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DRAKE's TRAIL from MAGPIE BRIDGE

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DRAKE's TRAIL from MAGPIE BRIDGE DRAKE’S TRAIL from MAGPIE BRIDGE This walk along with its many variations is always popular with our group, so even though many of our regulars had opted to go on a longer, monthly walk, 19 people joined our Walk & Talk group today, ten men and nine women. Shortly after parking up at Magpie Bridge a.k.a. Bedford Bridge on the A386 in Devon, everyone followed the track to the water’s edge in this lush green valley. It was damp and quite muddy beneath the dense canopy of trees with many fallen branches both in the water and across the track as we continued onwards. Eventually we found ourselves beneath the lofty 21st century Gem Bridge which was built as a replacement for Brunel’s viaduct just a few years ago. It was named after Gem Cottage, the old counting house for the Gem tin mine which once stood near the viaduct, while the mine itself was slightly to the west. Nearing Grenofen Bridge where we had a coffee stop, there were even more fallen trees with the River Walkham somehow finding a way amongst them and around them as it flowed on to join the River Tavy at Doublewaters. Suitably refreshed, Maggie led us across the little bridge and up a steep hill to the right where we then turned left at its highest point. Those of us that have walked this way before knew what was coming next….Grenofen Tunnel. Only a handful of the newest walkers chose to walk through it before re-joining us. Water always seeps through the roof of the tunnel and if you look up it is possible to see stalactites hanging down. We expected todays’ walkers to be covered in drips just as we had been in the past, but after their initiation, they only had a few wet patches when they emerged from the darkness. When everyone had re-assembled we set off in the direction of the top of the Gem Bridge, the elegant new bridge is a little lower than the original viaduct and quite noticeably it slopes downhill towards Tavistock. Heather appears to have spotted something interesting way down below and was soon heading off in that direction….yes, she had found a swing hanging from a tall tree and she needed no excuse to try it out! As we crossed the Gem Bridge we were now on the Drake’s Trail in West Devon is a 21-mile, multi-use route linking Tavistock with Plymouth so named because it links Tavistock, the town of Drake’s birth on July 13th 1540, with the city where he was living with his second wife Elizabeth at the time of his death on January 27th 1596. (He actually died at Portobelo in Panama) When this trail reaches Yelverton in the opposite direction, it also follows sections of the 18 mile Drake’s Leat to Plymouth where Drake famously played bowls when the Spanish Armada was approaching in 1588. This is a popular section of the trail with both walkers and cyclists so we needed our wits about us as those cyclists often come up silently behind us and we do tend to spread ourselves out a bit on occasion! Looking through the railings of the bridge at the river way down below, some of us became concerned about a small terrier that had jumped in for a doggy paddle; it was fast getting swept along by the current. However, as with most animals, it found its way out eventually. Our chatty group walked on over Magpie (railway) Viaduct on our way back to the car park but only the tallest of us could admire the far reaching views over the side. Alan called these small platforms ‘launching pads’ and as he walked away, it looks just like Barbara is taking him at his word! Shortly we came to the top of a narrow track which led downhill and at the bottom we found we had once again come full circle at the end of yet another enjoyable walk. .
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