Tavistock Canal

 The No 1, Stagecoach, bus goes every 15 minutes from the centre of Plymouth to Tavistock.  There are a number of walks from this bus route.  The service usually has double decker buses and there are views across to Dartmoor along the journey, so it is a very pleasant 50 minute ride.  

For this walk get off at the stop before the Tavistock Bus Station, just before the roundabout with Sir Francis Drake's statue.  You are then immediately at the opening to the path beside the Tavistock Canal, walking away from Tavistock town centre.  

This is a very peaceful walk with the water with the water flowing gently along and lots of birds  to be seen


Cows sometimes come down to drink from the water and the field is fenced off at these points to stop them escaping along the water.  In May there are bluebells in the woods at the side of the canal and you frequently see ducks, and in spring ducklings.



The water is clear so there are good reflections of the trees and flowers growing on the banks of the canal.  At one bridge there is writing which you can read in the reflection of the water.


Sir Francis Drake was born at Crowndale Farm which is at the side of the canal.  There are some old farm buildings still there, but not dating back to Elizabethan times.  However, there is a post commemorating his circumnavigation of the world as will as noting flaws in his life.



A couple of benches along the path have poems written on the seats.



The path starts out tarmaced but becomes gradually rougher, but it is still a good path.  After about half an hour you come to the view of the viaduct that used to carry the railway from Plymouth to Tavistock.


I try to limit my walks to about an hour so I generally turn back at this point and retrace my steps.*  However you can continue on further until you get to a blocked up tunnel. The canal continues on to Morwellham Quay where the tin it was built to carry from  Tavistock would be loaded on to ships.

After  returning to Tavistock you can cross the main road through an underpass into The Meadows, the park which is between the river Tavy and the canal .  There is then the choice to either catch the bus back to Plymouth or walk on into Tavistock.  If you chose this option you can either walk along by the river or keep on  going further along the canal.  On the way to Tavistock you could stop at The Wharf for tea and cake, or there are plenty of cafes to chose from in the town itself.  To return to Plymouth you can then walk back to the Bus station.

*I have recently read that just before the viaduct there is a steep path down on the left and if you take this path it leads you up to the dismantled railway line which you can follow back to Tavistock, making it a circular walk.  I will investigate this next time I walk in the direction.





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