Sunday Afternoon Stroll: 14th August 2016

A sunny afternoon and we took advantage of the weather and took a stroll along the banks of the River Lynher. Sometimes described as the forgotten part of Cornwall, it has long associations with the military because of its proximity to the Royal Naval dockyard at Devonport. A very pleasant 3 mile there and back linear walk, with a halfway break at the Carew Arms in Anthony.

Our start and end point was Wacker Quay on the Lynher. It is thought that Wacker is derived from Wicker and refers to its one-time willow industry.

The view from Wacker Quay up the creek just off the Lynher. Way back the quay was used for general transport purposes and had its own lime kiln. This use was changed when the military moved in and it became a supply line for two neighbouring forts built as part of the Palmerstone fortifications of Plymouth Sound and its surrounds. From here a railway line  headed downstream for half a mile or so to feed an inclined plane up to the forts. For lovers of ephemera, it's worth mentioning that the original locomotives, lines and engine sheds were destined for Khartoum in the Sudan but the demise of General Gordon etc put an end to this. The last notable activity that took place at Wacker Quay was during preparations for the D-Day landings when elements of the US Army embarked here.

A view down and across the Lynher showing the scenery we had for the greater part of the walk. The tide was coming in and the fish were jumping. The creeks off the Lynher need to be dredged regularly to keep the channels clear and the expense of doing this contributed to the run-down of Wacker Quay.

A nice collection of headstones in the graveyard of St James the Great, the parish church in Anthony. Unfortunately it was closed - on a Sunday!

The church dates from the 12th Century but, as we couldn't get in, there's not a lot more to say about it. But it did have a fine tower with a rather unusual clock face. Look carefully and see if you can spot what's odd about it.

And the answer is .. it's only got one hand. Not because one's dropped off, it was made that way. I presume that the approximate time was good enough for the locals back in 1810 when the clock was installed. Time was obviously not so critical back then. Such clocks are comparatively rare in the UK: many were made but few have survived.

Looking north east, the two bridges at Saltash are visible in the distance.