - with the Walkham coming in from the right to join the Tavy, which flows south to join the Tamar at Bere Ferrers. The new bridge over the Walkham can be seen on the right

Looking across to Blackmoorham Wood and down the valley carved out by the Tavy

Not far from the county border, and an ideal spot for lunch, is the Church of St Andrew, Buckland Monachorum. Famous and historic for many reasons but since the 16th Century because of its relationship with Sir Francis Drake, who worshipped here and who lived in the nearby Buckland Abbey. It was the Abbey which was responsible for the construction of this present church in 1490 but it’s predecessors go back to 900 (when it was wooden). That it was the Abbey Church accounts for its unexpected grandeur in such an out-of-the-way village.

Just up the road is Buckland Abbey. Drake was able to purchase the Abbey after the dissolution of the monasteries. Apart from his maritime antics, he was Lord Mayor of Plymouth and a reforming and forward-thinking achiever who brought the first clean water source to Plymouth. Drake’s Leat still exists in large part as it brings water from Dartmoor to a reservoir still in use. As a feat of engineering and construction and durability it is a lasting tribute to a controversial figure.

Camellias grow well in the acidic soils in this area. Lovely when they are in full bloom but the flowers don't last that long and the fallen petals make almost as good a show on the ground as they do on the bushes

A not-particularly-good photograph of the stained glass window above the altar. But, a useful reminder that I need to return with my 'proper' camera and get some better shots. A good excuse to visit the Drake's Manor pub next door for a meal

The impressive marble memorial to Admiral Lord Heathfield (1790)  - George Augustus Elliot, Baron Heathfield of Gibraltar, Knight of the Bath, General and Governor of Gibraltar. He married Ann Polexen-Drake, daughter of Sir Francis Drake (not that Francis, but his great grandson)

Looking towards the main altar. Three large aisles. As a church, it has a very lively congregation with a reputation for its music

This stretch was a lot more difficult than it looks. With enough of an incline to stretch the muscles and with enough mud to make it a bit of a slippery slog

And we finished up with more water. This time running down what is normally a track

Just to make it clear....

Just in case there's any doubt in your mind, remember:

It's the Muslims

It's the refugees

It's the protesters

It's the scroungers

It's the "new elites"

It's the trade unions

It's the single mums

It's the bad at maths

It's the working poor

It's the "lefty-lawyers"

It's the Junior Doctors

It's the Covid virus

It's the disabled people

It's the bloody teachers

It's the trans community

It's the socialist agitators

It's the work from homers

It's the liberal do-gooders

It's the hippy tree-huggers

It's the "activist civil servants"

It's the "tofu-eating wokerati"

It's the "anti-growth coalition"

It's the avocado toast munchers

It's the anti-racism campaigners

It's the ivory towered academics

It's the "Cultural Marxism" pushers

It's the "enemy of the people" judges

It's the "left-wing economic establishment"

It's the workers asking for real-terms pay rises

It's the Remainers and their lack of faith in Brexit

It's the EU and their hatred of the UK

It's the uppity plebs who won't just stay in their place

It's anyone who dares question their Tory lords and masters 

It's me, and you, and almost everyone in the country

But it's NEVER EVER the corrupt, incompetent, depraved, radical-right Tory fanatics who have actually had their hands on the levers of power for the last 14 years; or the capitalist spivs who bankroll their entire political operation; or the malicious propaganda hacks who do their dirty work in the media.

Just so you know where the blame lies.

A walk from Cardinham dodging the showers

Nothing too remarkable about this walk but a very enjoyable jaunt through lanes, footpaths and forest tracks. Plus an interesting church at the end. With apologies for the quality of some of the photographs as I used the camera on my 'phone because of the weather.

We started in the centre, if it can so be called, of Cardinham and headed across fields to Cardinham Woods. The trails there took us back to a field exit, thence to the church. I'll give it 6.5 miles and an easy/moderate grade.

Saint Meubred, Cardinham. At the very centre of Cornwall, both East-West and North-South, just off the A30 on the western margins of Bodmin Moor. More at the end of our walk.

Lots of small print here but the gist of it is that the local Snooker Club building is going to close and they are trying to find out who owns it. Typical for Cornwall, no deeds, no clear ownership and both were totally irrelevant as it was in operation for over a century. In its way, a piece of important social history but how do you preserve a tin shed?

Not just an oak tree, it's an oak tree festooned with some moss

Haven't come across one of these before - a wood fuelled hot tub. Not the most attractive of locations but I guess that the rural location adds to the ambience 

A muddy footpath going from where to where exactly? And for what purpose? For people? For cattle? To get people to church? A simple path, perhaps, but lots to think about as your boots get stuck in the mud.

Looking back to Cardinham with its church tower springing from the landscape.

A doorway to the inner workings of a beech tree or an exit for tree elves? Take your pick.

Nothing quite like squelching along muddy forest tracks, with leaky boots (so much for Graingers' waterproofing polish). Strangely pleasant, in a schoolboyish sort of way.

Indeed - Grrr, bark, woof!

A get-away-from-it-all AirBnB? I bet that someone from the South East would rent it and rave about its 'back to nature' vibe, dahling.

Nothing special about this shot, just the green 'jumble' catching my eye and capturing my attention for a while. Take pleasure in the small things. I think some people pay vast sums on 'mindfulness' to learn this.

We come across plaques like these very now and again. The Incorporated Church Building Society was set up to help build and enlarge Anglican churches in England and Wales.  Between 1818 and 1982 it gave 14,356 grants to churches, helping to pay for the building and enlargement of many thousands of churches. It was also at the forefront of the battle for ‘free’ pews and its funding contributed to adding over two million pew spaces, most of which were free seats for all, in contrast to the then customary provision of private pews and the reliance on pew rents. And nowadays there are plenty of free pews but very few bodies to occupy them.

Saint Meubred's is a lovely 15th Century church. A grand and surprisingly large church with a very fine stone Cornish Cross at the entrance (probably 9th- 10th Century). You can just about make out the Viking-influenced carved snake design on the column.

Mybbard (Mewbred or Mebbred), also known as Calrogus was a 6th century hermit and is a local Cornish saint said to be the son of a King of Ireland. Very little is known of his life though he is recorded as having been beheaded, with two others, by the pagan ruler Melyn ys Kynrede in what is, today, the parish of Lanteglos-by-Fowey, near Fowey, Cornwall. He was later re-invented as an Irish prince. William Worcester names him as the son of an Irish king who became a Cornish hermit. He was a contemporary of St Mannacus and St Wyllow. An image of him carrying an extra head in his hands is included in a stained glass window in the church of St Neot alongside St Mabyn. He is said to be interred within the shrine (scrinio) of Cardinham Church. Mybbard is regarded as the patron saint of Cardinham.

The Norman font with a carved 'dove of peace' on the wooden cover. At least, I think that's what it is. Other people thought it might be an eagle.

Looking down the main aisle, towards the over-exposed altar window.

The pew ends are mainly from the 15th Century and bear close inspection for the various themes

• The modern stained glass in this window features the local industries of farming, fishing and mining. It was installed in 1949, necessitated by the 'old' window being blown out during a bombing raid in WW2. Well, perhaps bombing raid is a spot over the top as the bombs were jettisoned randomly after a raid on Bodmin.

St Meubred’s Church especially welcomes cyclists and walkers and was dedicated as the first Cycling Church in the UK.who are enjoying the delights of the surrounding countryside. People are invited to bring their thoughts and prayers to the Cycle Prayer Station by tying ribbons to the bicycle or writing on and attaching luggage labels. The original idea came from a member of the congregation who sadly lost a close friend who had been passionate about cycling.  

Rather oddly, the original Norman font was, at some point, “mislaid” and this Georgian font replaced it for a while. So, what we have today is a church with two fonts. How on earth do you 'mislay' a Norman font? Only in Cornwall.

Words from a critical friend

I'm a tribal Labour supporter and that's where I'll be voting (directly or by proxy as a 'vote swap') in the next General Election. But that's not to say that I'm happy with their direction of travel and the questions that will be asked of them during the forthcoming campaign. The key question that many potential voters will have is: what is the point of Keir Starmer’s Labour party? And I write this critique as a critical friend. These are real issues that beg a clear response.

There is no doubt that the UK is in dire need of change and, quite rightly, people will be looking at precisely what changes a government led by Starmer is going to bring about. And he's not making it easy for people to understand what these might be. It seems that every day there’s another U turn as Labour abandons any policy that’s vaguely left wing or progressive. Long gone are the promises to nationalise the rail, water and energy companies as are the previous commitments to end outsourcing in NHS England. Labour health spokesman Wes Streeting said he’d hold the door wide open to private sector involvement in the NHS in England. Starmer once promised to abolish the cruel and capricious Universal Credit introduced by the Tories. We are now told that a Labour government will introduce unspecified changes to the benefits system but Starmer’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Jon Ashworth said Labour agrees with the concept behind Universal Credit. The promise to abolish tuition fees is long gone, as is the original plan to expand childcare to all children. The promise to increase taxes on the top 5% of earners, that too has bitten the dust. Neither will there be a wealth tax or an increase in Corporation tax.

Just the other week we saw Starmer shred his previous commitment to ensure that Parliament approved any military action taken by the British armed forces when he gave his whole hearted support to the decision to bomb Yemen, even though this was carried out without Parliament being informed, never mind its consent being sought. Starmer then tried to fool us by claiming that this promise had only ever applied to military boots on the ground. Just what other of his remaining promises have similar weasel word caveats attached to them that Starmer won’t reveal to us until after the fact?

That list of remaining promises is rapidly diminishing. The much vaunted commitment to spend £28 billion annually on the green transition has just been finally axed after being repeatedly watered down.

Also axed was the plan announced to great fanfare when Gordie Broon’s long awaited constitutional review was published. Remember how we were breathlessly told that that insult to democracy the House of Lords was going to be abolished and replaced with an elected ‘House of the Nations and Regions’? Well colour me unsurprised, that’s not going to happen either.

Now what we’re going to get a promise to legislate to abolish the 91 remaining hereditary peers. The remaining 692 appointed life peers will, no doubt, soon have their numbers boosted by new unelected appointees who are the beneficiaries of political patronage. It was only in December that Starmer insisted that the unelected chamber was “indefensible” and “undemocratic” and swore that his party would replace it with an Assembly of the Nations and Regions. Fast forward a couple of months and apparently it’s not that indefensible or undemocratic after all. (STOP PRESS: It's already started. The government has announced today, 13 new peerages, including several donors to the Tory party, and the youngest ever member of the House of Lords. And Labour has lobbed in a few cronies as well.)

Even one of Tony Blair’s former advisers is exasperated with Starmer. John McTernan, a former senior adviser to Tony Blair has admitted to wondering “What is the point?” in response to the Labour Party under Keir Starmer. When you’re too right wing even for the right wing of the Labour party under Tony Blair, then you are a Tory in all but name. The ‘change’ that Starmer promises is changing Rishi Sunak with him.

Starmer most likely will win the next general election but will then rapidly become very unpopular as millions of people look upon a Westminster system which is unwilling and incapable of change and ask themselves, “What is the point?”

At the moment, the answer to that seems to be "he's not a Tory" and whereas that might be enough in the short term, it's certainly not going to be good enough for continued success.

A walk from East Rook Gate, South West Dartmoor

South West Dartmoor is a not an area that we visit too often for a couple of reasons: it's an hour's drive which puts it just beyond reasonable and it's not that accessible. Over the years, the easiest access points have been blocked to walkers by various landowners and, because of this, it can mean fairly long walks along lanes before reaching the open moor. Notwithstanding these caveats, we did drive to Cornwood and got onto the moor at East Rook Gate. A good circular walk followed.

We started at East Rook Gate and went up to Penn Moor, via Penn Beacon. From there, we skirted around Stalldown Barrow and came off the moor at New Waste. After that, it was pleasant lane walking back to our starting point. It came in at 7 miles and was not particularly strenuous: I'd class it as 'moderate'. 
If you look at the map, you'll come across Dartmoor terms such as 'waste' and 'lake'. Here are some definitions from a Dartmoor Dictionary that should help you make sense of them.
Leat: A small watercourse built to supply water by means of gravity from its take-off point on a stream or river to the place where it would be used as a power source or a drinking water for farms, villages, towns, and cities. The leat builder art ensured that the courses followed the physical contours of the land thus ensuring a gentle, gradual, downward flow of water. Leats are also known as ‘gutters’.
Lake: A very confusing term as on Dartmoor the word denotes a stream, many of which whose source was once a small lake or tarn. All of these tarns have now been drained but originally the term applied to both the source pool and the stream which flowed from it.
Waste: This term describes a small area of enclosed rough pasture and mainly occurs on the southern moor.
Burrow: A general moor term to any mound or heap and includes cairns, barrows, or spoil heaps.
 Clapper bridge: Built built by large flat slabs of stone, mostly granite, supported by stone piers or by the banks of streams and rivers. They were mostly erected in medieval times and mainly built for people and packhorses, but a few are larger to take small carts. They are found on the moors and in other upland areas in the UK crossing over rivers or streams or manmade leats.

The end of the lane at East Rook Gate. To describe it as a car park would be an overstatement. Room for 2 or 3 cars only and, as it's at the end of a few miles of narrow, twisty lanes, it's not a well visited spot. Although it is not clear from the photograph, the water of the ford is a good two feet below the level of the tarmac.

'Path to the moor'. And that's where we headed, up a very rough cattle track to the open moor.

Penn Beacon is not technically a tor but there is a scattering of outcrop-type rocks near the Beacon casting a large clitter on the slopes. The cairn itself (top right) acts as a conspicuous object from Plymouth, with a shelter, of sorts, positioned well for any south-westerly. The OS Surveyors clearly saw this as a striking viewpoint by erecting a trig point beside the highest point, at 429m, with the number '3427' inscribed onto the ruined flush bracket.

Looking across to the china clay (kaolin) workings at Lee Mill, with the white clay standing out in stark relief to the surrounding moor. They have been mining here for approximately 200 years. I think there's what can be described as a 'dynamic tension' between the china clay company and the Dartmoor National Park Authority over the encroachment of the workings into the National Park.

A clapper bridge to nowhere? You can just about make out the linear depression in the ground following the contour and I don't think I'm wrong in assuming that this marks the course of a leat. The clapper was placed there to allow animals or humans to cross without having to paddle.

The largest stone boundary wall that I've ever seen. It dates from the early 19th century and stretches for miles.

Another view of the wall. The Great Wall of Penn Moor? And to think that this was all built by hand. It probably delineated a 'newtake'. Newtakes are enclosed areas of moorland on the edge of common land. Each newtake is part of one farm and is not used for shared grazing.

Yealm Waterfall (or Yealm Steps) is a spectacular cascade just over one kilometre from the head of the River Yealm. There are remains of medieval and later alluvial and eluvial streamworks situated above and below these falls as well as around Ranny Brook. 

We came across this substantial concrete structure, seemingly in the middle of nowhere and not associated with any other discernible structure. We couldn't figure out what it would have been used for and Mr Google has come up with nothing other than that the Tuco Chemical Company was dissolved many years ago and was part of the Upjohn chemical/pharmaceutical company. And why name the company after a South American rodent, the Tuco Tuco? Perhaps we'll come across an answer on another walk.

Walking across the valley caused by tin streaming over many centuries.

A very impressive stone wall, lining the lane up to New Waste. New Waste was once a very popular access point for the moor but access was stopped when land was purchased by the infamous Alexander Darwall, a modern day villain who does not want anyone enjoying his part of Dartmoor. I think he's the 6th largest owner of the moor and is no respecter of ancient rights or the concept of 'right to roam'. Unfortunately, he has determination and lots of money.

A benchmark on Wisdome Bridge on our way back to East Rook Gate. 

While trig points were used as accurate fixed points for mapping coordinates in the National Grid, benchmarks were fixed points which were used to calculate a height above the mean sea level. Benchmarks have been around for a long time, much longer than trig points. While the first systematic network of levelling lines and associated benchmarks was initiated in 1840, some benchmarks date back to 1831. Why call them ‘benchmarks’? The horizontal marks are used to support a stable ‘bench’ for a levelling stave to rest on – hence ‘benchmarks’. This design ensured that a stave could be accurately repositioned in the future and that all marks were uniform.

I do like walking with a group - most of the time. However, I quite often dissociate myself from the throng so that I can really hear and see what surrounds me. At the end of this walk, I deliberately went ahead and spent time leaning on this gate, just looking at the scenery, listening to the sheep and birds and savouring every last second. A time of immersion in the countryside. It brings to mind the poem by my fellow countryman, W.H.Davies, 'Leisure'. He's right, we really should take more time to stand and stare: it's a poor life if we don't. Davies wrote ' Autobiography of a Supertramp' about his travels in the USA in the late 1890s and early 1900s. This featured in a reading list in my first year in secondary school and I remember enjoying it. I must reread it. And for lovers of trivia, the group Supertramp (of Dreamer, Logical Song and Breakfast in America fame) took their name from his book. Enjoy the poem and do take time to stand and stare.

Leisure by William Henry Davies

What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows. No time to see, when woods we pass, Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass. No time to see, in broad daylight, Streams full of stars, like skies at night. No time to turn at Beauty's glance, And watch her feet, how they can dance. No time to wait till her mouth can Enrich that smile her eyes began. A poor life this if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.

Leisure by William Henry Davies

Leisure
by
William Henry Davies

What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows. No time to see, when woods we pass, Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass. No time to see, in broad daylight, Streams full of stars, like skies at night. No time to turn at Beauty's glance, And watch her feet, how they can dance. No time to wait till her mouth can Enrich that smile her eyes began. A poor life this if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.

 

What is this life if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare. No time to stand beneath the boughs And stare as long as sheep or cows. No time to see, when woods we pass, Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass. No time to see, in broad daylight, Streams full of stars, like skies at night. No time to turn at Beauty's glance, And watch her feet, how they can dance. No time to wait till her mouth can Enrich that smile her eyes began. A poor life this if, full of care, We have no time to stand and stare.

What is this life if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

No time to stand beneath the boughs
And stare as long as sheep or cows.

No time to see, when woods we pass,
Where squirrels hide their nuts in grass.

No time to see, in broad daylight,
Streams full of stars, like skies at night.

No time to turn at Beauty's glance,
And watch her feet, how they can dance.

No time to wait till her mouth can
Enrich that smile her eyes began.

A poor life this if, full of care,
We have no time to stand and stare.

And talking of ' streams full of stars', maybe you can spot a few in this clip of the Ranny Brook.

And let's finish with a clip of Supertramp and Dreamer. Enjoy.