Plymbridge Woods

Plymbridge Woods
Plymbridge Woods
	Plymbridge Woods
Type	Woodland
Location	Plympton, Devon, England
Coordinates	50°24′32″N4°04′51″W / 50.4088°N 4.0807°W
Area	49.56 ha (122.47 acres)
Operated by	National Trust
Open	All year
Website	Official website

Last updated December 22, 2023

Plymbridge Woods is a woodland in Plympton, Devon, England managed by the National Trust.^[2] The woods are named after the historic Plymbridge, a Grade II listed bridge over the River Plym. Drake's Trail passes through the woods providing a cycling and walking route. There is a range of wildlife, birds and flora.

History

The woodland is named after Plymbridge a historic bridge over the River Plym which is Grade II listed with Historic England.^[3] A bridge has existed at this location from as early as 1238 with the current bridge being circa 18th century but seated on earlier piers. It is made from Killas rubble with five semi-circular arches having parapets with chamfered granite coping stones.^[3]

A number of tram and railway lines were constructed to transport granite and slate between Dartmoor and Plymouth. The last line to be built was the South Devon and Tavistock Railway upon which Isambard Kingdom Brunel worked. It was taken over by the Great Western Railway and closed in 1962. It is now called Drake's Trail and is used as a footpath and cycle route through the woodland. There are remains of the quarrying history including the shell of old buildings used by families involved in the industry. A section of the trail passes Cann Viaduct.^[4]

Nature

The site is home to many species typical of English woodland, including a herd of fallow deer. There are goosanders, mandarin ducks, kingfishers and dippers along the river. Peregrine falcons have nested in Cann Quarry since the 1960s and since 2002 the National Trust have maintained a watchpoint, staffed by volunteers, on Cann Viaduct from which it is usually possible to see the nest site. The site supports damselflies and butterflies.^[5]

Recreation

The woods are used for walking, cycling, dog walking and viewing the natural flora and fauna. Plymvalley Parkrun takes place in the woods starting at Plymbridge.^[6] The National Trust has a permanent orienteering course and a mountain bike trail in the woods^[7] and the Devon Coast to Coast Cycle Route runs through the woods.

Related Research Articles

The River Plym is a river in Devon, England. It runs from Dartmoor in the centre of the county southwest to meet the River Meavy, then south towards Plymouth Sound. The river is popular with canoeists, and the Plym Valley Railway runs alongside a section of the river.

Plympton is a suburb of the city of Plymouth in Devon, England. It is in origin an ancient stannary town. It was an important trading centre for locally mined tin, and a seaport before the River Plym silted up and trade moved down river to Plymouth and was the seat of Plympton Priory the most significant local landholder for many centuries.

The Tarka Trail is a series of footpaths and cyclepaths around north Devon, England that follow the route taken by the fictional Tarka the Otter in the book of that name. It covers a total of 180 miles (290 km) in a figure-of-eight route, centred on Barnstaple.

The South Devon and Tavistock Railway linked Plymouth with Tavistock in Devon; it opened in 1859. It was extended by the Launceston and South Devon Railway to Launceston, in Cornwall in 1865. It was a broad gauge line but from 1876 also carried the standard gauge trains of the London and South Western Railway between Lydford and Plymouth: a third rail was provided, making a mixed gauge. In 1892 the whole line was converted to standard gauge only.

Tamar Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty or Tamar Valley AONB is a legally designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in Devon and Cornwall in England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meldon, Devon</span> Hamlet in Devon, England

Meldon is a hamlet in West Devon, on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, England. It is 4 km south-west of Okehampton. Its main features are the Meldon Quarry and Meldon Reservoir and the nearby Meldon Viaduct.

The Monsal Trail is a cycling, horse riding and walking trail in the Derbyshire Peak District. It was constructed from a section of the former Manchester, Buxton, Matlock and Midland Junction Railway, which was built by the Midland Railway in 1863 to link Manchester with London and closed in 1968. The Monsal Trail is about 8.5 miles (13.7 km) long and opened in 1981. It starts at the Topley Pike junction in Wye Dale, 3 miles (4.8 km) east of Buxton, and runs to Coombs Viaduct, 1 mile (1.6 km) south-east of Bakewell. It follows the valley of the River Wye. The trail passes through Blackwell Mill, Chee Dale, Millers Dale, Cressbrook, Monsal Dale, Great Longstone, Hassop and Bakewell. The trail has numerous landmarks including Headstone Viaduct, Cressbrook Mill, Litton Mill and Hassop railway station, and passes through six tunnels.

The Cann Quarry canal was a canal in Devon, England which ran for just under 2 miles (3.2 km) from Cann Quarry to the River Plym at Marsh Mills. It opened in 1829, and a short tramway connected it to the Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway at Crabtree Junction. It had been replaced by a tramway within ten years, but continued to be used as a mill leat to supply Marsh Mills corn mill, and most of it is still visible.

Boringdon Camp is an English Iron Age and Roman earthwork in Cann Woods, near Plympton, Plymouth, Devon. It is a scheduled ancient monument and owned by South Hams District Council.

Hooe is a suburb of Plymstock, Plymouth in the English county of Devon.

The Plymouth and Dartmoor Railway (P&DR) was a 4 ft 6 in gauge railway built to improve the economy of moorland areas around Princetown in Devon, England. Independent carriers operated horse-drawn wagons and paid the company a toll. It opened in 1823, and a number of short branches were built in the next few years.

The Turnchapel Branch was a London and South Western Railway (LSWR) single track branch railway line in Devon, England, that ran from Plymouth Friary station to Turnchapel. It crossed the River Plym and opened up the east side of the river to rail connections. The short line opened in 1892 and 1897 (throughout). It closed in 1951 to passengers, and in 1961 completely.

Laira Bridge is a disused railway bridge that crosses the River Plym in the city of Plymouth, Devon, England. In 2015, it was refurbished to carry a pedestrian and cycle path.

Meldon Viaduct railway station was a railway station at Meldon in Devon. It was renamed in 2015 from Meldon Quarry railway station.

The Granite Way is a route of 18 km consisting mainly of a motor traffic-free cycle/walkway between Okehampton and Lydford. It was built by Devon County Council (DCC) and is part of the National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 27 ‘Devon Coast to Coast’ between Ilfracombe and Plymouth. It is maintained jointly by DCC and Sustrans. Currently, the Way is supported by a Sunday-only train service during summer months to and from Okehampton railway station providing links to nearby Exeter run by DCC and Great Western Railway.

Meldon Viaduct is a disused railway viaduct crossing the West Okement River at Meldon, 2.5 miles (4.0 km) south-west of Okehampton, on the edge of Dartmoor in Devon, South West England. This truss bridge was constructed from wrought iron, instead of stone or brick arches. It opened in 1874 for a single track; in 1879 its width was doubled for a second track. Although regular services were withdrawn in 1968, the bridge was used for shunting by a local quarry. In the 1990s the remaining single track was removed.

The Devon Coast to Coast Cycle Route is a 99-mile waymarked route from Ilfracombe in north Devon to Plymouth in south Devon. It skirts the National Parks of both Exmoor and Dartmoor and incorporates part of the Tarka Trail in the north, The Granite Way from Okehampton to Lydford and Drake's Trail from Tavistock to Plymouth.

Grenofen is a hamlet in Devon. It is located about 2 miles south of Tavistock on the A386 at the southwestern edge of Dartmoor National Park. Grenofen was mentioned as Grenefenne in 1238 in the Assize Rolls for Devon.

Sherwood Pines Forest Park is a forest park located near the village of Kings Clipstone, Nottinghamshire, England. Originally called Clipstone Heath, it was acquired by Forestry England in 1925 and planted with trees in response to a wood shortage after World War I. The park offers activities such as walking, bushcraft, mountain biking and there is a visitor centre. It is the largest park in the East Midlands of England. The forest is also home to the average point between the geographical centers and population centers of Great Britain.

Worcester Woods Country Park is a country park in Worcester, Worcestershire, England.

References

↑ "Plymbridge Woods - Woodland Trust" . Retrieved 28 July 2020.
↑ "Plymbridge Woods". National Trust.
1 2 Historic England. "PLYM BRIDGE, Non Civil Parish (1162902)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 25 September 2018.
↑ "BBC - Devon Great Outdoors - Walks - Plym Bridge Woods". www.bbc.co.uk.
↑ "Plymbridge Woods - Country Park/Nature Reserve in Plymouth, Plymouth - Visit Plymouth". www.visitplymouth.co.uk.
↑ "Course - Plymvalley parkrun". www.parkrun.org.uk.
↑ "British Orienteering". www.britishorienteering.org.uk.

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[1] "Plymbridge Woods - Woodland Trust" . Retrieved 28 July 2020.

[2] "Plymbridge Woods". National Trust.

[auto-3] 1 2 Historic England. "PLYM BRIDGE, Non Civil Parish (1162902)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 25 September 2018.

[4] "BBC - Devon Great Outdoors - Walks - Plym Bridge Woods". www.bbc.co.uk.

[5] "Plymbridge Woods - Country Park/Nature Reserve in Plymouth, Plymouth - Visit Plymouth". www.visitplymouth.co.uk.

[6] "Course - Plymvalley parkrun". www.parkrun.org.uk.

[7] "British Orienteering". www.britishorienteering.org.uk.

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