Our RV this blue-sky day was on Roborough Down, adjacent to the A386, a route in existence for centuries, maybe laid over a path our Iron Age ancestors may have used between 800 and 600 BC to get to the Iron Age hill fort that they had constructed within sight of our starting point, the first point to visit on this walk. At about 600' above sea level, we had a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside from inside the fort that even now has many features to see.
From here we set off through Higher Lodge gateway along the gravel permissive way with lush green fields to either side only interrupted by some stacks of cut hard and softwood tree trunks waiting in uniformly cut lengths to be collected.
This section of the permissive way lead us to Common Lane, a tarmac road that we crossed to continue ever downwards along the way, through fragrant bluebell banked woods, past a few fallen trees that fell during the early 2022 storm, but now safely cut away from the path that brought us out to Maristow Barten and the road down to Lopwell Dam.
As we approached the dam we could see a lone swan enjoying a mid-river guard/feeding position as on the far bank was the partner swan sitting on an elevated nest.
Lopwell Dam was our 'cuppa stop' and as the water of the River Tavy was well down we were able to cross over the river's stepping stones to the Cornwall side to sit out of the wind on the water's edge to watch the swan check us out and the river flow by. The dam is constructed of huge granite blocks, but does include a fish by-pass section, mainly for leaping salmon - so said the informative sign!
From the dam, we followed the Tavy until we reached the road to the Quay and Potter's Bridge wherein a small pond was home to Mum Coot and small family members who had the pond to themselves.
Now we went off-road again and into Blaxton Wood via a missing gate to follow a winding path hugging a long drop to the water's edge. We eventually came out to a stone folly, at the point where the edge began to turn into Blaxton Creek. Sadly the folly had been subject to graffiti, but we were still able to take in the magnificent view of the church and village in Bere Barton across the wide expanse of mudflats and river.
A few minutes later along the continuing path, we stopped for lunch sitting on a few convenient fallen trees, with one walker even reenacting the pose of a certain politician once seen reclining on a bench in the House of Commons as she ate her lunch! From this stopping point, we could see the remains of Blaxton quay that serviced the lime kiln across the creek.
Lunch finished and the path ended, the only way was now upward, past Blaxton House, across a road, through an extremely heavy wrought iron gate, and via a stone path at the side of fields onward to and through the farmyard of Pound Farm and Pound Cross that would take us back to the permissive way through Higher Park and our awaiting cars.
Charlie
