BUCKLAND 2017

For the third time, it was Jane who led this walk around the grounds surrounding this owned Buckland Abbey, an event we look forward to each year. But as we have so many different walks in our programme, I am sure everyone who takes part has their own particular favourites. We began by walking past the wagon sheds and then the house itself and its impressive Great Barn which dates to 1278. The barn with its vaulted roof was where the Cistercian who built it, would have stored much of the produce they had farmed here to see them through the harsher months of the year.

Buckland Abbey was the last of the Cistercian monasteries to be built in medieval and Wales, but it is better known for one of its later inhabitants, Sir Francis Drake. Although born in in 1541, Drake bought the abbey when the buildings still looked much like the pic below after being knighted on board his ship Golden Hind at the age of 40.

His knighthood was supposedly in recognition for his great prowess in circumnavigating the globe, the first Englishman to do so, but surely Elizabeth 1st would have been influenced by the sight of the sheer amount of treasure that Drake had brought back for her from that 3 year journey. These great riches were said to total six tons in weight and took six days to unload; apparently it was made up of 26 tons of silver, half a ton of gold plus porcelain, jewellery, coins and jewels. It was the 26 September 1580 when Francis Drake sailed the heavily-laden Golden Hind into Plymouth Harbour in , but it wasn’t until later that the great hoard was unloaded and catalogued (under supervision of course) at nearby Trematon Castle in Cornwall; here the treasure was stored before being moved to the Tower of London.

Heading slightly uphill today along the perimeter of the estate between avenues of young beech trees, there was a brief glimpse of the River Tavy in the far distance across the grounds; but when we reached a gate on the left and passed through into a field we never saw it again; here a flock of sheep must have been tired because they were all lying down! Another gate led us past an adventure playground where a third gate marked the entrance of the wooded section of this well-marked trail; there were pines to the right of us and a mixture of broad-leaf trees to our left as we continued onwards beneath an overcast sky. Pine needles and empty cones were scattered across the ground here but a short flight of steps soon carried us down to today’s coffee stop where it was leafy underfoot, the time was 11.15am. It soon became apparent as we paused that our newest walker had taken a tumble at some point as her clothing was caked in dried mud but she assured us she was unhurt so with our break over, we carried on with the walk.

Apart from the expected vegetation with dappled light filtering in from above, there were man- made wigwams created from branches to be seen dotted about and a few of us speculated as to who had built them; further on in a leafy glade there was rusty, metal charcoal burner which didn’t appear to be in use today. As we neared the carp pond which was virtually hidden behind Bulrushes and other aquatic plants, Brian and I spotted a small, stone structure over to our right almost hidden from view beneath Ivy and curiosity got the better of us. I am reliably informed that this contained a hydraulic pump and the two of us wondered if it was used to pump water from the River Tavy to keep the pond full in times of drought. Although the pond probably dates to the days when the monks would have kept carp here to supplement their diet, time has a way of hiding history.

Finally on the home stretch up a steepish hill, there was a hidden picnic area behind some bushes where there were tables shaped like spiders webs and carved toadstools dotted about; everyone re- grouped here before the final push back to the car park. If we took our eyes off the ground long enough to look skywards as we walked, we were rewarded with the sight of dozens of Swallows swooping and diving just above the treetops.

By the time we got back to the car-park it was heaving with vehicles of all shapes and sizes showing that the history of Francis Drake is still very much remembered in Britain with visitors keen to see where he lived for 15 years with both his first and after her death, his second wife.