Post by Dave on Oct 13, 2014 11:21:14 GMT
Puffing Billy Tramway Cycle Ride 12/10/2014
I don’t know about Puffing Billy as it was Puffing Dave at the end of today’s cycle ride. A friend had told me he had cycled this old track bed and I had it on my to do list. To be honest I think it is something more suitable to walk along and not cycle due to the amount of stones and rocks on it. I was expecting a much more flatter surface to ride on and found it very much hard work as I climbed over 1.500 feet from the start of the track to very close to Redlake.
About the railway - Locally known as the Puffing Billy the Red Lake Railway was completed in 1912 and ran until 1932. Its purpose was to carry men and equipment from the base at Cantrell works up to the clay pits at Left lake and Red Lake. It had a 3’ gauge with metal rails laid on oak sleepers and steam engines to haul the trucks and carriages.
The China Clay works started working in 1910 but had failed by 1933 in its heyday 100 people were employed here to get the china clay out. Some came in daily on the 8 mile railway track and others would stay for several weeks at a time in the hostel on site. The buildings that once housed the clay workers as well as other structures were blown up by the army at the request of the National Park Authority.
Clay was hosed out from a deep pit and the slurry was transported via pumps to settling beds at Greenhill about a mile away. After a week or so of settling the sluices were opened and the clay in suspension flowed down pipes some 8 miles to the clay processing works at Bittaford. The unwanted sand and gravel was loaded into trucks at Red Lake which were then tipped onto the waste tip that now looks more like a volcano in appearance
To get to the start of the old line you need to turn up a very narrow and steep lane right beside an old chimney on the road between Ivybridge and Bittaford. Drive up this lane very slowly and carefully and just hope and pray you do not meet another car coming the other way. The old chimney was once the site where the clay was pumped to and dried; I understand it has a preservation order on it.
At the top of the lane it comes to a dead end and there is room for about eight cars to park. Once parked up I got my bike out of the car and put the front wheel back on and then went through a gate to get onto the track bed.
One of the biggest problems was the very strong wind I encountered; it made the cycling even harder over such a rough and at times dangerous surface. It is all up hill from the start of the track bed to Redlake for the entire eight miles and I will be honest and say I nearly gave up a few times.
This is a very isolated spot and I only saw two other people all afternoon. All you have for company is sheep, cattle and Dartmoor ponies if you are lucky. I did get to see a group of seven or eight ponies, not bad when you consider there are now only 3.000 ponies on the moor and there was once a time when they numbered 30.000.
As you climb higher the views are wonderful, especially looking over towards the Erme Valley. You can see the river winding its way to Ivybridge and I have enjoyed in the past, a lovely picnic by this river when I walked through Long timber Woods.
Apart from the views I found this ride rather laborious and boring as the track snakes one way and then the other and you can’t look too far in front as you need to keep your eyes on all the rocks and large stones on the track bed. The last thing I needed was to come off my bike and lay injured up there as my phone had no signal. I had told Lyn where I was going and gave her a time I expected to be back home just in case anything should happen.
At last I came to the first quarry pit now known as Left Lake; it was on the right so who ever named it must have been coming the other way. There is a bridge at this location and on the return journey I stopped here to have a bit to eat.
The wind was now even stronger and I felt rain in the air, but I told myself I have come this far and must keep going all the way to Red Lake, but sadly I did not make it all the way. I came to a spot that according to my tracking app on my phone and also my wireless trip computer on my bike was seven and a half miles from the start of the track. But it was heavily flooded and too deep to ride through (see last picture )
I did try going up the very large hill to my right, but it was far too steep and boggy and so this was as far as I got. I think I was less than a quarter of a mile from Red Lake and now wish I had tried that bit harder to get past the flooded part of the track bed. One other problem was the weather was changing and I was too sure how long the light would last. The moors and even more so such an isolated spot, is not the place you want to be on your own after dark.
It was all down hill on the way back but such a horrible ride. I had to take it easy due to those rocks and stones and my poor bum was as sore as could be after it. I came across a herd of very large black cows on the track at one point and did not fancy having to cycle past them. I rang my bell for all the good it did as they just stood there staring at me.
As I got closer it was clear they were not going to move so I picked a gap to head for and peddled as fast as I could. I was glad when I got past them and even more glad when I got back to my car.
I’m glad I went on this ride but won’t be doing it again; I might one day walk it so I can get to see Red Lake for myself. If the weather is OK this Thursday (16th Oct 2014) I plan to do another of the rides on my list.
