Dartmoor’s Walkham Valley

Above: Looking north from great Mis Tor

Above: The Walkham at Double Waters

The Walkham is one of the few rivers which both begin and end on Dartmoor, but from the source to its confluence with the Tavy, it runs through three very different landscapes. Above Merrivale is moorland, remote and starkly beautiful. From there to Horrabridge the valley widens into a softer landscape of woods and fields before diving into a deep winding defile round the northern edge of Roborough Down. Three valleys for the price of one! Look out your OS map (Outdoor Leisure 28) and explore.

The first few miles from Walkham Head southwards are for devotees of wilderness walking only, with hard-going, featureless country, and always the possibility of the weather closing in to test your navigation skills. But from where the river turns to the west the valley becomes, to my mind, much more interesting, and a lot more accessible. Great Mis Tor is the best vantage point. The summit is a wonderful jumble of granite outcrops and to the north is nothing but moorland rolling into the far distance – a landscape which some may find intimidating and others will see as an irresistible challenge. Look southwards and you see the softer side of the moor, with the wide bowl of the Walkham stretching towards the lowlands of the South Hams.

You can return through Merrivale Newtake close to the river or, if you can boulder-hop to the other side, along the Grimstone and Sortridge Leat. Constructed some time in the 16th century it has over the years served mills, mines and farms from here to Horrabridge. It still provides water for 35 properties and can be followed on foot for most of its length.

Once back at Merrivale, head east to explore the moorland south of the road. Here you will find one of the very best prehistoric sites on the moor. Stone rows, hut circles, and standing stones form a Bronze Age landscape which is both inspiring and intriguing. How did those people live and worship 3,000 years ago?

Below Merrivale, the only access to the river itself is at Ward Bridge (OS grid ref 542720) and picturesque Huckworthy Bridge, but there are glorious walks on the slopes above. To the west you can explore open moorland above the woods, passing Vixen Tor, Heckwood Tor and Pew Tor en route to Sampford Spiney with its simple stone church. Picnic on the shapely rocks of Pew Tor for long views into West Devon and Cornwall and the added interest of sailing yachts, warships and cross-channel ferries manoeuvring in Plymouth Sound.

Vixen Tor is as dramatic and interesting as any tor on Dartmoor, and one of the few which require rock-climbing skills to reach the summit. Unfortunately, it is out of bounds. After years of permitted access, the current owner has closed the area to the public. You may admire it over the wall, but closer acquaintance is trespass.

On the other side of the valley the bridleway to Daveytown (OS grid ref 549732) is a delightful walk through mossy, boulder-strewn woods. If you want wider views, turn uphill past Hucken Tor, almost buried in the trees, to the magnificent high promenade of the Princetown Railway. Follow it from King’s Tor, past the huge quarries at Swell Tor, to Ingra Tor and beyond. What a pity the line closed in 1956. Winding its way up from Yelverton through absolutely wonderful scenery, it would be a tremendous attraction today, and a shot in the arm for the Princetown economy.

A deviation from the railway up to the watershed at Sharpitor or Peek Hill will give you a magnificent panorama up and down the valley, from Great Mis Tor to Roborough Down, with the intimate pattern of field boundaries around Walkhampton in the foreground. You can explore this area on the network of footpaths and narrow lanes around the village. It is gentle country, with its own special character. Walkhampton church is isolated and rather beautiful.

The little enclaves of moorland at Huckworthy Common and Knowle Down add variety and good views. Stone stiles, wildflowers in the hedgebanks, tall beech trees and ancient green lanes all provide interest. When you feel the need for refreshment, Huckworthy Bridge (OS grid ref 532705) is a good spot for a picnic, or you can support the local village pub.

The third section of the valley is wild, like the first, but in a very different way. From Bedford Bridge to Double Waters it is deep and steep-sided, with outcrops of rock, and the remains of old mine workings adding a feeling of desolation. Here you can follow the river, and a beautiful stretch it is. With a succession of rushing rapids and quiet pools, it invites exploration.

Roborough Down to the south is all open country, as is West Down to the north, allowing you to put together any number of varied and scenic circular walks on grassy paths cropped short by Dartmoor ponies.

Bedford Bridge (OS grid ref 503704) is a good starting point for a walk, where the mounds, hollows and old leats are the remains of Wheal Franco. The engine shaft here was 160 fathoms deep, draining a mine which produced more than 10,000 tons of copper ore between 1826 and 1862. All the way down to Double Waters there are shafts and old workings, and at the confluence with the Tavy is Virtuous Lady Mine. First worked in 1558 and apparently named in honour of Elizabeth I, the mine was in its heyday in the 19th century. How different this valley must have looked then. Now it is peaceful and beautiful, clothed in trees, but full of interest from its industrial past.

PETER WHITE