Post by Dave on Oct 18, 2010 22:01:50 GMT
Plym Valley Line Part Two Sunday 12th October 2010
From Bickleigh to Plymbridge on old line crossing over the Bickleigh, Riverford and Cann Viaducts, returning deep down in the valley beside the River Plym.
Over forty miles my little legs have carried me this last week and while they sure let me knew how they felt about it all, I enjoyed each and every single step with Carol by my side. It all started on Monday 11th October 2010 when we walked the Torrington to Bideford old line and what a great walk that was. Then on Wednesday a day spent walking around the Cotehele Estate followed on Thursday by a beach and cliff top walk in the South Hams.
Friday it was five hours walking around the Haldon Forrest and I will do a report on that later in the week and then on Sunday a walk that was not planned but boy am I glad we did it as for me it turned out to be the best days walking out off all the others for a number of reasons.
On the 4th July 2010 Carol and I had parked our car In Bickleigh near Plymouth and walked a good part of the Plym line northwards toward Yelverton
davesworld.proboards.com/thread/58/shaugh-tunnel-plym-valley-line
and in my report on that walk I could not hide just how much I really enjoyed walking the section I did and I was not sure if walking another section from Bickleigh to Plymbridge could live up to my other walk on the line. While I enjoyed our walk on the North Devon Line on Monday apart from the great tunnel we went through the rest of the walk was a bit mondame and the viaducts really could only be best describe as bridges.
I knew before we set off for the Plym Valley line part two walk that we would be going over three viaducts and I was hoping they would be like the Ham Green Viaduct we walked over on this line back in July and I sure was not disappointed and was over the moon to make many wonderful historical finds along the way.
Not knowing how far the viaducts were apart I said to Carol we will get to the first one and see how we feel and then decide if to carry onto the second and then third one. We not only ended up getting to all three but carried onto Plymbridge and as it turned out that was as far as we would have been able to walk the line as from that point onward a one and a half mile of track is being laid to run steam trains on once again.
We got to Bickleigh Viaduct first and like the Ham Green one beside it are the old stone pillars of Brunel’s old viaduct and this was the same for all the three viaducts only the last one (Cann Viaduct) the pillars were not very high suggesting Brunel’s viaduct at that site was mostly wooden with big sweeping arches of wood and not stone with a wooden track bed on top as were most of his viaducts. I do know his Cann Viaduct was built in 1859 and so I imagine the other two were build around the same time and what is interesting is that the pillars are all one large column and this contrasts to the viaduct he build in 1848 in Longtimber Wood at Ivybridge that had two much slimmer columns side by side and I wonder what were his reasons for changing the design of his viaducts.
I also wonder when all three Brunel viaducts were replaced around 1905 why the Brickleigh and Riverford Viaducts were built from stone and the Cann one was built from Staffordshire Blue Bricks, the only reason I can come up with is that as the Cann Viaduct is not that high compared to the other two it was felt building it from bricks would be strong enough and was maybe the cheapest option.
So let’s get this walk started and we came down beside the same bridge as we did the last time only this time turning left instead of right. Its rather amazing as you are walking along a ridge very high up and on your left hand side you can look down to the river a long way down below. It was not too long before we got to the first viaduct named Bickleigh viaduct. I made the very foolish mistake of trying to get down the side of the viaduct to get some pictures of it and it nearly cost me big time.
I was unaware until many hours later just how high this viaduct is and as I tried to make my way down a slippery surface of mud and grass, I slipped and if a small tree had not been just where it was I would have fallen a very long way down and maybe could have ended up dead. As it was I only got to the first arch and could only see the top of the viaduct as the vegetation blocked out the view of the pillars themselves so I had no idea just how much danger I had put myself in.
I very carefully retraced my steps and got back up on the track bed and walked over the top of the viaduct with Carol stopping in the middle to look over and almost died when I realised just how high up we were and where I could have ended up if that tree had not been where it was. As it turned out Carol and I were under the viaduct many hours later and so I got the pictures I was after then.
Riverford Viaduct was next and we had to walk further to get to this one than we did the first one and Riverford Viaduct is the highest one and I had already made my mind up before I got to it that I was only going to walk straight over it and make no attempt to try and get down the sides if it.
While it’s called Riverford Viaduct it does not go over the River Plym and only a small steam goes under one of its arches and much later in the afternoon we thought this stream was going to be a real problem for us but more of that latter.
Two down and so onto to the third and as I said the lowest viaduct of the three but maybe the longest and it’s the area around the Cann viaduct that holds all the very best finds of the day and we got lucky as they could be so easy just walked past without knowing they were there.
50 yards on the right before we got to the Cann viaduct we saw some people just ahead of us go through an opening and Carol suggested we take a look to see if I could get some shots of the viaduct as the path must surely go down under the viaduct. But just a few yards in we noticed the remains on an old building that we learned was the old steam engine room of the Rumple Quarry that used to haul stone up from the quarry onto trains on the Tavistock line.
It was mainly slate that was extracted from this quarry and it was an extremely dangerous one due to a overhanging cliff above and it was closed down for two years in 1861 after two workers were killed in the quarry due to a rock fall. We decided to go back onto the line and check the path out again later maybe.
From the viaduct you can look over and see Cann Quarry that is now the nesting grounds of many birds of pray and once you get over the viaduct you will find steps that take you down to the quarry and under the viaduct and here you will find ruins of the Cann Quarry buildings. Look across the river and you will see the old Rumple Wheel pit. This once housed a 50 foot high water wheel that was designed to replace the stream winch we had just seem at Rumple Quarry and it turned out to be an economic failure and was only used for just one year before steam power was once used again.
We waked toward the Cann quarry and there is a large pond just before it but we went no further as there was a sign up asking people not to go past that point as the birds were nesting and should not be disturbed.
So it was back up all those steps again to get on to the line again( had to do them all again later) and as we got to the top we noticed a small path on our left and just a few yards up this path are the remains of Railway Cottages.
These cottages had nothing to do with the railway what so ever and would have housed three or even four quarry workers families and in the end before the quarry closed for good just the family of the man who was in control of Cann Quarry lived there. Its worth walking around the back of the cottages as there are some outbuildings that may well have been priys or even pig styes
We decided to just keep on walking alone the line and not too long later we were greeted by a fence across the track and looking over it we could see what looks like a platform being constructed. There was a pathway leading down to the road and we took that and had a look around and walked over the very old Plymbridge that is now closed for car use.
Time to start making the return leg of our walk and we really wanted to try and walk beside the river and then hopefully see the viaducts in their full glory and just a few yards after we got back on the track bed we noticed a path down to the river on our left only I was concerned if we took that path we would in fact be on the wrong side of the river as it would be on our left hand side as it was when we were walking the other way.
After a very quick conference we decided to take that path and just keep our fingers crossed we could cross the river at some point and after a while we found ourselves walking under the Cann Viaduct and at the quarry again and carried on until we came to a weir that there was no way across and so we had to go back to Cann Viaduct and up all those bloody steps again.
Once up the top of the steps we turned right and went over the viaduct and came to that path now on our left where the old steam engine building was and we decided to take a look and see if the path did go under the viaduct. Keeping the old ruin on our right we turn left and were greeting by a very steep slope we had to walk down very carefully and once at the bottom we soon learned we were now on the right side of the river and the path was heading much the same was as the line above.
Just around the corner was the Rumple wheel house building remains and after taking a good look at it we set off on this riverside path and very soon found the further we walked the further we were getting away from the line and even lower as at one point the line was a good 150 metres above us.
We were not to worried at this point believing we would come across a path that would take is back up to the line somewhere near the Bickleigh Viaduct as we had to be on the line again at that point to be able to get up onto the next road bridge that would take us back to our car.
Some time later we saw on our left the Riverford Viaduct and the path just came away from the river and headed for the viaduct, this viaduct is the tallest of the three of them and I really enjoyed being under it as its only then you really appreciate what a wonderful structure it is and at this viaduct Brunel’s one stood proudly beside it as it does at the Bickleigh one.
We thought we were stumped when we saw that stream I talked about and if we could not find a way over it then it was going to be a long walk back to the Cann Viaduct and our main concern was it was getting a bit late and darkness would not be too long coming and the last thing we wanted to happen was to be stuck in Plymbridge Woods in the dark.
Carol then spotted an old wooden bridge hidden between the two viaducts columns only it had been fenced off at one point as it was completely rotten and someone must have pulled the fence to one side to get over it. Quick as a flash Carol was over it but I looked at it and was not so sure it would like my weight going over it. But I had no choice really and when I got to the middle of it felt so very spongy under foot and so I jumped the last part off it onto the bank.
We were back beside the river again and came to some very steep steps going up and I said a payer that these would take us up to the line only no one was listening and once up the top we found a newish set of proper wooden steps taking us back down beside the river again.
So we marched on and the light was slowly starting to fade and then Carol shouted out that the Bickleigh Viaduct was over to our left and there was a path leading over to it and so we left the river path and headed that way.
Once again it was a great feeling to be under this great viaduct and I thought here I was looking at Brunel’s viaduct some 150 years after he built it and there was no reason it won’t still be standing in 500 years when someone else will look up at it and say bloody hell that was built 650 years ago.
The path went under the viaduct and was going who knows where and we both felt it was not going to take us where we wanted to go and so what to do next as we really had to get onto the top of this viaduct and onto the line again.
Carol looked back the way we had came and there was a sort of track going up the bank that looked like it turned half way up back toward the viaduct and so off she set at a pace leaving me with my now very tired legs struggling miles behind. I was only half way up when she called out to me and waved from the viaduct itself so at least I knew we were going to get back before darkness really set in. The last 20 yards up to the viaduct was really hard work as there was now no sort of track at all and it was a case of grabbing hold of bushes etc to hold onto and pull myself up the very last bit of this very steep bank.
It sure felt wonderful being on the track again and very soon we came to the bridge we needed to go up the side of and go over to walk up the very last hill for the day to get to our car and make our way back home.
A great day full of learning, fun and adventure and we lived to tell the tale and for me personally it was another great day to remember and cherish for ever spent with the wonderful lady known as Carol. Good bless her for playing her part and being adventurous enough to go out on such mad days as I arrange for us both.
Right lets get walking
